Loring Park Neighborhood News and Events

The Loring Park neighborhood is a bicyclist & pedestrian paradise with easy access to bicycle trails, a 15 minute walk to the downtown and uptown areas, and excellent public transportation. 

The neighborhood's character, history, architecture, location, park, and green space are the top most important features that make Loring Park a "Livable Place" according to a community survey taken in preparation for the future. 

Ensuring an active social & cultural life, the neighborhood is dotted with a wide range of ethnic restaurants, entertainment, retail shops, businesses, and six of the cities' largest and most historic churches, The Woman's Club of Minneapolis, MCTC College, Metropolitan State University, Dunwoody Institute, University of St. Thomas-Minneapolis Campus, and the Walker Art Center & Sculpture Garden, and within a short walking distance the Minneapolis Art Institute, the theater district, and Orchestra Hall. 

The neighborhood crowning jewel is Loring Park, connected to Nicollet Mall by the Loring Greenway. It is the neighborhood's focal point for many festivals, films & concerts, recreational & community building activities, and offering a delightful place to take a stroll around the lake & beautiful gardens, and most recently a dog park.

(Description from livemsp.org) 

For detailed demographic information, see the neighborhood profile from Minnesota Compass. 

Artist loses basilica job after criticising Catholic anti-gay marriage campaign

By Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent

Photo of Basilica by J. Wynia, Flickr, Creative Commons license

An artist who had planned to create a sculpture from DVDs send out by Minnesota’s Catholic bishops said she was suspended from her position as the Basilica of St. Mary’s artist in residence. Lucinda Nayor’s project will take anti-gay marriage DVDs sent out to Catholics in advance of the November election and create a message of “creativity and hope.” While Naylor faces a setback at the basilica, she got a boost on Monday when other groups including one called Return The DVD, joined up with her project. 

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zAmya Theater looks at panhandling in Minneapolis

By Dwight Hobbes, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Begging on the street is looked on by some as parasitical panhandling. Others view it, particularly in this economic day and age, as a legitimate means to one's financial ends. Sometimes, it's actually neither. 

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MUSIC | Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright at Orchestra Hall: Squeezing your soul, in a good way

By Natalie Gallagher, TC Daily Planet

All Days Are Nights cover art

You could tell that this has been a rough year for Rufus Wainwright as he sat down at his grand piano at Orchestra Hall on Wednesday night and played a set of dynamic songs that had the complexity and depth of a tragic opera.

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MUSIC | New album under their belt, the Oh Eeks keep on rocking

By Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet

Fan video of the Oh Eeks' CD release show

The Oh Eeks are one of the interestinger bands I've come across in some time. It's great that they have real solid musicianship in guitarist Jimmy Bayard, bassist Al Vorse, drummer-arranger Dan DeMuth, and vocalist Johnny Park, who plays guitar and harmonica and writes fine material. What fascinates me is Parks's sardonic hand with lyrics.

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Zinesters and their zines at Twin Cities Zinefest 2010

By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Jay Gabler

Dozens of local creators of zines—books or magazines made in small editions using DIY methods—gathered at the Stevens Square Center for the Arts on Saturday morning for Twin Cities Zinefest, an annual event that's become so popular it's outgrown the venue and will move in 2011 to a yet-to-be-determined location. Zine conoisseurs crowded the aisles while event coordinator Sarah Morean emceed a sequence of zine readings in the corner of the room. I bought a book of ironic portrait photos (its creator apologized for charging the relatively astronomical zine price of ten dollars) and a comic cookbook in which the food talks sarcastically back to the cook as he's preparing it. Zine heaven.

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