University District Neighborhood News and Events

Arvonne Fraser is our neighborhood correspondent for the University District neighborhood in Minneapolis, and she wants to hear from you. Tell her about the garage sale or meeting, and ask her how to register and get your profile on TC Daily Planet!

Arvonne Fraser (arvonnefraser [at] tcdailyplanet [dot] net)is an author, activist, feminist, wife, mother, and grandmother. She is a Fellow Senior Ermita of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs in the University of Minnesota, and co-founder of the Humphrey Institute Center on Women and Public Policy.

The University district is immediately adjacent to the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus. Its eastern boundary is Oak Street, from the river to the railroad trackes, then northwest along the tracks to 15th Avenue SE, then south along 15th Avenue SE to University Avenue SE, then west on University Avenue SE to 11th Avenue SE, and south to the river. The district also includes a small area west of the river, bounded by 1st Street S, 4th Street S and 19th Avenue S.

For news from the University District, a coalition of four neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus, the City of Minneapolis, and the University, click here.  The neighborhoods are:  Marcy-Holmes, Southeast Como, Prospect Park/East River Road, and Cedar/Riverside. In addition to business organizations operating within the area, two U student organizations and Augsburg College are part of the University District Alliance.

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

Photo by Matthew Beckler (Creative Commons)

MUSIC REVIEW | Lissie is a natural at the Varsity Theater

By Patrick Dunn, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Patrick Dunn

What one word could be used to best describe the sound and vibe of folk rock singer Lissie? A good choice would be “organic.” Divas take a lesson, she’s got the voice and stage presence and doesn’t need a ton of makeup, sparkling gowns or notorious attitude. This Mid-Western girl is on her way to becoming a well known musical force and has already reached that status with many Cities 97 listeners having played the Basilica Block Party and Oake on the Water in addition to making a studio appearance at 89.3 The Current. In fact, she will be opening the season of the newly named Sun Soaker Thursdays tonight at Redstone in Eden Prairie. Take if from everyone who got to see her sold-out Minneapolis show last night and left with a smile on their face, keep an eye out for the next time she comes to town and buy your ticket immediately.

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MUSIC REVIEW | Todd Rundgren brings the unexpected to the Varsity Theater

By Patrick Dunn, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Patrick Dunn

Loyal fans of legendary Rock musician Todd Rundgren met up at the Varsity Theater Monday, May 20th anxious to find out what the unpredictable artist had in store for them. Some probably came expecting to hear hits spanning his 40-plus year music career, but diehard fans know to expect the unexpected. The evening might best be described as a representation of Rundgren’s one man projects with a few specially picked tunes from his extensive production work woven in.

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The Guthrie Theater at 50: A legacy of artistic excellence, if not always diversity

By Sheila Regan, Behind the Story

Photos, top to bottom: Nancy Wickwire and Robert Jackson in the Guthrie's 1966 production of The Dance of Death; the Guthrie's original building as photographed that same year; the Guthrie's opening night audience in 1963 (all from the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society); the Guthrie today (photo by Mark Vancleave, courtesy Guthrie Theater).

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the first play staged at the Guthrie Theater. On May 7, 1963, Sir Tyrone Guthrie’s bold new experiment opened its production of Hamlet, directed by the Guthrie at their brand new theater adjacent to the Walker Art Center. Whether you love Minnesota’s largest theater or hate it—or, like me, have intensely mixed feelings about it—there’s no denying the impact that the institution has had on the Twin Cities' cultural life.

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Minnesota Vikings, University of Minnesota sign multi-million-dollar contract for use of TCF Bank Stadium

By Bill Huntzicker, TC Daily Planet

Photo by Jenni Konrad (Creative Commons)

The Minnesota Vikings will cover all expenses of game-day activities and other impacts on the surrounding communities—and will contribute to the Good Neighbor Fund—when they move into TCF Bank Stadium to play for two to four seasons beginning in the fall of 2014.

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COMMUNITY VOICES | Dinkytown should be a protected historic district

By Kristen Kozitza, Community Voices

Photo by G.R.R. (Creative Commons)

Thirty years ago, in the fall of 1983, I left Richmond, Virginia where I had lived all my life, to attend U of MN-Minneapolis.

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