Art Scoop at the Rice Street Festival

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On a cool autumn evening last October the North End community held its first-ever Rice Street Art Scoop at Dar’s Double Scoop Ice Cream Shop. Kevin Barrett, owner of Dar’s, served pumpkin ice cream. Local artisans displayed their creative works including jewelry, pottery, paintings, and fresh floral displays. Uniquely decorated “arts cars” parked along Rice Street. Art Scoop at the Rice Street FestivalSaturday, July 26, 2008,Noon to 5 p.m.Washington Middle School fieldsRice Street, between Lawson and Cook, in Saint PaulThis Saturday the second Art Scoop will take place as part of the 2008 Rice Street Festival. Continue Reading

Looking to the future with an eye on the past – Hamline Midway Coalition – District 11 Planning Council

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Located midway between the downtowns of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and just north of University Avenue, Hamline Midway is home to nearly 12,000 residents, and to the 154-year-old Hamline University. According to Michael Jon Olson, Executive Director of the Hamline Midway Coalition District 11 Planning Council, there is no single big challenge for the neighborhood which he calls “very active and energetic.” Olson acknowledges a bit of tension between the old-timers in the neighborhood and the newer residents as they work through the issues, with each group coming from a different perspective. The council has two standing committees: the Transportation Committee and Land Use Advisory Committee. Members of the council are also working on a new comprehensive plan to submit to the city of Saint Paul. Issues today and tomorrow – Hamline University and Light Rail
Today, both Hamline University and the rails continue to play prominent roles in the neighborhood .The university is developing preliminary five-year and 20-year plans, which would extend its campus farther into the community. Continue Reading

Homeless no more

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All her life, 25-year-old Nichole Shaver has considered herself a survivor. Her angry, abusive parents were also survivors, as a result of the circumstances of their own past lives. Continue Reading

West End neighborhood pride

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The West End of Saint Paul has always been a solid working class community with a strong sense of neighborhood pride. Over the years that pride was bruised as the neighborhood changed and residents moved away, leaving the West End as a place to pass though rather than a place to be. Population patterns changed as Interstate 35E was cut through the neighborhood in the 1970s causing the permanent loss of many homes. In 1973, alarmed at what was happening, a group of community members came together to form the West 7th/Fort Road Federation, which later became the District 9 Planning Council. With a $5,000 start-up grant from the Christian Sharing Fund, the federation worked on transportation issues, commercial revitalization, and restoring historic homes and buildings. Continue Reading