Feb. 15th – 17th: This weekend in Seward and Longfellow

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With so many awesome things happening this weekend, we couldn’t list them all here. Check our events calendar for the full schedule.SaturdayDuluth author Margi Preus tells the tale of 14-year-old Espen, who becomes a spy during WWII in the book Shadow on the Mountain. Meet the author at Boneshaker Books, and find out what it was like to meet the real-life Espen – the Norwegian the story is based on.Learn how to “chard your yard” during a gardening workshop with Transition Longfellow.Need some live music in your life? Harriet Brewing has a full line-up starting at 3 p.m. Catch the Eric Baird Duo, Dan Israel, Jeff Ray & Hurricane Harold, and Nikki & the RueMates.SundayOpera, musical, and Nordic pieces all in one concert – featuring pianist Jim Reily and soprano Taylor Ann Grand at the Danish American Center.Are you a fan of Cosmopolis by Dan Delillo? Meet up with other like-minded readers for a lively book discussion at Moon Palace Books.Coming Up During the Week…Visual artists interpreted the music from the Minneapolis-based band Greycoats’ new album World of Tomorrow. Continue Reading

Valentine’s Dinner options in Longfellow and Seward

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If you’re planning on taking your valentine out for dinner on Thursday night and you don’t yet have a place picked out, it’s time to commit. We’ve pulled together a list of restaurants in the neighborhood offering special Valentine’s Day dinners.Birchwood Cafe – Will be offering its full menu as well as a special cheese trio plate, and a fully-stocked dessert case. The cafe is taking a simple approach to the holiday with no reservations. They welcome groups of 1, 2, 3, or 30. 612-722-4474. Continue Reading

Flourish: A new Pilates studio opens in Longfellow

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A dancer for many years and Pilates instructor for ten, Rachel Bouchard brings her love of movement and her love of people to Flourish, her new Pilates studio in Longfellow. These two elements are the foundation she is using to create a welcoming community for people interested in Pilates, yoga, and bodywork.Driven to learn how to best help people with differing abilities and exercise needs, Bouchard has studied many methods of movement, exercise, and massage, including Stott Pilates – a method that is based in anatomy, physiology, and the biomechanics of movement. She has also studied myofascial release – a massage method used to release tightness in the connective tissue that surrounds muscles. “One of the things about movement and biomechanics of movement is that if you want [your body] to function correctly and if you’ve got any tightness or congestion, you’ve got to get that released first,” said Bouchard. “If you do that hands-on muscle work first it gives the body more range to work properly.”In one flowing movement, Bouchard goes from this starting position to a mid-air push up, lifted mostly by her arms and partly by the pads she is standing on. Continue Reading

Feb. 8th – 10th: Coming up this weekend in Seward and Longfellow

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FridayProlific composer Gary Rue will put down his pen and paper, and will step out on the stage at Riverview Wine Bar.Charity Huot & The Summit Hill Band bring a “lyrical landscape [that] memorizes” straight from Duluth to the mic at Harriet Brewing. The night is capped off with some country and folk music by Minneapolis group Fletcher Magellan & The Great Lakes. Is it just me, or do these bands need to switch locations?A musical choral review by students at Minnehaha Academy. The Madrigal Singers, Women’s Chorale, and Men’s Choir will be performing.Need to rock? Head over to Whiskey Junction to catch Alex Steele and Michael Daum of Roster McCabe.SaturdayWith so many awesome things happening today, we couldn’t list them all here. Continue Reading

Minneapolis: Street resurfacing planned for Cooper and Seward

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Street resurfacing is planned for certain roadways in Cooper and Seward during 2013. The resurfacing project will involve grinding off a layer of asphalt and replacing it with a new layer. This is opposed to a complete street reconstruction project where the entire road is rebuilt – which involves removing the road and sub-grade soils, curbs, and gutters – and then rebuilding all of these elements.Resurfacing the streets will extend their life by ten years and will prevent a more costly rebuild. “[Street resurfacing] cannot be done if the street reaches a certain point of degradation,” said Chris Trembath from the Department of Public Works. “If no work were to be done to these streets, the pavement and the existing sub-grade under the street would likely fail to a point where the street would then need to be totally rebuilt – a far more expensive and time-consuming undertaking than resurfacing.”With the exception of 25th Street East, all of the streets in the resurfacing project were paved 32 years ago in 1981, according to the Department of Public Works.While the work is being done, the streets under construction will be partially or fully closed and street parking will not be permitted. Continue Reading

Botanical Art School moves to Longfellow

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A school that is part of the movement to revive an art form thousands of years old is getting settled in its new location at the Longfellow House. Previously at the Bakken, the Minnesota School of Botanical Art opened its doors at the beginning of the month.Ten years ago, the School of Botanical Art was the fourth botanical arts school in the nation. Today it is joined by several more schools. The school began out of Founder Marilyn Garber’s desire to teach students botanic painting. A botanical artist herself, she found resources for her art few and far between. Continue Reading

February 2-7: Upcoming events in Minneapolis’ Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods

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SaturdayCatch it if you can. Learn how to catch and store energy with Transition Longfellow.Lonesome Dan Kase starts the party off right at Harriet Brewing with his boogie-woogie and blues piano set. Matt Yetter and Bill Cagley keep the old-timey dance tunes going. Silver City Millers end the night with a bluegrass set.It must be the night for bluegrass, because you can catch the bluegrass band the Jugg Sluggers – mandolin and banjo – at the Riverview Wine Bar.SundayIf you’re interested in learning how to grow your ceramics business, then you won’t want to miss the lecture and art demo by McKnight Fellowship artists Brian Boldon and Ursula Hargens at Northern Clay Center.The Zacc Harris Trio caps the weekend off at Riverview Wine Bar with jazz.Weeknight HighlightsIt’s not just the weekends that are hopping in the hood. Check out what’s coming up this week:What gardener isn’t staring longingly at the seed catalogs right about now? Continue Reading

Blue Door Longfellow opens

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It was a packed house last night at the Blue Door Longfellow for its opening night. If you didn’t want to contend with die-hard Blue Door fans, we’ve got you covered. Here are some pictures of Longfellow’s newest joint.Walk in the door, and you instantly feel warmer. The lighting, warm-wood tones, and booths make a beer and blucy seem like a most excellent idea.If you need a made in Minnesota brew fix, they’ve got quite a few locals on tap.The Blue Door Longfellow has many of the same blucys (in non-Blue Door speak that’s a cheese stuffed burger) as its sister restaurant in St. Paul. Continue Reading

Capitol Cafe: The new cafe in Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood

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Walk into the new Capitol Cafe on Franklin, and you are instantly hit with the warming aroma of roasting coffee beans from its traditional East African coffee service.This weekend is the Cafe’s grand opening, and when we stopped in it was busy with activity. The Cafe serves several East African specialties such zedbebe, sambussa, habasha, injera, and other treats. We tried the sambussa, which is a warm pastry (similar to phyllo dough) filled with delicious spicy lentils. For beverages, they serve espresso drinks and tea. The Cafe also has raw coffee beans and breads for sale.Owner Tsegaye Sombo on opening day at the Capitol Cafe in Seward.Capitol Cafe is located at 2417 E Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis. Continue Reading