“Miracles Can Happen” celebrates expansion of Karamu Garden in north Minneapolis

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A diverse mix of city and community leaders gathered with north side residents and community partners June 2 to celebrate the expansion of Karamu Garden in north Minneapolis.Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges helped preside over the garden groundbreaking and dedication ceremony entitled “Miracles Can Happen,” along with Barry Sanders, President and Chief Operating Officer of Scotts Miracle-Gro, members of Project Sweetie Pie, the Black Storytellers Alliance and a host of others. Attendees enjoyed free hot dogs and refreshments, a health fair, commemorative speeches, and live entertainment from musician Blair Lee, and Asian Media Alliance performers whose ribbons danced in the blustery wind.Karamu Garden, located on 1600 Plymouth Avenue North, and the city of Minneapolis, are one of five national recipients of a grant through the U.S. Council of Mayors by Scotts Miracle-Gro’s GRO1000 program. The program is dedicated to creating more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018. Project Sweetie Pie founder Michael Chaney sees the Plymouth Avenue location of Karamu Garden as fertile ground for his broader vision. “Plymouth Avenue is the Nile of the North!” proclaimed Chaney. “I’d like this garden to be the impetus for a Plymouth Avenue makeover, with Karamu Garden becoming the Rose Garden of north Minneapolis.”Karamu Garden has been redesigned to become a municipal community garden with food planted and harvested as a givng garden, unfolding over the next three years. Continue Reading

TC Weekend | LynLake Street Fest & Open Streets, West By West Bank, Art in the Hollow and more!

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Local art and music, books, open streets: there’s a lot to love about this weekend’s line up with festivals and activities all over town!  As with last weekend, this weekend’s weather forecast seems to call for a bit of rain, but after our winter, what’s a few raindrops?!  See this weekend’s vibrant line up below:Art in the Hollow, June 7Art in the Hollow, the only art fair on Saint Paul’s east side, will feature over 50 visual and performing artists creating art in a variety of forms – murals, mosaics, sculpture and more, with many artists creating on-site. There will be a prize-awarded sculpture installation contest, a teen art poster contest, a teen gallery and much more! Go here for more information.Swede Hollow Park 720 Payne Ave., Saint Paul10 am – 5 pm Ancestry Books Grand Opening, June 7Come out and celebrate the good things happening in North Minneapolis with the grand opening of Ancestry Books! Enjoy great local music from hip-hop artist Toki Wright, and vocalist Mankwe Ndosi, plus a live painting by Jordan Hamilton and food and drinks.Lowry & Penn AvenueMusic, food, 12 pm – 2 pmBookstore opening 2 pm  It’s Easy Being Green, June 7 Are you interested in learning to garden or make your own green household cleaner? How about gaining a better understanding about the risks of lead paint or composting? Continue Reading

Plant a flower, save a bee

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It isn’t just about sweet, sweet honey. Honeybees have been in the news a lot because of decline. But pollinators of all kinds are affected by habitat loss, pesticide use and disease. Pollinators include butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, honeybees (as European as the settlers who brought them to the Americas) as well as native bees, about 4000 species. Continue Reading

Toxic Tater Coalition spreads the word, NOT the fungicides

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They had me with their branding – the Toxic Taters Coalition. In my world potatoes are equated with manna from heaven. And any pesticide that comes between me and potatoes is toxic by definition! So when I heard that the Toxic Taters Coalition will be visiting Minneapolis on Wednesday, June 4, it was a call to action. It didn’t take long for me to discover I had much to learn. Continue Reading

TC Weekend | Grand Old Day, Waterfest, Open Streets North Minneapolis and more!

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The official first day of summer may be June 21, but this weekend marks the unofficial launch of the summer festival season in the Twin Cities. The weather forecast shows a chance of scattered showers, but let’s hope the sun wins out! See below for this weekend’s lively roster: North Minneapolis Greenway Open Streets, May 31 This weekend marks the first of the Open Streets Minneapolis events, providing an opportunity for people to explore the proposed North Minneapolis Greenway route free of automobiles. Enjoy the streets on bike, foot or blade, while sampling great food, art, music and activities! For more information and free Metro passes, go here.North Girard/Humbold Avenues from West Broadway Avenue to North 42nd Avenue.10 am – 4 pm; Free  Open Streets – Jordan Area Community CouncilThe Jordan Area Community Council will be participating in this year’s Open Streets and invites you to partake in their festivities! Continue Reading