Artists sell locally at popular Nokomis Urban Craft and Art Fair

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Local knit artists Jen Bremer and Rich McGeheran make a point to support local businesses and to buy local, so when the opportunity came to sell their own wares locally, they signed up.
This fall marks their fourth Nokomis Urban Craft and Art Fair, which is slated for Sat., Nov. 12, 9am-4pm, at the Nokomis Recreation Center, 2401 E. Minnehaha Pkwy.
“It is always exciting to see familiar faces and show off our latest offerings,” observed Bremer, who resides in Wenonah with her family.
“The Nokomis Spring Fair in 2015 was our very first fair. We chose it because we are a part of that community, and wanted to premiere our company and our products to our friends and neighbors.”
The fair started over 20 years ago and was renewed nine years ago. The fall sale became so popular that a spring Urban Craft Fair was added two years ago.
“Everything about this event is exciting,” stated Nokomis Park Recreation Supervisor Maggie Mercil.
“We have some amazing and talented crafters both locally from the Nokomis and Longfellow neighborhoods, as well as some that come from as far away as Cannon Falls. It is wonderful to hear from the community how much they enjoy this event—from the ability to find unique Christmas gifts in the fall for that special someone or just enjoying some locally made granola. There is not any part of this event that is not fun for everyone.”
Mercia became involved in the event five years ago when she began working as the Nokomis parks director. “It is hard to say which event is my favorite, ranging from our senior dinner that is put on every November, to the spring and fall Urban Craft Fairs, to the Monarch Festival,” she said. “I can say that the craft fair definitely helps me find nice gifts for those hard-to-find people.”
Table rental fees help support park preschool programs, art and pottery classes, as well as many other activities offered at the Nokomis Park. The park table at the fair will be showcasing all the local programs, such as Adult Drawing with Michael Russell and Dog Training with Jessica Kuehlman.
There will be over 40 vendors at the show.
Activities for children include putting together milkweed seed balls and making seed art to help promote monarch habitat. There will also be a scavenger hunt for both children and adults, with items and prizes for the hunt donated by the crafters.
Helping artists flourish
Flourish, a group of diverse Minnesota artisans, helps organize the event.
“The group’s purpose is to join together to present our talents and grow as artists, so we each can flourish in our respective crafts,” explained Nokomis East artist Mary E. Pow of MinneBites.
Bremer and McGerheran found Flourish at the first Nokomis Art Fair they participated in. “It started as a local Etsy sellers group, but has morphed into a local hand-crafted business group where members support other members in many ways,” Bremer stated.
“This group has been such a wonderful support system,” said Casey DePasquale of caseyd ceramics, who lives north of Lake Nokomis. “We hold monthly meetings where people can share tips about selling online and at local shows, we give each other feedback on our work, and we all support and encourage each other.”
In addition to the park staff and Flourish, individual crafters volunteer their time to make the event a success, pointed out Mercil. “They are involved in the planning, publicity, and the scavenger hunt, as well as set up and take down the day of the event. This event wouldn’t be possible without the help of the volunteers.”
MEET SOME ARTISTS
Jen Bremer and
Rich McGeheran
www.nokoknitco.com
Founded in 2015, Nokomis Knitting Company is a husband and wife team making handmade knitted, felted and stitched items sometimes using old-fashioned knitting needles.
Photo right: Nokomis Knitting Company is a husband and wife team making handmade knitted, felted and stitched items sometimes using old-fashioned knitting needles. Much of the time, they use an old-fashioned antique sock knitting machines originally manufactured in the early 1900s. (Photo submitted)
Much of the time, they use a really old fashioned antique sock knitting machines originally manufactured in the early 1900s to make socks for the troops of WWI and WWII to prevent trench foot. They’ve restored the machines to make more than just socks and hope that others will like what they’ve been able to, literally, crank out.
Bremer and McGeheran reside on the east side of Lake Nokomis. Bremer works part-time at Steven Be’s, a local yarn and knitting studio, while McGeheran works in downtown Minneapolis at an advertising agency.
Both Bremer and McGeheran have always been creative and artsy people.
Photo left: Jen Bremer of Nokomis Knitting Company doesn’t like making the same thing twice. “The items I make using the machine challenge me to be creative with, essentially, a knit tube,” she said. “Those tubes I have managed to shape into hand and arm warmers, cowls, scarves, baby blankets, bowls and even a sweater or two.” (Photo submitted)
Bremer’s grandmother taught her how to knit when she was 10 years old to keep her from scratching her chicken pox. Since then she has dabbled in clay, paint, glass, charcoal, and many other mediums but painting, shaping, and creating with yarn and fiber has become by far her favorite and most practiced medium.
McGeheran has been making and breaking things from a young age.
One Christmas McGeheran gave Bremer an antique circular knitting machine manufactured around 1920. It needed restoration, parts, and lots of TLC. They restored the than and started the process of learning how to use it.
McGerheran has been hooked on making socks ever since, and Bremer tries to see what she can make with the machine other than socks.
“I love to look at a ball or skein of yarn and try to figure out what type of sock it will make,” remarked McGerheran. “I have made really cool traditional Scandinavian socks with yarn from Arne and Carlos. I also really enjoy making custom socks. I had a few Minnesota Vikings fans ask for purple and gold socks—those were fun to make. Socks should not only make your feet feel good; they should express something about the person wearing them.”
“I have a problem in that I don’t like making the same thing twice, which is why it is good that Rich likes to make the socks,” stated Bremer. “Most of my hand knit items are one-of-a-kind which makes each piece interesting to me and unique to each buyer. The items I make using the machine challenge me to be creative with, essentially, a knit tube. I have managed to shape those tubes into hand and arm warmers, cowls, scarves, baby blankets, and even a sweater or two.”
The couple embraces and uses old tried-and-true methods, but is also very experimental. They try to use all natural materials and sometimes reclaimed, recycled wool.
“I have always had some form of art or creativity that has captured my attention,” said Bremer. “What inspires me to pick up the yarn, or the glass cutter, or the paint brush, or the needle and thread is the potential that those plain tools and materials can be turned into something new, something that did not exist before, something that I might not have even envisioned. Mystery and metamorphosis are what drive me to keep making.”
McGeheran is inspired by his wife, kids, and music. “I loving watching a crafts-person do their craft. Makers inspire me to make. There is not much better then taking a step back and looking at something you’ve made with your hands,” he stated.
At the sale, they will have handmade socks, wool dryer ball kits, beautiful and detailed hand-knit shawls and cowls, baby blankets and booties, fingerless mitts and arm warmers, felted bowls, and other new items still in development. Prices range from $8 to $180.
Curt Wright
rusticinspirations55@gmail.com
Curt Wright began making rustic furniture about 15 years ago. He and his wife built a log home on 20 acres in upstate New York. “We used to go to the shows in the Adirondacks and look at the different beautiful rustic works. I told my wife that I could do that, so that is when I started making rustic furniture,” Wright recalled. Using wood from his own property, he built all the furniture for their house.
Photo left: Curt Wright began making rustic furniture about 15 years ago. “I use burls and live edge wood to make something that is beautiful and absolutely one of a kind,” said Wright. (Photo submitted)
“I enjoyed it so much that when our home was full, I began to design and build rustic tables, benches, and clocks,” said Wright.
He is now retired after 31 years working as a technician fixing gas pumps. He and his wife moved to Wenonah a year and a half ago, and he sells at several shows throughout the state of Minnesota each year. This will be his second Nokomis Art Fair. “I am most looking forward to meeting the people in my neighborhood and showing and selling my creations,” stated Wright.
When fashioning his unique items, Wright is inspired by the beautiful pieces of wood that he has collected over the years.
“I use burls and live edge wood to make something that is beautiful and one of a kind,” said Wright. He has his own wood supply and has either cut down and processed the wood himself or hand-picked it from other sources.
His specialty is rustic end tables. Prices range from $25 to $450.
Casey DePasquale
www.etsy.com/shop/caseydceramics
Casey DePasquale of caseyd ceramics lives just north of Lake Nokomis. Her studio is in the basement of her 108-year-old house.
She is currently firing pottery at Concordia University where she has access to electric, gas, and wood-fired kilns.
“I have always loved art, and wanted to be an artist and art teacher since I was just a kid,” said DePasquale. She earned a bachelor in fine arts in ceramics, but enjoyed studying all the visual arts while in college. For several years, she created murals and decorative painting which enabled her to travel a lot. Seven years ago, she landed in Minnesota.
“After starting a family and going a few years without using clay, I wanted to return to my true passion,” stated DePasquale. “The amount of incredible support for artists here in Minnesota made me hope that I can eventually work up to earning a living as an independent artist!”
Photo right: Casey DePasquale’s ceramic studio is in the basement of her 108-year-old South Minneapolis house. She offers a line of functional pottery for everyday use that incorporates her fine art ceramics aesthetic. (Photo submitted)
She designed a line of functional pottery for everyday use that incorporates her fine art ceramics aesthetic. Her work is not thrown on the wheel but instead is hand-built using plaster mold forms. “I design each cup or bowl very carefully to be functional, comfortable, and beautiful. Then I make a plaster mold of my design, and when that is refined, I hand-work the clay into that form,” explained DePasquale. “This way each pot I make has an organic and unique texture, but still feels smooth and uniform in shape.”
DePasquale is currently helping Keewaydin Park start up an adult ceramics program, and “our classes are probably the most affordable way for beginners to get a chance to play with clay,” she said. The first class will be starting in January.
Everything DePasquale sells is functional and intended for daily use. She will have cups, mugs, fruit bowls, planters, and more at the Nokomis sale. Everything is microwave and dishwasher safe. She is hoping to debut a new line of coasters, priced at only $10 for folks looking to make a small purchase. Most of her work falls into the $20-50 range, and she offers discounts for purchases of multiple items.

  Article printed in the November 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Republican, DFL candidates face off in State House, State Senate races

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Before you head to the polls on Tues., Nov. 8, be sure to double check your polling location.
Due to long lines in previous elections, several new locations were added in the Nokomis neighborhood. There are now 13 polling locations instead of 10.
Here are the details on the precinct splits:
• 12-6 added 12-11 (south of 52nd St. E.) with the new polling location of Trinity Lutheran Church of Minnehaha Falls, 5212 41st Ave. S.
• 12-8 added 12-12 (east of 21st Ave. S.) with the new polling location of Roosevelt High School (Gym), 4029 28th Ave. S.
• 12-5 added 12-13 (south of 49th St. E.) with the new polling location of Keewaydin Campus—Lake Nokomis Community School (Gym), 5209 30th Ave. S.
Go to http://vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/where-to-vote and enter your address to find your polling location.
Two questions on ballot
Expect to find two questions on this year’s ballot. The first will be voted upon by all the citizens in Minnesota. If approved, it would remove lawmaker’s power to set their own pay. An independent, citizens-only council would be established to prescribe salaries of lawmakers instead.
The second question pertains to the Minneapolis School District. The school district’s existing referendum revenue of $1,604.31 per pupil is scheduled to expire after taxes payable in 2016. A “yes” vote would extend the property tax levy for nine more years. It would increase each year by the rate of inflation. The money will be used to manage class sizes and provide supportive services and activities for students.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 63A
Kyle Bragg – R
kylebraggformnhouse63A@gmail.com
Bragg has resided in Standish for 18 years. He has a bachelor of arts in business administration. He has worked in the finance department at Loffler Companies for 12 years, and is on the Loffler Helping Hands Team, which connects employees with local charities including St. Joseph’s Home for Children and Ronald McDonald House.
His first priority, if elected, will be to “work on a solution to the crisis of unsustainable rising healthcare costs,” he said. When open enrollment for MNsure begins in less than a month, residents shopping for individual policies will have to pay 50-67% higher premiums in 2017; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is no longer a provider option, and there are new enrollment caps with each of the remaining providers.
Another focus will be on education. “The high school graduation rate in Minneapolis was 64% in 2015, and there is an achievement gap of about 10% for students of color that needs to be closed,” he said.
He would also work to lower the cost of higher education with more in-state tuition credits, fee reduction, and scholarships.
Bragg supports legislation to lower taxes for middle class working Minnesotans and to provide property tax relief with more state aid to municipalities and counties.
“I will also support efforts to focus spending in the next biennium to help Minnesota businesses create jobs and enhance research and development to increase production of goods and services which can be exported to other states and countries to bring more money into the state and promote economic growth,” he stated.
Bragg has been married for almost 19 years and has two daughters, ages 9 and 11.
Jim Davnie (I) – DFL
www.jimdavnie.org
Davnie taught middle school social studies for 17 years. While teaching, he was elected to three terms as his local union’s president and also served in leadership positions at the state level with the Minnesota Federation of Teachers and later Education Minnesota. He currently works as a personal finance educator for Lutheran Social Service.
Davnie was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2000.
He currently serves on the Advisory Board for Camp du Nord, a family camp operated by the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities.
Davnie believes that the state needs a system that provides universal access to healthcare at an affordable price to all Minnesotans. He supports a universal system that will create efficiencies and costs savings not available in our current disconnected approach.
He supports a tax policy that fairly spreads the burden fairly and feels that wealthy Minnesotans should pay at least the same percentage in taxes as do middle and working class families. He supports tax policy that benefits local businesses that help build our local economy not national and multinational businesses.
Davnie would utilize bonding to build wastewater treatment plants, secure easements on and around fragile lands and waters, and other efforts to preserve and improve the quality of Minnesota waters.
He believes we have both a moral and practical imperative to close the achievement gap in Minnesota. He holds educators accountable but says we need to balance that with a collaborative approach respecting the professional insights and skills that they bring to work every day.
He supports bonding for needed public projects—roads, bridges, public buildings—and enhancing the ability of the private sector to create jobs through high-quality public services, and targeted policies that enhance the competitiveness of Minnesota firms.
He believes the Legislature must continue its efforts to plan and build light rail, bus rapid transit, and neighborhood transit options while keeping fares affordable.
Davnie is married and has two children.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 63B
Frank Pafko – R
Pafko grew up in south Minneapolis and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1971. After 27 years in south Minneapolis, he now resides in Richfield.
He earned his bachelor of science in fisheries from the University of Minnesota in 1975 and worked 34 years for Minnesota Department of Transportation before retiring in 2012 as Chief Environmental Officer. He is the Transportation Tsar for the Up and At ’Em radio show and podcast.
His priority issues are improving public education, fixing MNSure, transportation, tax cuts and streamlining regulation.
Pafko believes that students have been poorly served by the public school system. “Graduation rates are horrible, and test scores continue to decline,” he pointed out. “We cannot continue to increase funding to a failed system. Providing education choice and opportunity scholarships will offer students and parents the financial mobility to choose schools best for them.”
Pafko labels MNSure and Obamacare as “abysmal failures imposed on Minnesotans solely by Democrats.” Increasing costs and decreasing choices will deny Minnesotans health care, he said. He would “reduce the MNSure tax on premiums, combine the individual market into groups, provide tax exemptions for premiums, and try to get an exemption from Obamacare and resurrect the successful MNCare program.
“Funding needs to be increased for roads and bridges to maintain our investment, improve safety and reduce congestion,” said Pafko. Before raising taxes, he would transfer existing vehicle-related taxes toward improving roads. One mile of LRT costs over $125 million per mile, he pointed out, while adding a freeway lane only costs $5-10 million per mile. “Cancel overpriced trains and use transit dollars to fund an improved bus system. Lanes not trains,” said Pafko.
He would also pass the vetoed bipartisan tax cut bill, which gives money back to small business, student loan holders, and education savers and exempt Social Security payments from state income tax.
Pafko is married with two children and six grandchildren.
Jean Wagenius (I) – DFL
jeanwagenius.org
Wagenius earned her bachelor of arts from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and went to work as one of the first women in management at the local telephone company. Then she attended the Jane Adams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois and did her practice work in Chicago projects.
Wagenius returned to Wash­ington to work at Peace Corps Headquarters and at night as a volunteer leader of a city community center serving teenagers in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
Wagenius became convinced that the best strategy for children is to make sure that they are successful in the very first years of school and that they can read by the end of second grade at the latest. She helped author a law securing the first state funding for all-day kindergarten and teacher training designed to have children read by the end of second grade.
When the family moved to Minnesota, Wagenius promptly became involved in DFL politics. In 1985, a group of neighbors in south Minneapolis asked her to run for an open seat in the Minnesota House. She has since served 15 terms.
Wagenius was a staff attorney for the Minnesota Court of Appeals before being elected. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
Current committee assignments include Capital Investment, Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance and Ways and Means.
Wagenius does not accept political action committee (PAC) dollars for her election campaigns and started the “No Perks Pledge” in the Minnesota House.
She has authored numerous laws that require manufacturers to reduce or recycle the toxins that get into air and water and has worked to protect groundwater.
Wagenius believes people have a right to be safe in their homes and communities and has authored numerous bills making our criminal laws tougher and easier to prosecute.
She advocates for transportation funding that includes bus and rail transit as well as roads rather than a “roads-only” policy.
Wagenius has been a consistent coauthor of bills to increase the minimum wage and voted to pass the Woman’s Economic Security Act, a package of legislation designed to close the gender pay gap and level the playing field for work women in the workplace.
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 63
Ron Moey – R
Moey has been a lifelong resident of the district. He graduated from Roosevelt High School 1962. He attended Mankato State before joining the U.S. Navy, stationed on Okinawa in a Drone Squadron.
When he returned home, he married Betsy and worked in auto finance at Northwestern National Bank. Then he went on to start a drain cleaning company, “Ron the Sewer Rat,” in 1973 and was there until he turned it over to son, Lee, five years ago. He also has two daughters, Linnae, who works with Fish and Wildlife, and Laura, a 911 operator for the city of Minneapolis.
The main concern he has for the state is that “health care is out of control and no longer assessable to anyone other that the super rich or super poor,” said Moey. “We must make health care competitive, and eliminate governmental over control.”
He also believes that Minnesota must be competitive with other states to have companies stay and expand here. He supports keeping regulations and taxes under control.
Moey would promote the state’s resources, and make Minnesota a tourist destination.
“Every child deserves a good education,” said Moey. “We must do more to promote trade education.”
He added, “We must stand up to the federal government and take back the states responsibilities.”
Patricia Torres Ray (I) – DFL
patriciaforsenate.org
Born in 1964 in Colombia, Torres Ray moved to Minnesota in 1987 where she learned English, worked various jobs and completed her education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in public affairs from the Humphrey Institute.
Education is one of her top priorities. She supports full funding of quality childcare for working class families and believes that closing the gap between students of color and white students should be the state’s top priority.
With a goal to make health care more available to all Minnesotans, she supports strategies aimed to eliminate health disparities, fund initiatives to promote safe and healthy communities, and universal health care coverage for all children, such as in the Minnesota Children’s Health Security Act, which she has worked on since 1996.
She promotes initiatives that will protect natural ecosystems, promote toxic waste reduction, fund the development of alternative energy, help reduce dependence on dirty coal, and reduce airport noise.
Torres Ray supports the expansion of public transportation and believes that Hiawatha Corridor Light Rail Transit is a valuable asset to the district.
She supports investments in affordable housing to ensure that low and middle-income working class residents can access stable and safe places to live, and seeks legislation to end homelessness.
Torres Ray believes that investments in education, research, and infrastructure promote economic development much more efficiently than tax giveaways to industry.
She lives in Longfellow with her husband and two teenage boys.

Article printed in the November 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Nation’s first inner city Rotary Club celebrates 20 years

Minneapolis South Rotary seeking new members—particularly from local neighborhoods

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
For 20 years, the Minneapolis South Rotary Club has been living out the Club motto, “Service Above Self.”
As the organization celebrates two decades, it is seeking new members.

 The South Minneapolis Rotary Club is diverse in many ways—gender and gender identity, race, profession, political leanings, nationality, according to Past President Lynn Keillor. “Rotary is an on-the-go, tuned-in group in the Twin Cities with fun, energetic and interesting people,” said Keillor. (Photo submitted)

Through the years, the club has met the different needs of different members and has accomplished some really neat things, according to Past President Lynn Keillor. “However, there’s been some attrition in the past few years—some members moved, work schedules have changed, life happened.
It was as if we looked up one day and said, ‘Gosh, we don’t have the hands to do the cool stuff we want to and should be doing.’”
She acknowledged that it doesn’t help that Rotary has a bit of a stodgy reputation. “In actuality, our club is diverse in so many ways—gender and gender identity, race, profession, political leanings, nationality. Rotary is an on-the-go, tuned-in group in the Twin Cities with fun, energetic and interesting people,” said Keillor.
“We’re at an interesting point in the club where we can grow it up into something really cool—it’s like we’ve been given the good fortune of a blank slate and the opportunity to write the next chapter.
There are countless good ideas and projects we could do in South Minneapolis, in the Metro area or even worldwide. “This can and should be as vibrant of a club as is the neighborhood we’re in.”
Milin Dutta of Standish is passionate about keeping the South Minneapolis club going. She’s a member of the larger Minneapolis City of the Lake Rotary club, but attends the South Minneapolis meetings each week as a guest. “Why you should join Minneapolis South Rotary Club? What do you lose? $25 per month? What do you gain? Good network and you could listen to great speakers every week,” she stated.
Libraries, school supplies, job readiness and more
The South Minneapolis Rotary Club was chartered in 1996 as a special project by the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club with the support of the Edina Rotary Club.
It’s the first Rotary club in the nation to be established in an inner-city neighborhood.
The group’s contributions to the South Minneapolis neighborhood are many.

Minneapolis South Rotarians welcome a 2016-17 exchange student, Arya, from Indonesia. He plays guitar and piano; enjoys basketball and badminton; and is especially active with his school debate team. “I love Rotary Youth Exchange. I feel it’s a true vehicle for global peace and understanding,” said Lynn Keillor, who helps manage the exchange program. (Photo submitted)

They built 12 (and installed 11) Little Free Libraries in South Minneapolis neighborhoods with low literacy and low-access to books, including one at the Friendship Academy School of Fine Arts (2600 E. 38th St.) and one at Folwell School (3611 20th Ave. S.). The books were provided by the Minneapolis School District.
Most recently, Rotary donated money to the Friendship Academy of Fine Arts to help buy uniforms for youth in need.
Rotary has also provided 500 sets of warm mittens and hats for Minneapolis students for the last several years, and Back-to-School supplies for dozens of Minneapolis students who can’t afford them for the last ten years.
The group has helped with a job readiness program for youth with special needs, which includes a job shadow day at the VA. “It’s a program of the WorkForce Center, and we help with a donation as well as talking to students about our careers and performing mock interviews,” explained Keillor.
Another project is the annual Aliveness Project’s Holiday Baskets program, which benefits the families of people with HIV or AIDS. They have contributed money and delivered many baskets over the past several years.
Through a partnership with the Plymouth Rotary Club and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivors Group, they have conducted community CPR and AED training. (Look for another class this fall.)
Programs for global peace and understanding
Perhaps the project the Rotary is known most for is its International Exchange program.
It is the Rotary Youth Exchange that pulled Keillor into the organization when she was a high school participant, and it remains one of her favorite pieces of the organization today. “I love Rotary Youth Exchange. I feel it’s a true vehicle for global peace and understanding,” she said.

Physically disabled people in the Andhra Pradesh region of India now have personal transportation, thanks to a project that provided 290 hand-crank tricycles to those in need. The project was supported financially by the Minneapolis South Rotary Club. “The project gave a boost to the beneficiaries by restoring their dignity and self-respect through independent mobility,” said the final report submitted by the Rotary Club of Kothagudem. “They now do not have to depend on others for their mobility and livelihood and, in the process, live a better life with esteem.” (Photo submitted)

Keillor was active in an organization for returned Rotary exchange students in college, and then it dropped off of her radar until her early 30s, when she went on a vocational exchange, also sponsored by Rotary. She got back involved with the youth exchange program at an organizational level, and eventually joined the Minneapolis South Club in 2010.
The South Minneapolis Rotary Club has sponsored both an inbound and an outbound International Exchange Student (a one-year program) each year for the last several years.
Two former exchange students from Minnehaha are CiCi Donovan and Andrew Vrabel-Miles.
Donovan, a 2014 South High graduate, spent the 2014-15 school year in Brazil. Vrabel-Miles, a 2014 Southwest High graduate, spent the 2014-15 school year in Thailand.
It the past, families from Page, Minnehaha, and Hiawatha have opened their homes to Rotary Youth Exchange Students as host families.
“I work a lot with the exchange program—both with Minneapolis students going abroad and from the students we host. They are such well-rounded, motivated, interesting and interested young people who stretch themselves to the limits with this program,” said Keillor. “I love seeing them push themselves and grow.”
This year, there are ten students from Minneapolis studying abroad for a high school year; six of them are sponsored by the Minneapolis South Club. The club is also hosting a young man from Indonesia, who is attending Southwest High.
‘Like getting a personal Ted Talk each week’
The weekly Rotary meetings are an opportunity to learn about all types of topics of interest. Recent topics include an update from the Lake Street Council on transportation issues, an Allina surgeon talking about her medical missions in Guatemala, and a three-meeting series on food issues.
“I love the variety of speakers that come to our meetings each week,” said Keillor.
“I love learning, and it’s like getting a personal TED Talk every week. I enjoy being connected to the greater world of Rotary, and have met interesting people locally, nationally and internationally with whom I otherwise would’ve never come in contact.”
The group meets on Tuesday mornings, 7:15-8:30am at Urban Ventures Center for Fathering, 3023 4th Ave. S. Dues are $75 per quarter or $300 annually. For more information, browse www.MinneapolisSouthRotaryClub.com.

This story was printed in the November 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Potential along 38th St. being tapped

Ground breaks for 3828 housing, retail; first phase will open next fall

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Ground broke on Wed, Oct. 19, for the first of several buildings that will reshape 38th Ave. west of the light rail station. Calling it the first step, community leaders praised the vision of the project and the way it will fit into the neighborhood.

Ground broke for the 3828 project at the southwest corner of 38th St. and 28th Ave. on Wed., Oct. 19. Left to right: County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association Board President Molly McCartney, Ward 12 Council Member Andrew Johnson, Lander Group President Michael Lander, Andrew Moeding of the Lander Group, and Andy Root of Forteva Real Estate and Solar. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

The new building at the southwest corner of 38th St. and 28th Ave. will wrap around the existing streetcar commercial building owned by Forteva, and will include 51 market-rate apartments and four retail spaces. The new building will replace surface parking, a tiny service garage, a one-story concrete block building and a duplex on portions of four properties.

County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin (left) and Lander Group President Michael Lander talk about how development has followed the light rail line in south Minneapolis. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

The commercial space will face 38th St., and ground floor residential units will face 28th Ave. Forteva will be incorporating a solar installation, an electric car (EV) charging station, and perhaps an electric Car To Go.
There will be 34 new off-street parking stalls screened from the road that will be used for resident and business parking. Construction will take between 12 to 14 months. Viewed as a transit-oriented project, developer Michael Lander of Lander Group pointed out that the plan for the site matches the SENA neighborhood plan developed in 2007. “Lander Group never met a parking lot it didn’t want to build on,” commented Lander.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin recalled, “They laughed at us 20 years ago when we said there would be development along the light rail lines. …The energy around light rail has been incredible. I’m very excited we’re going to see investment here at this corner.”
This is the first of several buildings being planned by the Lander Group for the stretch east from the light rail station that will “transform” the area, according to Council Member Andrew Johnson. “Great things are happening here,” Johnson stated.

The project at the corner of 28th and 38th is the first planned by the Lander Group, and will be followed by work near the light rail station at 38th and Hiawatha Ave. Work at the light rail station will include several buildings housing housing and retail. It will likely be done in phases and could begin as soon as fall 2017. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Six houses along 29th will come down within the next few years to make way for several planned buildings at the 38th Street light rail station, as well as allow buses access to 29th. A five-story apartment building will wrap around The Cardinal, and along the light rail line, there will be a two-story retail and office structure. Across the street, the intent is to replace one house and the Cardinal parking lot with a four-story mixed-use housing building. Included in the plan are a courtyard and parking area.
Lander pointed out that the demographics of the neighborhood had changed over the past 25 years when 75 percent of homes had children in them. Today, just 25 percent of homes have children, which changes the type of housing citizens are looking for.
The Lander Group envisions its retail as an amenity to those who live in the building, and seek out unique and out-of-the-box businesses. There may be a shared kitchen in one area to help several businesses with the large cost of kitchens, for example. Anyone with ideas on businesses for the area is encouraged to contact Andy Root of Forteva at 612-414-6113 or aroot@forteva.com.

This article appeared in the November 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Republican, DFL candidates vie off in State Representative races

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
When you head out to the polls on Tue., Nov. 8, you’ll get the opportunity to select your top picks for national and state offices.
Local state representative races include Districts 64A, 65A, and 66B.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 64A
Erin Murphy (I) – DFL
www.neighborsformurphy.com
Murphy graduated from high school in Janesville, Wis., and later attended the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, receiving her B.S. in nursing in 1984. She earned her M.A. in organizational leadership in health care from St. Catherine University in 2005, and also attended the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota from 2005 to 2006.
Murphy has set four priorities:
1) Universal Access to Preschool and Early Learning Opportunities;
2) An Economy that Benefits All;
3) Student Loan Debt; and
4) Economic Security for Women.
She believes the issue of high-quality, cost-free universal access to preschool and early learning opportunities is crucial for Minnesota’s future for many different reasons, including the need to equitably educate our children and close the achievement gap. She also sees it as an economic issue about providing flexibility and opportunities for families of all incomes.
For Murphy, ensuring access to paid family leave and earned sick leave will mean working Minnesotans can meet family obligations without the fear of jeopardizing their livelihood.
She supports policies to relieve the burden of student loan debt, including legislation that would dramatically reduce the cost of college for current and future students, while significantly reducing the existing debt that many Minnesotans are saddled with.
Murphy supports keeping contraception accessible and affordable, promotes health and economic security for women and their families, and that’s why she will seek to pass the CHEER Act.
Murphy also supports legislation requiring all of Minnesota’s two- and four-year colleges to develop, in concert with their students, student policies requiring affirmative consent before engaging in sexual activity.
Riley Horan – R
www.rileyhoran.org
Horan, a 20-year old college student at the University of St. Thomas, is presently a business law major. During his freshman year, he joined the College Republican’s Club. Horan is presently employed as an intern at a dynamic law firm in downtown St. Paul and plans to attend law school after completing his undergraduate degree.
Horan was born and raised in Northern California and is the eldest of five children. He is a practicing Catholic and was educated in the parochial school system.
Horan bills himself as a young conservative with bold ideas.
He will support any legislation that cuts income taxes for individuals and families, and would like to see the corporate income tax rate cut to loosen the grip that regulations place on small businesses in Minnesota. Horan supports support Right to Work laws.
Rather than offering universal, free, Pre-K to all, Horan proposes that scholarships be offered to qualifying low-income households. He supports school choice, and legislation allowing school districts to hire and fire based on performance, rather than tenure.
Horan believes that colleges must cut needless spending, forgo the daycare-like atmosphere, and operate more like true businesses to reduce student debt.
On the social side, Horan is for completely defunding Planned Parenthood of all taxpayer money, and believes Republicans should end the fight against limiting the freedoms of men and women in the LGBT community.
He would increase funding for the police, eliminate the MNsure program, and use the budget surplus to address evolving road and bridge infrastructure needs. Horan is pro-gun and pro-second amendment. Rather than limit the rights of law-abiding gun owners, he supports additional funding to combat mental health.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE  DISTRICT 65A
Monique Giordana, R
www.moniquegiordana.org
Giordana’s mother taught her you can learn something from every single person you meet. Giordana’s Portuguese father immigrated to the United States to live the American dream where he ran a small business garden center. These lessons drive Monique’s passion to see every person achieve their dreams and live their lives to the fullest.
Raised in Minnesota, Giordana now works at Regions Hospital as a cancer center clinical pharmacist.
She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Doctor of Pharmacy and went on to complete additional education and training by completing a general pharmacy residency at the VA North Texas Healthcare Center, a Hematology/Oncology specialty pharmacy residency at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, and board certification in oncology pharmacy.
Giordana believes every family deserves affordable healthcare and the freedom to choose their healthcare team.
She would end big bonuses for executives at MNsure and save individuals and families money on health insurance over the next three years. She supports reforms that lower health insurance costs and provide more health care options.
Giordana advocates for greater local control of how education money is spent and believes teachers should be fairly compensated and rewarded based on effectiveness not just years of service.
She supports tax relief and would get rid of unnecessary business laws, taxes and regulations.
She decries the gridlock and partisan politics that are hurting St. Paul and all the residents of 65A.
Giordana promises to lead the difficult and complicated conversations necessary to bring all police officers, early education, public schools, families, and neighbors together to find solutions. It’s not about us versus them.
Rena Moran (I) – DFL
www.renaforrep.org
Moran is the mother of seven children. Twelve years ago, she moved to the Twin Cities in search of a better life for her kids. Homeless, she and her children stayed in a Minneapolis shelter for several months. It wasn’t long before she and her family went from homeless to homeowners. She found her first job in Minnesota earning minimum wage at Camp Snoopy, then at the YMCA on University Ave. before moving on to work at a commodities trading firm in downtown Minneapolis for five years. During this time, she began to get involved in social change work. After five years, she left the comforts of her corporate job to become a Wellstone Organizing Fellow and embark on her new vocation of community organizing. Moran was sworn into office on Jan. 4, 2011 as the First African American to represent St. Paul at the Capitol.
She is a member of the following committees: Education Innovation Policy, Greater Minnesota Economic and Workforce Development Policy and Health and Human Services Reform. Also, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Moran to serve on the Minnesota Task Force on Prematurity, the Council of Black Minnesotans and with the Visible Child Work Group.
Moran has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, AFSCME Minnesota Council 5, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, MAPE, Service Employees International Union, Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund, International Union of Operating Engineers, and the Minnesota Nurses Association.
Moran earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Southern Illinois University.
She also works in the non-profit sector as the Director of Parent Leadership with Minnesota Communities Caring for Children.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 66
John Lesch (I) – DFL
www.johnlesch.com
John Lesch was first elected in November of 2002. His focus in the legislature is on consumer protection, corporate accountability, liveable neighborhoods, economic opportunity, and data privacy.
Legislative committees on which he has served include: Taxes, Local and Property Tax Division; Regulated Industries, Gaming Division; Civil Law and Elections; Judiciary Policy and Finance; Governmental Operations and Veterans Affairs Policy; and Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs. Lesch currently serves as ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Civil Law.
Lesch has rallied to increase access to justice through the courts, for corporate accountability and other efforts that augment the people’s right to seek justice. He sat for two terms on the Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force, charged with developing statewide procedures to investigate identity theft and other financial crimes.
For 15 years, in addition to his role as a legislator, Lesch prosecuted domestic assault crimes as an Assistant City Attorney for St. Paul. Lesch currently works at Lesch & Duren, a St. Paul firm specializing in criminal defense. In 2009, Lesch enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard where he currently serves as a staff officer in the 2-135 Light Infantry Battalion.
Lesch has been a Sunday School teacher and a member of his church finance council. Lesch was a founding member of South Como Block clubs and an active participant with the District 6 Community Council, North End Area Revitalization, and the Great Northern Corridor redevelopment.
Lesch earned his B.A. from Saint Louis University in 1995 with a double major in Philosophy and Psychology, and a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law in 1998 with a concentration in Government and Regulatory Affairs. He lives with his wife, Melissa, and daughter in St. Paul’s Como Park neighborhood.
William Brownell – R
Email: Brownell4house@gmail.com
No campaign website
William Brownell is a 2016 Republican candidate for District 66B of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Brownell was a 2014 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota. Brownell failed to file with the Secretary of State to run in the primary election.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 66A
Jon Heyer – R    
www.heyer4house.com
Jon Heyer is a Minnesota native who grew up in the Roseville area. He and his wife Teri have lived in St. Paul for 30 years and together have two daughters, two son-in-laws, and two grandchildren. Heyer’s son-in-laws are both in the service–one in the United States Air Force and the other with the Minnesota Army National Guard.
A semi-retired church educator with over 35 years experience, Heyer has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and an M.A. in Theology from Saint Catherine University. Heyer currently serves as a board member of St. Paul District 10 Council.
He believes “we need to create more living wage jobs, improve our schools, and make public safety a top priority.”
On education, Heyer would restore local control to communities and parents. He believes that competition will improve school performance, pointing to examples of dozens of private and charter schools with much better test scores than the public system at significantly less cost per student.
Heyer points to the state’s recent budget surpluses as evidence of over-taxation and would hold the line and not raise taxes any further. He believes in spending money only on things we need, not loading up bonding bills with non-essential things.
Heyer supports reforming the Affordable Care Act and MNSure as he doesn’t think they are helping those they are meant to. Too many people are getting “insurance” that is far too expensive for them to use due to high deductibles and co-pays, and he would be creative in finding better ways.
A life member of Trout Unlimited, Heyer supports following existing regulatory guidance and stop obstructing well-regulated mining and logging, as well as reducing the amount of trash that ends up in landfills by promoting recycling, compostable, and organic waste collection, and programs to reuse items.
He points out that roads, bridges, and public buildings are crumbling due to neglect and urges the state to take care of what is there instead of embarking on expensive new projects.
Heyer believes that the best way to solve the challenges of the economy is to support small and mid-size business creation.
Alice Hausman, (I) – DFL
www.alicehausman.org
Hausman has been in office since a special election in 1989 and has served 14 terms.
She earned a B.S. in education and an M.A. in education from Concordia University and is a retired educator. She is married and has two children.
After a 10-year effort to construct a new facility to house the state’s natural history museum, Rep. Hausman was successful in getting legislation enacted that authorizes funding for a new Bell Museum and Planetarium.
She was named the 2016 Legislator of the Year Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota.
She earned the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) 2014 Legislator of the Year award as chief author of the Bonds for Affordable Housing bill authorizing $20 million in state general obligation bonds for rehabilitation and preservation of public housing. The bill also provides $80 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds to finance the preservation of affordable housing and to address foreclosure.
The Sierra Club North Star Chapter presented Hausman with its 2012 Legislative Leadership Award because she is a staunch opponent of sulfide mining. She also has been a longtime champion of efforts to restore wetlands, improve transit options, invest in parks and trails, and protect clean water.
Recognizing a perfect record on key conservation, energy, and clean water votes, Conservation Minnesota has presented Hausman with its 100% Minnesotan award.
The League of Minnesota Cities named Hausman a 2008 Legislator of Distinction.
For her work on housing issues, Lutheran Social Services presented Hausman with its Vision Award.
Hausman has received the Legislative Champion Award from the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
She has been endorsed by AFSCME Council 5, Conservation Minnesota Voter Center, Education Minnesota, Minnesota AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE), NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Sierra Club, TakeAction Minnesota and the United Transportation Union.

Printed in the October 2016 St. Paul Monitor.

HMC Executive Director battling anxiety and depression

As Michael Jon Olson works his way back to full-time hours, he opens up about his struggles

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
It wasn’t easy to admit to himself, but Michael Jon Olson (photo right, photo by Tesha M. Christensen) is anxious and depressed.
The Hamline Midway Coalition Director was out of the office for much of the summer due to his health condition but is working his way back to full-time.
He expects his recovery to be two steps forward, one step back with some days feeling like he’s gone only one step forward and fallen two steps back.

It all started when he bought a house
Olson has been active in community organizing since he bought a house in the challenging Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis in 1995. While there, he served on the Ventura Village Board of Directors. Next, he was employed as program coordinator by the Seward Neighborhood Group, and, in 2005, he was recruited to apply for the executive director position at the Hamline Midway Coalition.
“I enjoy the diversity of the work,” explained Olson. “I get to work on a lot of different kinds of issues.”
Plus, he finds it appealing to have a hand in the development and evolution of a city.

An indefinite medical leave
But in July of this year, Olson’s health had deteriorated such that he could no longer do the work he loved, and Hamline Midway Coalition went to a low-power state. He realized it was the pressure of the work that was causing his poor health.
“He was trying to fight through it, but a few months ago he came to the board and told us what was going on,” recalled HMC Board President Steve Samuelson, who called Olson “a tremendous asset for the neighborhood.”
Samuelson added, “It’s one of those things that people don’t like to talk about. But I think bringing it out into the open is good for everyone.”

Out in the open
In December 2015, Olson caught a serious viral infection that hung on for weeks and disrupted his sleep patterns.
While vacationing in Mexico in February, Olson began experiencing sensations in his ears. Initially, he thought it was simply water stuck there from swimming. A few days after he returned home, he caught the flu. The sensation in his ears continued, and, in April, he was diagnosed with tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.
Over the next several months, the diagnoses continued to add up: hearing loss in his left ear, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (a misdiagnosis), Tensor Tympani Syndrome, and Misophonia.
Finally, a specialist suggested his physical symptoms were due to anxiety.
“They’re all indicators of an anxiety disorder,” explained Olson. He pieced things together slowly over time “to understand that the physical symptoms were manifestations of anxiety and depression.”
He doesn’t know what came first, the physical symptoms of his ears or the depression, anxiety, and insomnia. “It’s impossible to untangle,” Olson said, but that’s what he began trying to do.

Anxiety and depression are hard to treat
He didn’t want to accept his diagnosis. So he had a CAT scan and an MRI, and he was evaluated for brain cancer. “I was looking at everything for some explanation besides anxiety and depression,” Olson said. “There was a part of me that didn’t want this to be anxiety and depression.
“If you have a physical malady, that’s easy to see and treat. Anxiety and depression are so much harder to diagnose and treat.”
Olson started trying different medications and scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist—for three months in the future, the soonest opening available. He went to see chiropractors, a homeopath, a psychologist and various other specialists. He stopped drinking alcohol and caffeine and cut down on refined sugars.
At one point, he had lost 40 pounds and was on the verge of developing an eating disorder.
Then he hit rock bottom. On Aug. 30, his dark suicidal thoughts drove Olson into a psychiatric emergency room.
There he was finally was able to meet with a psychiatrist.
“One of the things I’ve learned from this is how poorly our medical system is set up for dealing with all of this,” observed Olson.
His general practitioner prescribed the first depression and anxiety medications, but no one had sat him down and said: “You know what you need? A psychiatrist.”
The emergency room psychiatrist began tweaking his medication, prescribing one for the long-term and another for short-term symptoms.
His current psychiatrist has adjusted his medication again. “Part of the process is figuring out what medications will work,” remarked Olson.
It’s not an easy task considering that his body does not metabolize antidepressants well, a result confirmed by the P-450 genetic test. The test explained some of his earlier reactions to the medication.

Anxiety and depression are widespread
All along, Olson’s struggle has included feelings of self-loathing “because I wasn’t able to work or be fully present in my home life,” he said. “When you’re in that kind of state, suffering from anxiety and depression disorder, you can’t help but think those things. It’s where your mind goes.”
He has often felt like he destroyed the wonderful organization he built, something his board of directors assures him isn’t true. They remind him: “You didn’t choose this. You are dealing with a medical condition. Nobody chooses to struggle with these kinds of issues.” Intellectually, he knows this is true, but he can’t always help himself from feeling otherwise.
Through his struggle, Olson has learned just how common anxiety and depression are. When he talks with friends and others he knows, he’s often told they’ve also suffered from anxiety and depression, or someone they love has.
“I think it is a bigger issue than we acknowledge in this culture,” remarked Olson. “I want people to know how widespread it is.”
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population.
Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15 to 44, and it affects more than 15 million American adults in a given year.
“The number of people struggling with depression has increased by 10 percent every decade since 1910,” pointed out Olson.
While the medical system is better than it used to be, it still isn’t well equipped for dealing with anxiety and depression, said Olson. “We don’t understand how the mind-body connection works.”
He thinks there is much to be learned from some of the alternative practices, such as yoga and mindfulness techniques.
One of the big issues right now is that the system is fragmented. “It’s not like you can walk into a center for anxiety and depression, and see specialists who will work together as a team. It’s up to you to put things together when you’re in a really bad state of mind.”

Mind-body connection lost
Olson hopes people start recognizing that the roots of the anxiety and depression affecting so many is due to our cultural practices. “We are a very individualist society and people don’t have strong bonds of community. We, as a species, came of age in very tight-knit tribal or clan communities.
There have been studies done that show where this still exists you don’t have the level of mental illness, of anxiety and depression, that you have in our society.”
Today, technology disguises itself as a community, but Facebook, Twitter and such are very different than face-to-face encounters, Olson observed.
“What we’re learning about mental health illnesses is the loss of mind-body connection,” he pointed out. “We spend so much time in front of screens we lose our connection to our body and other people.”
Regaining that connection is an important part of his healing process.

HMC in reflective period
As he returns to work, HMC is embarking on an effort to redefine itself.
On Sept. 1, Melissa Cortes moved from volunteer to full-time employee, filling the community organizer role vacated by Kyle Mianulli in July. Christine Shyne has been contracted to lend a hand in the office as needed.
Photo left: Hamlin Midway Coalition is no longer on a low power state. Melissa Cortes (left) has filled the community organizer role vacated by Kyle Maniulli in July. Christine Shyne (right) has been contracted to lend a hand in the office as needed. Executive Director Michael Jon Olson (center) is working his way back to full-time. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
“Regardless of my situation, the organization is in need of a good reflective period,” observed Olson. “We’ve really come through a very active, very involved period with a lot of balls in the air. Part of that is what contributed to my getting overwhelmed.”
Several projects, that the HMC served as fiscal agent for, need to be wrapped up and closed out, including the Friendly Streets, Better Bridges Initiative; St. Paul Healthy Transportation for All; and the Midway Mural Project.
HMC also recognizes that funding challenges lie ahead, and wants to prepare for them.

This story was printed in the October 2016 St. Paul Monitor.

SENA searches for sense of direction as it fashions new plan

Residents encouraged to share what they value in the neighborhood and how to help neighbors make better connections

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
What do you want your neighborhood to look like?
Share your opinions in the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6SBHZB6.
“We’ve had a great response to the survey, with more than 300 responses, which is at least 100 more responses than the last SENA survey eight years ago,” noted Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association (SENA) Board President Molly McCartney.
The survey is the first step in fashioning a new strategic plan for SENA.
This new plan will guide SENA for the next three to five years.
Photo right: SENA staff members Bob Kambeitz and Shirley Yeoman serve as “a conduit to collect the energy and talent of neighborhood folks and help funnel that back into the neighborhood in a way that produces positive programs and benefits for everyone,” according to Yeoman. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
“SENA has been dealing with a changing financial future and neighborhood demographics for the last few years,” remarked McCartney. “With the sunsetting of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), the ‘retirement’ of a long-term volunteer base, and many new neighbors in Standish-Ericsson, it became a good time to reevaluate how SENA can best support our community and its needs.”

Helping the neighborhood
SENA was formed at the beginning of the NRP (Neighborhood Revitalization Program) to access the funds allocated for neighborhoods.
SENA Neighborhood Coordinator Shirley Yeoman has worked at SENA since 1996 and will retire at the end of this year. “The NRP plans developed by residents through an extensive community engagement process guided our work for many years,” explained Yeoman, who lives a few blocks out of SENA in the Hiawatha neighborhood. “We did such a good job of utilizing those funds for projects in the neighborhood that our allocations have been spent (mostly—except for some small remaining pots.)”
Minneapolis chose not to renew the NRP Program but created a new funding source for neighborhood groups called the Citizen Participation Program (CPP). These funds provide basic administration and some communication and community event dollars, but nothing for programming, Yeoman noted. “So, SENA needs to develop a new ‘plan’ to help guide our work in the neighborhood,” she said.
What does SENA do?
SENA’s most important role in the neighborhood, according to Yeoman, “is to serve as a conduit to collect the energy and talent of neighborhood folks and help funnel that back into the neighborhood in a way that produces positive programs and benefits for everyone.
Photo left: The new mural being painted on the Dokken Building at the 28th Ave S. and 42nd St. E. intersection is sponsored by the Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association (SENA). In August, community members gathered to help paint. It is being finished by Roosevelt High School students. (Photo submitted)
“The conduit can also work the opposite direction in that we can be the ‘collecting place’ for information about resources available and information that impacts people who live here and then get that information out to our residents.”
Recently SENA has been working on a water quality project funded by Hennepin County to raise awareness of how everyday actions can help keep Lake Hiawatha, Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River clean and healthy.
It is sponsoring the mural being painted on the Dokken Building at the 28th Ave S. and 42nd St. E. intersection.
The organization is also working to develop a SkillShare program where neighbors teach and learn skills from one another. In April, the focus was on bike maintenance, and in May it was on growing native plants.

Photo left: SENA has just completed distribution of a $30,000 Great Streets Facade Improvement Program grant that helps businesses make exterior improvements, and hopes to receive additional grants in the future. Among those that benefited from the program was Everetts Foods at Cedar and 38th. (Photo submitted) 

SENA has just completed the distribution of a $30,000 Great Streets Facade Improvement Program grant that helps businesses make exterior improvements, and SENA hopes to receive additional grants in the future.
It may renew its Welcome Committee program shortly.
“There are many accomplishments since the inception of SENA,” stated Yeoman. “We brought nearly $4 million in improvements and programs to the neighborhood with NRP funds. Those include home improvement loans and grants, a new playground and upgraded building at Lake Hiawatha Park, commercial improvement grants, bicycle racks, home safety programs and grants, a wonderful neighborhood newsletter, and more.”
SENA was instrumental in helping to form the West of the Rail Business Association, and still continues to provide essential support to this group to help support neighborhood businesses.
Last year, SENA partnered with Folwell Performing Arts School and artist Greta McLain to apply for and receive a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to do the large Connections mural on the south side of Folwell’s building. “It’s quite impressive and was a true ‘community’ project,” said Yeoman.
“SENA is a great resource for the neighborhood to learn more about what is happening around us and a way to become involved in making our neighborhoods a great place to live, work, and play,” said McCartney, who has lived in Standish for over 12 years. “The value of SENA can be seen every day—from the beautiful public art we have organized at locals schools, business, and utility boxes, to the connections that board members, staff, and volunteers make with policy makers, other community organizations, and our neighbors.”
She wouldn’t trade her neighborhood for anywhere else.

In search of direction
The online survey will be open through the fall. Consultants have also been conducting one-on-one interviews with neighborhood stakeholders.
The SENA board will convene retreat events this fall and winter, and the plan will be presented to the public at the annual meeting in February or March.
“My hopes for this process is to learn what our residents value about our community and how SENA can help neighbors make better connections with each other,” remarked McCartney. “I also hope for a practical work plan that can guide the organization in the next 3-5 years.”
“I am very hopeful that this process will help SENA find a strong sense of direction and help us set some very specific goals. Those two things will help guide decisions about staffing and purpose,” said Yeoman.
“I am also very hopeful that many more people will get involved in the work required to achieve the goals we set.”

This article appeared in the October 2016 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Laune Bread features sourdough and whole grains delivered via bicycle

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Christopher MacLeod is known as The Bread Man to local residents.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Bancroft resident crisscrosses South Minneapolis delivering freshly baked bread on his bicycle.
His trailer promises beards, breads, and good vibes, the English translation of his name “Laune.”
Photo right: On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, rain or shine, Christopher Mac­Leod of Laune Bread can be found delivering bread via bicycle in South Minneapolis. The delivery area boundaries are between Interstate 35W east to Minnehaha Ave., and 28th St. south to Minnehaha Pkwy. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
Laune Breads are naturally leavened, crafted with ten digits and friendly ingredients, and locally sourced.
When he began the business last October, MacLeod was the only local bakery using organic grains. He’s one of two delivering bread by bicycle in the Twin Cities.
“I view this business as a project for myself,” said Mac­Leod.
After living on the West Coast, MacLeod wanted to experience someplace new, so he moved to Minnesota about two years ago. He envisioned an abundance of wheat in the Midwest, MacLeod recalled, and thought he’d learn a lot about the process of growing it and transforming it into flour. When he got here, he discovered that there weren’t any local bakers using local wheat. And they weren’t making German-style breads either, but instead, the majority of them were baking white breads and yeasty breads.
He’s worked to identify local growers who use organic and sustainable methods, including Bakers Field in Northeast and Whole Grain Milling, and buys his flour from them.

Connections
Currently, MacLeod bakes two days a week in the kitchen at Sun Street Breads, 4600 Nicolet Ave. S. The owner there began by baking in someone else’s kitchen, and she’s paying it forward, Mac­Leod explained.
Photo left: Christopher MacLeod of Laune Bread checks bread and pretzels as they rise. While most bakers work in the early morning hours when no one else is awake, MacLeod bakes in the early evening and delivers the next morning by bicycle. With that model, he can interact with his customers. “I get a lot of feedback,” MacLeod pointed out. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
He doesn’t want a storefront. “I prefer to spend my time worrying about bread and sourcing better products,” said MacLeod.
He explained that instead of putting money towards a building, he wants to support small farms and mills, in part to reduce the total food miles involved. Although Minnesota is a large grower of wheat, it is often shipped to Colorado to be milled and then shipped back to Minnesota to be used or exported overseas. In fact, 50% of the wheat grown in Minnesota is exported to places such as Korea, Japan, and Europe, MacLeod pointed out.
He also wants to provide a connection between his subscribers and farmers. His weekly newsletters include information about bread and grains.

‘Bread I make is the bread I want to eat’
MacLeod compared his subscription service to that of a CSA (community supported agriculture).
Photo right: Photo left: Christopher MacLeod of Laune Bread likes his bread with a moist interior and a chewy exterior, and uses at least 50% of whole grains in his breads. The sourdough is for more than taste, and there is no yeast added, making the bread easier to digest. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
While most bakers work in the early morning hours when no one else is awake, MacLeod bakes in the early evening and delivers the next morning by bicycle. With that model, he can interact with his customers. “I get a lot of feedback,” MacLeod pointed out.
Most bakeries are pretty wasteful, and much of what they make gets thrown in the trash at the end of the day. With a subscription service, MacLeod bakes to order and has very little waste.
All of his breads are sourdough, which makes them easier to digest and healthier. While many bakers add sourdough for flavor, they still use yeast. Mac­Leod relies on naturally leavening only. When he eats other’s breads, his stomach tells him right away whether it is a true sourdough or not.
“The bread I make is the bread I want to eat,” said Mac­Leod.
He lets the flavors in the crust and interior meld during a longer rising period and then bakes them at a high temperature. “I think it adds more sweetness and nuttiness,” MacLeod remarked.
For much of history, people lived off of whole grain bread, getting the nutrients they needed. Yet, the peasants always wanted to have white bread, like the nobility. Today, he pointed out, the shift is away from Wonderbread and back toward whole grains.
‘Bread time’ in Germany
MacLeod’s love for bread can be traced to the college year he spent studying in Munich, Germany. The bread he ate there was a far cry from the sliced white bread he’d eaten in America. Rather than eat a typical meal with a plate of food following an appetizer, in Germany he was introduced to brotzeit, or “bread time.”
“It seemed more like a personal meal,” MacLeod observed.
Plus he was friends with a local whose parents owned a bakery and lived upstairs. The smells wafting up from their bakery enticed him.
Back in Portland, OR, Mac­Leod completed his degree in communications and German in 2011, only to discover that marketing firms weren’t hiring. So, he started working at a German bakery there in Portland and learned the basics of mixing and shaping, getting his foundation in bread making. A year later, he was hired by a wood-fired bakery in northern California. It was there that he developed his ideas of bread.
It’s important to MacLeod to use ingredients from the region or state. Because of that, he doesn’t make olive bread in Minnesota. Instead, he incorporates items such as cranberries, apples, and roasted leeks. He builds upon the German style of using a lot of seeds and some dried fruits. The German bread is denser, although he works to make it lighter by using a lot of water. He likes his bread with a moist interior and a chewy exterior, which helps the shelf life. MacLeod uses at least 50% of whole grains in his breads.
Bread delivered
Each week, MacLeod sells a half wheat, half white sourdough made with whole wheat flour, wheat flour, rye flour, salt, and malted barley flour for $7 a loaf. He also offers the Bäckers Whim—a rotating cast of breads that has included Cardamom Raisin Oatmeal, Caramelized Onion, Spelt Sesame, and Roasted Leek and Black Pepper for $8 a loaf.
Other items for sale and delivery include six sourdough wheaty pretzel knots for $10 and seedy granola (454 grams) featuring Skinny Jake’s Fat Honey, an urban Minneapolis apiary, for $7.50.
A monthly bread subscription is $28-30. Or, customers can opt for a bi-weekly service for $14-16.
Delivery to about 70 subscribers occurs each Tuesday and Wednesday morning when the bread is ready to be cut into and eaten. Deliveries via bicycle are made between Interstate 35W on the west, Minnehaha Ave. on the east, 28th St. to the north and Minnehaha Pkwy. on the south.
Or, subscriptions can be picked up at several drop-off points including: On Wednesdays—Conexion at Open Book, Anelace Coffee, The Baker’s Front Porch (41st S. Elliot); on Thursdays—Canteen, Dogwood East Lake and The Baker’s Front Porch (41st S./Elliot).
During the summer, bread was sold at the Nokomis and Tiny Diner Farmers Markets, as well.
For more information, browse launebread.com.

This article appeared in the October edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.