lauderdale / como park june...
TRANSCRIPT
A whole lottasummer
A Bugle savenger hunt!
Find the letters inthese photos and win.
Page 10
Yes, they can can
Artist-inspired minigolf course movescloser to fruition.
Page 15
Park B4 Dark, theFourth in the Park andComo Fest promise a
season of fun.
Back to the ’50s to 8
4646thth
Annual St. Anthony Park Arts FestivalAnnual St. Anthony Park Arts Festival
Pages 6-7
ParkBugleSt. Anthony Park / Falcon Heights Lauderdale / Como Park
www.parkbugle.orgJune 2015
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One sweet nightPie lovers: head to St. Anthony Park on Friday, June 5, when the Northern Lights 4-H Clubwill host its annual pie and ice cream social on the Luther Seminary lawn at the corner ofComo Avenue and Luther Place. The event is from 7 to 9 p.m. and will include music by theSt. Anthony Park Community Band.
The owl babies of University GroveBy Kristal Leebrick
The sight of two great hornedowl chicks hanging out in thebrushy commons on NorthrupStreet last week was a celebratoryevent for neighbors in theUniversity Grove community ofFalcon Heights.
Their appearance togethermeans the two owls—onehatched in a tree on that blockand the other an orphan rescuedfrom a clear-cutting site inHudson, Wis.—are now siblings,said Karen Kloser, whose whiteoak is the place where this storybegan.
The two were broughttogether on May 5, after theUniversity of Minnesota RaptorCenter was called to help with achick that had fallen, along withits nest, from the tree in Kloser’syard.
That tree had become hometo two adult owls sometime inNovember, Kloser said. That’swhen she and neighbors beganhearing the owls call in themornings and evenings. InMarch, a neighbor saw one of thebirds fly into a nest in Kloser’stree “and that’s when we realizedwhere [they were],” Kloser said.
With no leaves on the treesat that time, neighbors had agood view of the owls. “It wasmarvelous to watch the behaviorday in and day out, and then thebaby appeared in late March andthat was even more exciting,”Kloser said.
That “adorable little whitefluff of down” drew continuouscrowds to her front yard.Neighbors came with cameras,telescopes, binoculars, and theywatched the adult owls keeping
University Grove resident David Wark took this photo of one of thegreat horned owl chicks now “hanging out” in the Falcon Heightscommunity.
the chick well-fed, Kloser said.On April 23, the chick was
seen on the tree branch outsidethe nest. Hours later, the nestimploded into Kloser’s yard andthe chick was gone.
Folks in University Grovelost sight of the chick until May5, when Rebecca Montgomery,Kloser’s next-door neighbor,found it on her front stoop. Shecalled the Raptor Center.
Julie Ponder, executivedirector of the center, said what
happened on Northrup Street isa normal occurrence with greathorned owls.
“They are our earliestnesters,” she said. “They adoptnests used by someone else. Theydo no home improvement andthe nests don’t have a lot ofintegrity. Chicks fall. We go andhelp get chicks up [into a tree] toget them away from kids, dogsand cars.”
When the Raptor Centervolunteer arrived, she realized thechick was probably the only onein the brood. And the RaptorCenter had an orphan about thesame age that had lost its family.That chick was found in Hudsonafter an area was cleared of trees.
“It was not a safe place andthere was no place where wecould safely put the chick,”Ponder said.
The Raptor Center broughtthe chick to the St. Paul Campus.
“Two is the average size of anowl clutch,” Ponder said, “andthe nice thing about greathorned owls is they either can’tcount, don’t count or don’t care.They will adopt chicks in thearea. They are very welcoming.”
New parking rules established for JuneBack to the ’50s event at state fairgroundsParticipants will use the State Fair parking lots to line up for the early-morning entrance
By Roger Bergerson
Como residents who’ve complainedabout pre-dawn noise associated withthe Back to the ’50s car show at theMinnesota State Fairgrounds may getsome relief this year.
Participants in the June 18-21
event will be prohibited from parkingfrom midnight to 6 a.m. in the entirearea east of the fairgrounds, fromSnelling to Hamline avenues.
“We want to keep peace withthe neighborhood,” said Jim Harvey,chairman of the Minnesota StreetRod Association event, for which
nearly 12,000 vintage and classic carswere registered last year.
Over time, many of those carowners have become accustomed toassembling on nearby residentialstreets in the wee hours and thenforming an engine-revving paradeonto the grounds when the gates
open at 6 a.m.Chris Harkness lives on Midway
Parkway near the Snelling Avenueentrance to the fairgrounds and saysthe cars begin lining up on the serviceroad in front of her house as early as4 a.m.
Owl babies to page 9
C I T Y F I L E S
2 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
Falcon Heights The Falcon Heights City Councilmeets the second and fourthWednesdays of each month at 7 p.m.in Falcon Heights City Hall, 2077 W.Larpenteur Ave. Contact 651-792-7600 or www.falconheights.org.
Curtiss Field playground will be rebuilt Wednesday, June 3More than 200 volunteers from theMinnesota Vikings, the ToroCompany, the City of FalconHeights, organizers fromKaBOOM! and residents of theFalcon Heights community will joinforces on Wednesday, June 3, to helpbuild a new playground at CurtissField. The design is based onchildren’s drawings created at aspecial design event in April.
The existing playground at thepark, located at 1555 Iowa St., is atthe end of its 15-year lifecycle and isin need of replacement.
The city’s three goals for a brandnew playground are to provideresidents with a playground tailoredto the children who will use it,improve the aesthetics of the parkand build a strong sense ofcommunity.
The Toro Company and theMinnesota Vikings have donatedmore than $692,000 to build 10playgrounds in the Twin Cities areawith KaBOOM!, a national
representatives; Debra Pursley andFrank Dolejsi, Subdistrict 3representatives; Kevin Dahm and BillLipkin, Subdistrict 4 representatives;and Mary Michalski and Tedd James,at-large members.
The council is still in need of atreasurer and three at-large members.As a board member of the District 10Como Community Council youhave the opportunity to be a leaderin your community and make alasting impact on Como Park.
The District 10 ComoCommunity Council is nowaccepting applications for thesepositions.
Find the application atwww.district10comopark.org.
Como ParkThe District 10 Como CommunityCouncil meets at 7 p.m. on the thirdTuesday of each month at the HistoricStreetcar Station, 1224 N. LexingtonParkway. Contact 651-644-3889 orwww.district10comopark.org.
Council has new board membersand some vacancies on the boardThe Como Community Councilelected a new executive board at itsannual meeting in April. Officers are:Ryan Flynn, board chair; ChrisHarkness, vice chair; Joao Medeiros,secretary; Amy Perna and DavidSorenson, Subdistrict 1representatives; Kim Moon andLinda Hinderscheit, Subdistrict 2
nonprofit dedicated to bringingbalanced and active play into thedaily lives of all kids, particularlythose growing up in poverty inAmerica.
The event will begin with akick-off ceremony at 8:30 a.m. onJune 3.
Best viewing of the playgroundconstruction will be from 11 a.m. to1 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremonywill be held between 2:30 and 3 p.m.
You can find out more aboutKaBOOM! at kaboom.org.
St. Anthony ParkThe District 12 Community Councilmeets on the second Thursday of eachmonth at 7 p.m. at South St. AnthonyRecreation Center (SSA), 890Cromwell Ave. To find when councilcommittees meet, go to www.sapcc.orgor call 651-649-5992.
Kasota Ponds cleanupThe annual community-wide KasotaPonds cleanup was held on April 25and made a huge amount of progress.About 30 people volunteered, andthen two days later 60 Avalon Schoolmiddle-schoolers went to the northpond to clean up. They did a greatjob and got to learn a lot aboutwetlands and the importance ofrecycling.
New intern at District 12District 12 has a new member in theoffice. Amanda Yang, who has amaster’s degree in urban planning,will be helping the council learnmore about environmentaldegradation in St. Anthony Park andthen map it. District 12 has beenworking with the Southeast ComoImprovement Association (SECIA)in Minneapolis, which is working ona similar project. The council wouldlike to hear from residents about anyhistory they have about theirproperty or other parts of theneighborhood. This project will beconfined by what’s available in publicrecords, but if residents have moreinformation, contact District 12.
School gets garden plotJennings Community Learning, acharter school on University Avenuethat serves 80 percent students ofcolor, has a garden plot in the St.Anthony Park Community Gardens.The school plans to use it to teachstudents about nutrition, local foodsand health.
Learn about Como reconstruction The Como Avenue reconstructionproject will happen in 2017. Lookfor the District 12 table at the St.Anthony Park Arts Festival on June6 to learn more about it and to givefeedback on the project.
Food hub sprouts on former Hermes siteBy Roger Bergerson
A Falcon Heights project several yearsin the making took a step closer toreality in mid-May when ground wasbroken for the Good Acre food hubon the old Hermes greenhouse site.
Scheduled to open this fall onLarpenteur Avenue, just west ofSnelling Avenue, the Good Acre willbe an example of a new distributionmodel designed to make locallygrown, healthful food more availableto consumers.
The food hub will help localgrowers find markets for theirproduce with restaurant, co-op andinstitutional buyers.
The Pohlad Family Foundationof Minneapolis is the project’sdeveloper and three members of the
family, Allie, Lindsay and SaraPohlad, are credited with “getting theball rolling,” said Terry Egge, seniorprogram director with thefoundation.
“All have a passion for creatinggreater support for local small tomidsize farmers and making surehealthy food is affordable andaccessible, especially in areas wherescarcity exists,” Egge added.
As originally envisioned, the3.4-acre site was to include affordablehousing in the form of an apartmentbuilding, but that developer ran intofinancing difficulties and backed out.Egge said the foundation is stillexploring relationships with housingpartners, but she added that a localfood co-op also has expressed interestin operating a grocery store on thatportion of the site.
The Good Acre will include an
aggregation and distribution center,training and education facility and alimited retail operation.
Rhys Williams has been namedgeneral manager of the Good Acre.Williams has nearly 30 years ofexperience in the food growing anddistribution business, most recentlywith the Co-op Partners Warehousein St. Paul.
“I wish them the best,” FalconHeights Mayor Peter Lindstrom saidof the endeavor. “It’s clear that thereis a growing and committedconstituency for local food. Theirlocation will help bring synergieswith University of Minnesotaresearchers and students.”
Roger Bergerson writes about communitynews and history regularly in the ParkBugle.
Forum to address hazardouschemicals and rail safetyLearn about hazardous chemicalsand rail safety in a communityconversation with Dr. Bill Toscano,professor of environmental healthscience at the University ofMinnesota School of Public Health.
The event, Chemical AwarenessTraining: Hazardous Chemicals andRail Safety, will be held Wednesday,May 20, 7-8:30 p.m. at North DaleRec Center, 1414 N. St. Albans St.,St. Paul.
Toscano will lead an informaldiscussion and answer questionsrelated to hazardous chemicals beingtransported by rail through the TwinCities.
This event is sponsored TwinCities Citizens Acting for Rail Safety,Como Community Council District10 and Ramsey CountyCommissioner Janice Rettman.
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J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 3
Local author’s summer serial tellsstory of Iron Range labor history“There once was a union maid, shenever was afraid / Of goons and ginksand company finks . . .” WoodyGuthrie, “The Union Maid”
By Judy Woodward
Union membership is down, andmany Americans don’t
remember much about the greatstrikes of the past, but St. AnthonyPark author Megan Marsnik is out tochange that.
In the pages of Marsnik’s newhistorical novel, Under Ground, thebattle cry is “Organize!” and theUnion Maid—fearless, resolute andtough as nails—is once more readyto take her place in the frontlines ofthe struggle.
Starting Memorial Day, StarTribune readers will get a chance tolearn more about a chapter ofMinnesota history that is rarely heardabout these days. Under Ground wonthe newspaper’s summer serialcontest this year, and readers will beable to follow daily the adventures of16-year-old Katya, a Slovenianimmigrant, who falls in love with aunion man and arrives onMinnesota’s Iron Range just in timefor the great Miners’ Strike of 1916.
Based on a real incident from aonce-famous Minnesota strike,Under Ground has its share of strongfemale characters.
“I look for strong femalecharacters who aren’t victims,” says
Marsnik, “and the women of theRange are the strongest women Iknow.”
Marsnik was especiallyinterested in portraying the womenmarried to the strikers, she says,women who were able to keep thefamily together when the moneywasn’t coming in, and who were evenprepared to take their husbands’places on the picket lines when themen were overcome by thecompany’s private police force ofstrikebreakers and hired thugs.
Marsnik grew up in Biwabik,the granddaughter of an immigrantminer and his indomitable wife. Hergrandfather was once blacklisted forhis union activities, and Marsnik
says, “Tales of the [1916] strike wereas common to me as bedtimestories.”
It wasn’t until she came down tothe Twin Cities for college thatMarsnik, 45, realized that noteveryone thought residents of theRange were fashioned from a heroicmold.
“Some people think the peoplefrom the Iron Range are narrow-minded or simple,” she says, andthen she tells a story about one of herprofessors. When she asked him for aletter of recommendation, he washappy to comply, but he remarkedthat he “had never expected anyone
Megan Marsnik Photo by Marina Lang
Summer serial to 18
Meet Nancy Koester: MinnesotaBook Award nonfiction winnerBy Michelle Christianson
When former curator of theUniversity of Minnesota’s
prestigious Kerlan Collection, KarenHoyle, insisted that Nancy Koestersubmit her book, Harriet BeecherStowe: A Spiritual Life, as a candidatefor the Minnesota Book Award forgeneral nonfiction, Koester found theidea intriguing. So she submitted it.And she won.
Nominations for the Friends ofthe St. Paul Public Library’s annualawards may be submitted online byauthors, publishers or agents andmust be accompanied by a fee andfive copies of the book. The booksmust be written by Minnesota full-time residents and be publishedwithin the award year.
Koester, a Como Park residentand former associate pastor at St.Anthony Park Lutheran Church andComo Park Lutheran Church,nominated herself but didn’t tellanyone except her husband, Craig.
“I didn’t want to be set onwinning, and I didn’t want to jinx it,”she said.
In the lead-up to the awardsceremony, the award finalistsattended promotional events at arealibraries sponsored and arranged bythe Friends of the St. Paul PublicLibrary. Koester attended two inMarch, one with authors nominated
in all categoriesand one withauthors in hercategory.
The April14 MinnesotaBook AwardsGala drew1,000 peopleto the UnionDepot.(Koester hadbeenscheduled forknee-replacementsurgery justa few daysbefore theawards gala; the surgery was
rescheduled.) Before the ceremony, authors
sold and signed books andcomplimentary wine was served.During the ceremony, authors werespread around at different tables,with Koester in the middle of theroom. She didn’t have a speechprepared, because she didn’t want tobelieve that she would win, she said.The names of all the authors andtheir books were read before a sealedpaper was opened and the winnerwas announced in each category by awinner from a previous year.
“There was a pregnant pauseand then Jack El-
Hai read myname,” Koestersaid.
She wasshocked, shesaid, and thoughtabout what shecould say in heracceptance speech.But then sheremembered howher dog, Livie, aherding dog, had“herded” her up toher writing room. Soshe included her dogwith the other thanksand said that it was
Nancy Koester
Book award to 19
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4 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
C O M M E N T A R YThe Park Bugle welcomes letters and commentaries from our readers. Send your submissions to [email protected] or to Editor, Park Bugle, P.O. Box 8126, St. Paul, MN 55108. The deadline for the July issue is Wednesday, June 10.
G U E S T E D I T O R I A L
The MCAs inadequately serve those it aims to helpAccording to the counseling departmentat Como Park Senior High School 29 ofthe 276 juniors at the school opted-out ofthe state-administered Minnesota Com-prehensive Assessments math test in May.Most of these students were preparing foran AP exam, or multiple AP exams.Other high schools throughout the TwinCities also reported students opting out ofthe test. Here’s one Como student’sthoughts on why he chose not to take it.
By Keith Eicher
My elementary school memoriesof standardized test-taking
were not exactly fun, nor were theyvery scholarly. But they were tolerablein the sense that for a week each yearI enjoyed a few hours a day to myself,contentedly waiting for the allottedtime to be expire.
After I finished the test I had theopportunity to eat a snack, look outthe window and try to make theLifesavers my teachers passed out (tohelp us focus) make sparks in mymouth when I bit down on them—all of these being pastimes that myfirst-grade self, if interviewed, wouldmost likely call enjoyable.Unfortunately, this ritual wasrepeated, year after year, for whatnow has been a decade of myacademic life.
From a student’s perspective,there are a host of reasons not to takea state standardized test.(Minnesotans take the MCAs, orMinnesota ComprehensiveAssessments.)
First, it’s a waste of time. Not inthe “I wish I was at home watchingNetflix sense,” but in the “I have sixAP tests to take in the span of justover a week and I sure would
appreciate either a break fromstudying or more time to study.”Furthermore, if you’re like the vastmajority of my grade, you will betaking the ACT college entranceexam literally one week followingyour MCA, another several-hour-long test that actually is a graduationrequirement.
Oh, did I not mention thatsitting through an MCA test is not arequirement to graduate from highschool? That’s correct; studentsactually have the ability to opt out ofthe test. Sounds like a happymedium right? Not quite.
Schools and teachers are judgedon the results of these (essentially)optional MCAs; they are trusted bythe Minnesota Department ofEducation (MDE) to be accurateand “standardized” metrics of anygiven educational institution’s abilityto teach students. The MDE truststhese results to help make decisionsconcerning the allocation of funds toschools and, furthermore, makejudgments on how effectively theeducators within those schools areteaching their students.
However, in a Freakonomics-esque correlation, parents who areactive enough in their child’s schoolcareer to allow them to opt out oftests have also raised children who arebest at taking said tests, artificiallylowering the observed school’s scorewhen those kids do opt out.
Bearing in mind that those withless money have less educationalopportunities in childhood—forlow-income parents often cannotafford to send their children to asmany extracurricular activities asthose with higher incomes—how
can Como Park Senior High’s testscores (with a free-and-reduced-lunch rate of 72.4 percent) becompared to Minnetonka’s (with afree-and-reduced lunch rate of just6.9 percent) without taking intoconsideration the disparity in averageeducational opportunity outside ofschool? (Statistics were taken fromeach school’s respective website.)
Additionally, the fact of thematter is that some teachers’ andschools’ efficacy simply cannot bemeasured against others. Case inpoint: schools like mine, with highnumbers (26.5 percent here at
Como) of English Language Learnerstudents Levels 1 and 2 (those whoknow either little or no English)whose ability to discern simply whata question is asking for is theirprimary concern.
How do the MCAs compensatefor the difference in childhoodeducation between a refugee and anative-born English speaker? Why,then, is money being spentproducing these tests that do notaccomplish the task of providing areliable metric by which to measureeducational efficiency?
I won’t hide the fact thatexercising the ability to opt out of anonessential test has made me feel asthough I let down my school andmade things worse for my teachers. Iwill, however, say that it has given methe opportunity to look inside astatewide problem, that, with thebest intentions, inadequately servesthose it aims to help. Yes, it would beconvenient to possess the ability toquantify “amounts of education” thatschools produce, but attempting touse that data to prove that someschools or teachers are better ordeserve more funding withoutconsidering the complexcircumstance surrounding each isludicrous.
The MCAs are a remnant of atime when lawmakers were misleadinto believing that quantification wasthe best way to judge so qualitative asystem as education.
Keith Eicher is a junior at Como ParkSenior High School, president of theComo Student Council and a resident ofSt. Anthony Park.
Keith Eicher
By Adam Granger
At 10:34 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb.18, I slipped on the ice and fracturedmy left radius at the wrist. I hadsurvived 65 years with no skeletalinsult greater than a fractured toe,and now I sat in a hand surgeon’soffice being told that my left handwould be in a cast for six weeks. Assomeone who makes most of hisliving with a guitar in his hands, thiswas a nightmare at long last realized.
My left hand. The fretting hand.The brains of the outfit. I had spenta lifetime falling on my knees, myshoulders, my butt—especially mybutt—all as a means of avoidinginjury to an upper limb, and now Ihad finally gone and done it.
As the doctor talked, I mentallyscanned my professional calendar ina panic: a gig that weekend, a danceafter that, the Prairie HomeCompanion Caribbean cruise theweek after that, my annual St.
Anthony Park neighborhood concert(already set for April), a seven-country tour of Europe in May, aweekend job in Manitoba in Juneand, peppered throughout, guitarlessons. I don’t mean to soundchauvinistic, but it’s safe to say thatthis fracture was more of a crisis forme than for the average person.
I mean, we all need our hands,but . . .
I returned home sporting apurple fiberglass cast andimmediately began damage control: Igot subs for the imminent gigs; Iwent to Prairie Home Companionheadquarters and held up my castand asked if I still got to go on thecruise and was told yes; I changed thedate of my concert; I developedlesson plans for my students thatdidn’t involve my playing; and I wasassured by my doctor that I would befine by the time of the Europeantour. So all in all, amazingly little
harm was done to my livelihood. Infact, on the cruise, I was in asongwriting contest wherein wecontestants were to compose songsabout our experiences aboard ship.Mine was a blues, accompanied byguitar whiz Dean Magraw, entitledCruisin’ with a Bruisin’. I took firstplace, the award for which was $500(which, as I told Garrison Keillor,covered my copay).
Career scheduling taken care of,I was left with the issues with whichanyone having an arm in a cast hashad to deal. We have two handsbecause we need two hands. And wetend to be hand-dominant, and I amleft-handed. Thus was every wakingminute of my day compromised:carrying, lifting, washing, showering,writing, driving, tying used doggiebags, opening cans, unscrewing caps,using a computer and so on. And asmorgasbord of grooming andhygienic activities were affected.
One’s spouse will help with some ofthese tasks, but asking for assistancewith certain others will wreck aperfectly good marriage. Let’s just saythat, as regards these tasks, Ideveloped dexterity hithertounmastered.
The worst adjustment for mewas the cast itself. Not being able totouch the part of my arm that wasunderneath the elbow-to-handcasing drove me almost insane, andthe thought of having it on for sixweeks was out of the question. (I callthis condition cast-trophobia—witha hyphen to differentiate it from fearof Fidel and Raoul Castro.) My take-home info cautioned against stickinga coat hanger inside the cast, so I useda long screwdriver instead, to scratchitches, yes, but also just to be able totouch the skin. This was, of course,as bad as a coat hanger, and causedsub-cast scratches which, predictably,
Wrist factor
Commentary to 5
BuglePark
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The Park Bugle is a nonprofitcommunity newspaper serving St.Anthony Park, Lauderdale, FalconHeights and Como Park. The Buglereports and analyzes community newsand promotes the exchange of ideas andopinions in these communities. TheBugle strives to promote freedom ofexpression, enhance the quality of life inthe readership communities andencourage community participation.
Opinions expressed in the Bugle bythe editor, writers and contributors donot necessarily represent the opinions ofthe board of directors, Park Press, Inc.Copyright 2015, Park Press, Inc. Allrights reserved.
The Park Bugle is published byPark Press, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofitorganization guided by an elected boardof directors.
Currently serving on the board areGrant Abbott, Lynn Abrahamsen, TedBlank, Emily Blodgett, Betsy Currie,Ann Fendorf, Michael Griffin, JohnLandree, Bob Milligan, P.J. Pofahl,Glen Skovholt, JanSedgewick, Matt VierlingKathy Wellington.
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J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 5
wouldn’t heal. It wasn’t until later inthe week that I thought of a thinrubber spatula, which worked andfelt great. So, on my one-week visit, Ibegged the doctor for anotheroption, and was given a wonderfulplastic appliance, removable via azipper, after having sworn I wouldleave it on 99 percent of the time. Itsaved what was left of my sanity.
As I write this, I am at the five-week mark in my recovery, and by
the time this sees print I’ll be playingthe guitar again, and I am thankingmy lucky stars. Yes, I could havestepped differently or more carefullyand not have slipped, but my injuryalso could have been much worse. Italked to a fellow who, when he was12, was run over by the school nurseafter getting off of the school bus andwas laid up for so long he had tolearn to walk again, and I heard fromlots of people who have post-fracturehardware in their limbs that makesmetal detectors squawk.
In my case, there was nodislocation, I needed no surgery, Ihave no plates or screws, I got a niceremovable cast, and I’ll regain 100percent use of my hand by the time Ireally need it.
Plus, I got out of doing a bunchof housework and won $500 to boot.
Adam Granger lives in St. Anthony Parkwith his wife and son and is a regularcontributor to the Park Bugle.
The Saint Anthony ParkCommunity Foundation announcedit 2015 annual grant award winners.Through all of its grants, using bothdedicated and general funds, thefoundation awarded more than$52,000 this year.
The foundation is able tosupport these organizations andinitiatives because of St. AnthonyPark’s generosity and commitment tocommunity, said Jon Schumacher,foundation executive director.
The foundation’s grantscommittee chair, Bruce Weber, notedthat the foundation is particularlygrateful for the additional dedicateddonations that are increasing eachyear to provide support foreducation.
Both alumni groups andindividuals have earmarked gifts tosupport unique programming thatkeeps our schools vibrant.
Schumacher broke down thetotals by fund: the BossUndesignated Fund contributed
$32,853; the EnvironmentalEducation Fund contributed $2,122;the Gerald R. McKay Family MusicFund contributed $2,347; and theProvisional Fund contributed$8,100.
Here is a list of the grantees andtheir awards:
• Avalon School: $1,000 for artsprogramming
• Creative Enterprise Zone: $950to upgrade website
• Keystone: $1,500 to support itslocal Meals on Wheels services
•Mid-ContinentalOceanographic Institute: $3,000 tosupport tutoring at Como ParkSenior High School
• Murray Middle School: $750for band scholarships; $2,000 forWolf Ridge Environmental LearningCenter scholarships; $5,100 for theE2 Program; $3,000 for apartnership with the University ofMinnesota Raptor Canter (a giftfrom the Class of 1965); $600 topurchase books by a visiting author
• Park Bugle: $2,000 forexpanded business and educationcoverage
• St. Anthony Park Area Seniors:$5,000 for general operating
• St. Anthony Park CommunityCouncil: $1,000 for onlinecommunications
• St. Anthony Park ElementarySchool: $5,000 for arts programming;$1,000 for library books; $2,122 forenvironmental learningprogramming
• SPPS Foundation: $5,000 forNew Lens Mentoring Program atMurray
• Music in the Park Series:$3,000 for community outreachthrough Family Concert Series,school and senior home visits
• Transition Town: $5,000(second installment of grantchallenge award)
• Community programmingsupport: $5,000
• Spirit of the Park Award: $500to Fourth in the Park Committee
Commentary from 4
Community foundation awards$52,000 in grants to local groups
Thanks!Thank you to our readers whohelped us raise $37,461 in our2014-15 fund drive. Thisnonprofit, 41-year-oldcommunity resource could notcontinue publishing withoutyour tax-deductiblecontributions. Once again,thank you.
It’s never too late tocontribute. Donate online atwww.parkbugle.org. Click onthe green DONATE NOWbutton on the right side of thepage. Or send a check to ParkBugle, P.O. Box 8126, St. Paul,MN 55108.
The list below reflectsthose who gave through May 8.
Robert Beck & Mary Carpenter Beck
Karen Duke & Desiree Kempcke
Kate LehmannJoan Mason
BusinessesSymantec Software
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Nancy MeedenColdwell Banker BurnetOffice: 651-282-9650Mobile: [email protected]
Two great condos in the heart of the “Park” with two bedrooms, one bath, and singlegarage. Walk to shops nearby or take the busat your door. 1261 Cleveland Ave. N. Unit 1Aand 1269 Cleveland Ave. N.Unit 2B
6 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
The Como Park neighborhoodwill celebrate summer at the
sixth annual Como Fest Friday-Sunday, July 10-12. The event willinclude outdoor games, a family funrun, camping under the stars, creativearts, and budget-friendly vendors andconcessions.
FRIDAY, July 10, 6 p.m. until thechickens roost, and stay forbreakfast: Camp out with yourfamily at Northwest ComoRecreation Center, 1550 N.Hamline Ave. The event will includea jump castle, climbing tower, achildren’s craft, bingo, girls and boysbaseball and softball games, a TaeKwon Do demonstration, apresentation from the University ofMinnesota Raptor Center and anoutdoor showing of the 1985 movie“The Goonies.”
The night will culminate with abonfire and family campout at therec center. Concessions will be soldby the Northwest Como BoosterClub. Volunteers are needed for theevening. Call 651-298-5813 if youcan help.
Preregister for the campout at
Park B4 Dark, the 4th in the Park and Como Fest return for a season of fun in Bugleland.
ComoFest: art,campingand more
apm.activecommunities.com/saintpaul/Activity_Search/29431 by July 6.
SATURDAY, July 11, 11 a.m.-6p.m., Lyngblomsten Mid- SummerFestival: Lyngblomsten will host itsannual Mid-Summer Festival on onthe Lyngblomsten campus at 1415Almond Ave.
The family-friendly arts festivalwill include three stages ofentertainment featuring a variety ofmusic and dancers from opera andAfrican drumming to jazz andAppalachian clogging. There will alsobe games, demonstrating artists andwares for purchase, arts activities forall ages, and a host of local restaurantvendors, including Grand Ole
Creamery. Find all the details at
www.lyngblomsten.org/festival.
SUNDAY, July 12, 8:30 a.m.-evening, Como Lakeside Pavilion:Como Fest will conclude with a run,a lake cleanup, an art fair and musicat Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 N.Lexington Parkway.
Como Fest Run! 5 K and 2.5Kfamily walk around Lake Como. The5K will begin at 8:30 a.m. and thefamily walk will begin at 9:30 a.m.Registration is $20 for adults and$10 for kids. Registration includes aComo Fest T-shirt. Register atrunsignup.com/Race/MN/SaintPaul/ComoFestRunandWalk.
Proceeds from the run will gotoward the cost of Como Fest and tosupport the block nurse program, anonprofit organization that helpsseniors remain in their homes safely.
Other Sunday activities at thepavilion include Capitol RegionWatershed District’s Como Lake Landand Water Cleanup, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; afree children’s “craft make-and-take”session, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; and an artfair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
A concert with Stan Bann’s BigBone Band will be at 3 p.m. at thepavilion.
Artists interested in finding outmore about the art fair shouldcontact AndreaLynn Johnson,[email protected], or go to theDistrict 10 website,www.district10comopark.org.
A whole
lotta
651-645-0386www.sourcecandg.com
2057 Snelling Ave. N., RosevilleOpen 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sat &
Noon - 6 p.m. Sunday
SOURCE COMICS & GAMES
10,000 squarefeet of pure awesome!Minnesota’s largest, mostcomprehensive selectionof comic books, both newand back issues, as wellas trade paperbacks, col-lecting supplies, statues, toys, posters,and everything else thathas to do with the wonderful world ofcomics!
v PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH—ELCA1744 Walnut St. (at Ione), Lauderdale, 651-644-5440www.peacelauderdale.comSunday worship: 10 a.m.Reconciling in Christ CongregationAll are welcome. Come as you are.
v SPIRIT UNITED CHURCH3204 Como Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, 612-378-3602, www.spiritunited.comSundays: 10:30 a.m. Message and Music. Kids With Spirit Sunday School.Come as you are. Handicapped accessible. All are welcome.A leading-edge spiritual community emphasizing the Unity of Spirit—one Source in all.
v ST. CECILIA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH2357 Bayless Place. 651-644-4502Website: www.stceciliaspm.orgHandicapped accessible
Saturday Mass: 5 p.m. at the churchSunday Masses: 8:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. at the church
v ST. ANTHONY PARK UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST2129 Commonwealth Ave. (corner of Commonwealth and Chelmsford)651-646-7173 www.sapucc.org10 a.m. worshipPastor Victoria WilgockiCome and see what God is doing!
Community Worship Directoryv ST. ANTHONY PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCHA Reconciling Congregation. All are welcome!www.sapumc.org, 2200 Hillside Ave. (at Como), 651-646-4859Pastor: Rev. Dr. J. Samuel Subramanian.Sundays: 10 a.m. Worship celebration and Sunday School
11 a.m. Fellowship and refreshments6:30 p.m. Free young adult dinner in parlor
Mondays: 7 p.m. Community Bible study in parlorVacation Bible School: July 14-16, 6-8 p.m. Free.
v ST. ANTHONY PARK LUTHERAN CHURCH2323 Como Avenue W. 651-645-0371Staffed nursery available - Handicap-accessible Pastor Glenn Berg-Moberg and Pastor Jill Rode Web, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: SAPLCSummer Sunday Worship: 10 a.m. Coffee Hour followsArt Fair Open House: Saturday, June 6VBS: June 22-26
v ST. MATTHEW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCHThe Rev. Blair A. Pogue, Rector www.stmatthewsmn.org2136 Carter at Chelmsford. 651-645-3058 Sunday: 9:30 a.m. service with sermon and communion (summer schedule) The Undercroft Gallery: Children & Youth Art Show through June 26
To add your church to the directory, contact Bradley Wolfe at 952-393-6814 or [email protected]
CATHERINE E. HOLTZCLAWMBT, CPA, CFP®
HOLTZCLAW PLANNING LLC
651-646-9806 • [email protected] • www.holtzclawplanning.com2251 DOSWELL AVENUE, ST. PAUL, MN 55108
• Objective, personal investment advice and financial planning on an hourly basis.
• Tax preparation for individuals, trusts and estates.
• Discover the possibilities and opportunities for reaching your life goals.
St. Anthony Park Area Seniors’ Senior Cinema Series
St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Ave.651-642-0411 / www.sppl.org
“Unbroken” 2 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at SAP Library
After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends aharrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught bythe Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.Starring Jack O’Connell, Takamasa Ishihara. Directed by Angelina Jolie. PG-13. 137 min.
651-642-9052 www.sapaseniors.org
2233 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul 55108651.647.9000
theresashair.com
Diana Koren
Ruthann Ives
Treat Yourselfby gracing our oasis
� �
J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 7
Show your colors witha 4th in the Park t-shirtWhen that parade comes down Como Avenue on July 4, you know you’regoing to want one of those Fourth in the Park t-shirts all the cool kids will bewearing. And you’ve got until Saturday, June 11, to order one.
The shirts are $15 each and come in youth and adult sizes. Go towww.booster.com/4th-in-the-park to order.
Fourth inthe Parkneeds youThe Fourth in the Park Committee islooking for volunteers to adhere1,500, “Donate Now” stickers to theflags the committee will distributeduring the Fourth in the Parkcelebration in St. Anthony Park onSaturday, July 4.
The committee needs 10 to 15volunteers. If you are interested,come to a meeting at Langford ParkRec Center on Tuesday, June 9, at6:30 p.m. Bring a friend and joinyour neighbors for a fun-filledevening.
For more information, [email protected].
Park B4 Dark addsfamily activities to itsthird-Thursday lineupPark B4 Dark, a celebration of food, music and shopping in the north St.Anthony Park retail district, returns this summer on the third Thursdays inJune, July and August.
The series, sponsored by the Saint Anthony Park CommunityFoundation, Sunrise Banks, MetroIBA and the Como area businesscommunity, will take place on June 18, July 16 and Aug. 20 from 5 to 8 p.m.
This year Sunrise Banks’ parking lot will transform into the Family FunZone with kid-friendly crafts, demonstrations and shows at each Park B4Dark event. The Family Fun Zone will have something for children of allages.
More details will be announced as the events take shape, but there willbe special merchant deals, local musicians and good food.
Mark your calendar, bring the kids, have fun and support this uniquebusiness district.
summ
er!
Look for a completeschedule of events forthe annual Fourth inthe Park festival,which will take placein the St. AnthonyPark neighborhood onSaturday, July 4. Orgo to 4thinthepark.orgfor more information.
SERVING BREAKFAST AND LUNCH Monday-Sunday 7am-3pm 2315 Como Ave. St. Paul 651-797-4027 www.colossalcafe.com
"Like" us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter!
Schneider Drug
Serving theneighborhoodsince 1911
www.schneiderdrugrx.com
3400 University Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, 612-379-7232
Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.,
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
1/4 mile west of Hwy. 280 across from KSTP
Fast, friendly service with prescription
delivery available
6 days a week
Monday throughSaturday
Locally owned and operated
Where people come first
The Sparrs www.mnhouses.comPeggy: 651-639-6383 [email protected] Gary: 651-639-6304 [email protected] Peter: 651-639-6368 [email protected] Lindsey: 651-639-6432 [email protected]
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Saturday, July 11, 10 - 4 p.m.Advance tickets $12 At www.stanthonyparkgardenclub.com or at Bibelot (Como Ave.), Micawbers, Speedy Market.
Day of Sale tickets $15 At St. Anthony Park Library, Como & Carter Avenue.
Tour 10 gardens that tackle our challenging geography & climate withstyle & inventiveness. Master gardeners will be available at everystop!
Features include native plants, rain gardens, bee & pollinator friendlygardens, a miniature garden, sustainable & edible landscaping, experimental garden.
Benefits St. Anthony Park Garden Club activities and scholarships.FFI: http://www.stanthonyparkgardenclub.com, or 651.644.0469
8 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
JUNE EventsVenue information is listed at the endof the calendar. Send your events [email protected] byWednesday, June 10, to be included inthe July issue.
1 MONDAYAdoption information meeting,CHLSS, 6-8 p.m. Register atchsfs.org/adoptioninformation.
2 TUESDAYInternet Basics for Building Job Skills,St. Anthony Park Library, 10 a.m.-noon. Register at 651-642-0411.
3 WEDNESDAYEnglish Conversation Circles, everyWednesday, St. Anthony Park Library,4-5:30 p.m.
St. Anthony Park Book Club, St.Anthony Park Library, 6:30-8 p.m.
5 FRIDAYNorthern Lights 4-H Club annual pieand ice cream social, Luther Seminarylawn at the corner of Como Avenueand Luther Place, 7- 9 p.m. Music bythe St. Anthony Park CommunityBand.
6 SATURDAYSt. Anthony Park Arts Festival, alongComo Avenue in St. Anthony Park,10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Used book sale, St. Anthony ParkLibrary auditorium, 10 a.m.-4:30p.m. The final hour will feature a bagsale at $5 per bag. Resellers: Noscanners before noon.
Annual St. Anthony Park GardenClub plant sale, new location: St.Anthony Park Lutheran Church, 9a.m.-2 p.m. Selling proven hardy
perennials, recycled garden books,tools and pots.
Five-hour symposium on SurvivingComing Earth Changes, Spirit UnitedInterfaith Church, 1-6 p.m. Live musicby Celtic harpist Bettie Seitzer. Freerefreshments and parking in the loteast of the church, located threeblocks west of Hwy. 280 on S.E.Como Avenue. Cost is $35 for adults;$55 for couples or families; $30 forstudents, seniors or TheosophicalSociety members. Registration at thedoor.
8 MONDAYDr. James Ulness, professor emeritus atConcordia College, Moorhead, willspeak on “Developing the Life of theSoul,” Spirit United Interfaith Church,7 p.m. Free refreshments and parkingin lot east of the church; $10suggested donation.
11 THURSDAYPreschool Mandarin Chinese storytime, St. Anthony Park Library,10:30 a.m.
St. Anthony Park Area SeniorsCinema Series, “Unbroken,” St.Anthony Park Library, 2-4 p.m.
12 FRIDAYMicrosoft Word class, St. AnthonyPark Library, 10:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. Call 651-642-0411 toregister.
13 SATURDAYSpring Family Craft Hour, gearedtoward grade-school children, St.Anthony Park Library, 1-2 p.m.
St Paul singer/songwriter/guitarist andPrairie Home Companion regular
Adam Granger will present his thirdannual Neighborhood Concert, St.Anthony Park United Church ofChrist, 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15,payable at the door.
16 TUESDAYSummer Spark (library summer readingprogram): Wendy’s Wiggle, Jiggle andJam, St. Anthony Park Library,10:30-11:30 a.m. and 2-3 p.m.
Minnesota’s Waiting Childreninformation session, learn aboutadopting children who live in fostercare, CHLSS, 6-8 p.m. Register atchsfs.org/intro-minnesota-waiting-children.
18 THURSDAYLearn Chinese Folk Dancing, free andopen for adults, St. Anthony ParkLibrary, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Park B4 Dark, Como Avenue businessdistrict, St. Anthony Park, 5-8 p.m.
20 SATURDAYHow Not to Lose Your Stuff: FileManagement, St. Anthony ParkLibrary, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Call651-642-0411 to register.
22 MONDAYTwo films, “Explorations intoConsciousness: An Interview withDeepak Chopka” and “Alan Watts: Artof Meditation” will be shown by theTheosophical Society, Spirit UnitedChurch, 7 p.m. A $5 donation issuggested.
23 TUESDAYSummer Spark: The Brodini ComedyMagic Show, St. Anthony ParkLibrary, 10:30-11:30 a.m. and2-3 p.m.
25 THURSDAYPreschool Mandarin Chinese storytime, St. Anthony Park Library,10:30 a.m.
26 FRIDAYMicrosoft Power Point, St. AnthonyPark Library, 10:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. Call 651-642-0411 toregister.
Co-ed drum circle, Women’s DrumCenter, 6:30 p.m. All levels ofexperience are welcomes andencouraged to attend. Cost is $10 atthe door. Drums provided.
28 SUNDAYSunday Afternoon Book Club, “All theLight We Cannot See” by AnthonyDoerr, 2:30 p.m.
30 TUESDAYSummer Spark: Bill the Juggler, St.Anthony Park Library, 10:30-11:30a.m. and 2-3 p.m.
SENIOR EXERCISESt. Anthony Park Area Seniors:
Tuesdays and Fridays, St. AnthonyPark Library, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Wednesdays, St. Anthony ParkUnited Methodist Church, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Mondays and Thursdays,Lauderdale City Hall, 2-3 p.m.
Como Park/Falcon HeightsBlock Nurse Program:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, FalconHeights Town Square SeniorApartments, 9:30-10:30 a.m. andArbor Pointe Senior Apartment, 11a.m.-noon
FREE SENIOR BLOOD PRESSURE CLINICS
St. Anthony Park Area Seniors:
Wednesdays, St. Anthony ParkUnited Methodist Church, 11:30a.m.-noon
Como Park/Falcon HeightsBlock Nurse Program:
Third Thursdays, Arbor PointeSenior Apartments, 10-11 a.m.
Fourth Thursdays, Falcon HeightsTown Square Senior Apartments, 11a.m.-noon
VENUE INFORMATIONArbor Pointe Senior Apartments,635 Maryland Ave. W.
CHLSS, Children’s Home & LutheranSocial Service of Minnesota, 1605Eustis St., 651- 255-2355,chsfs.org
Falcon Heights City Hall, 2077 W.Larpenteur Ave., 651-644-5050
Falcon Heights Town Square SeniorApartments, 1530 W. LarpenteurAve.
Lauderdale City Hall, 1891 WalnutSt., 651-631-0300
Micawber’s Books, 2238 CarterAve., 651-646-5506
Spirit United Church, 3204 S.E.Como Ave., Minneapolis, 612-378-3602
St. Anthony Park Library, 2245Como Ave., 651-642-0411
St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church,2323 Como Ave., 651-645-0371
St. Anthony Park United Church ofChrist, 2129 Commonwealth Ave.,651-646-7173
Women’s Drum Center, 2242University Ave. W.,www.womensdrumcenter.org
“In general, I like looking at thecars,” she said. “It’s a hobby thatpeople embrace, and I respect that.But it’s impossible to sleep with thewindow-rattling noise.”
Back to the ’50s is the biggestevent the fairgrounds hosts outside offair week and also generates the mostcomplaints to the District 10 ComoCommunity Council.
“These concerns have beendiscussed by various District 10committees and the full board manytimes,” noted former communitycouncil administrator Ted Blank.“District 10 raised the issue with eachof the players—State Fair, Street RodAssociation, St. Paul Police—withouta successful resolution.”
Blank said that at District 10’srequest, Russ Stark, Fourth Ward St.
Back to the ‘50s from 1 Paul city councilman, convened ameeting of the respective parties latein the summer of 2014 at which itwas agreed that changes would bemade. A follow-up meeting was heldin April.
“No one expressed any doubtthat residents were being unfairlydisturbed,” Stark said. “I left ourApril meeting satisfied that theparties were willing to come up witha plan that would provide substantialrelief to the neighbors along MidwayParkway and surrounding blocks. Ifthe problems persist during this year’sevent, we will re-assess.”
Off-duty police officers paid bythe Street Rod Association willenforce the restrictions, saidCommander John Bandemer of theSt. Paul Police Dept.’s WesternDistrict. Temporary signs onMidway Parkway and nearby streets
also will announce the ban.Harvey, who was president of
the Minnesota Street RodAssociation for 18 years before takingover management of Back to the’50s, said he felt the parking changewas “a good course of action. We’vehad challenges in the past in terms ofmaking things palatable for theneighborhood, and we’ve dealt withthem successfully, I feel.”
The association’s website(msrabacktothe50s.com) explains therestrictions and participants will begiven a flyer outlining the new ruleswhen they register at the event’sheadquarters hotel in Shoreview,Harvey said.
The state fair has offered toallow the street-rodders to queue upin some of its parking lots andparticipants will be offered thatoption, Harvey said.
J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 9
Neighbors Tar sands resistance march June 6A tar sands resistance march and rallyat the State Capitol will be heldSaturday, June 6, noon-4 p.m. Themarch to the Capitol will begin atLampert’s Landing, Shepard Roadand North Sibley Street at noon.
Music, speakers, food andinformation booths will be set up atthe Capitol for this family-friendlyrally. For more information, [email protected] or go towww.tarsandsresistance.org.
Free driving workshop for newdrivers and their parents June 13Cox Insurance Associates will offer aYouthful Driving Workshop to newdrivers and their parents on Saturday,June 13, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Theworkshop is open to families withnew (or soon-to-be) drivers in thecommunity. Resources will beprovided on driver safety, the impactof a youthful driver on the family andinsurability as an independent youngadult.
The course includes lunch, aparent breakout session, and a visitwith a local law enforcement officer.RSVP to Bronwyn at 651-647-0001or [email protected].
Rummage sale at Bethel LutheranBethel Lutheran Church, 670 W.Wheelock Parkway, will hold itsannual rummage sale benefiting theChildren's Christian Education
Fund on Thursday, June 18 (presale,6-8pm; $3 admission); Friday, June19 (9 a.m.-6 p.m.); and Saturday,June 20 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.). For moreinformation, visitwww.bethelstpaul.com or call 651-488-6681.
Como musician to play at DakotaComo resident Paul Peterson will be
playing with the Larry McDonoughQuintet in the show “Chet: TheBeautiful Music and Trafic Life ofSinging Trumpeter Chet Baker”Tuesday, May 26, 7-10 p.m., at theDakota Jazz Club and Restaurant,1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.Cover is $5. Find out more atdakotacooks.com.
Information on May burglary soughtTwo young men were caught on camera at the scene of a car andgarage break-in near the 1400 block of Asbury Street at about 1:30a.m. on Sunday, May 3. The incident has been reported to the police.If you have information about this crime or recognize the people inthese photos, contact the St. Paul Police Department, 651-291-1111.
in the area for some time.“They’ll start getting a larger andlarger range and have lessmovement in the day,” she said.“They will be less visible, butthey will still be there for quite awhile yet.
“Great horned owls are theearliest nesters but the slowest toget independence.”
David Wark, who snapped
the photo of one of the chicks(shown on page 1), said theneighbors refer to the owls as“our babies.”
“In the 20 years I’ve livedhere, even though there are owlsaround here, I have never hadanything that close in my yard,”Kloser said. “It’s an incrediblegift.”
Owl babies from 1
On May 11, Kloser sent anemail to the Bugle saying, “TheRaptor Center orphan owl andour baby owl are now siblings.”
Neighbors have reportedseeing the chicks together andhave sighted the parentswatching the humans who arewatching the babies.
Eventually the great hornedowls will leave, Ponder said, butthey will stay in a family group
Mobile: 651-271- 8919 Email: [email protected]
Barbara Swadburg
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10 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
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How do you spellcommunity?
B-U-G-L-EGo on an alphabet scavenger hunt with the Bugle at the St. Anthony Park ArtsFestival. Find the letters shown in the photos here on signs of businesses orinstitutions in the Como-Carter Avenue business district.
Fill out the form below and bring it to the Bugle booth at the St.Anthony Park Arts Festival on Saturday, June 7, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.The booth will be in the Healy Building parking lot on Como Avenue justwest of Park Service (see the festival map on page 13).
We’ll draw two winners from the completed and correct forms that day.Prizes are $50 each. When you complete your contest entry, don’t forget tofill out your name and address at the bottom of the page.
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Annual St. Anthony Park Arts FestivalAnnual St. Anthony Park Arts Festivals a t u r d ay, j u n e 6 , 2 0 1 5 • 1 0 a . m . - 5 p. m . • c o m o ave nu e f r o m c a r t e r ave nu e t o l u t h e r p l a c e
Meet the featured artists at the festivalBrennaBusseBrenna Busse’s
mixed mediafigures aren’t yourtypical dolls. They areborn of, shaped by andultimately come torepresent the essenceand complexities ofthe human condition,of which we are all apart.
Cultures across theworld and throughouthistory have used thefigure to replicatethemselves, whileprobing the depth oftimeless questionsabout identity,transformation andour relation to themystic.
Working largelywith found objects,Busse’s dolls oftenprovoke symbolismthat just as easily challenges conceptions as delight the senses. In the sameway that twigs and sticks for arms can denote an indelible connection betweenthe human and natural world, scraps of rust plucked from the ground cometo represent the riches of aging when incorporated into the body of a figure.
“Metaphorically, as we age, we look at our wisdom and we look at thesegems that we’ve learned over time that we could never learn any other way,”Busse says of one figure in particular that features scraps of rust. Like thepersonal qualities that only come with age and experience, so do scraps ofmetal come to shine with a patina and rust imparted only by time.
“It’s an incredible dance of terror and joy,” Busse says of her process. Incrafting the hands, feet and face of a doll from clay, she must actively imaginewhat each figure will come to be and represent. Oftentimes the only way toachieve her vision is to let her materials and found objects dictate the design.
There is a persistent character manifested in the thousands of dolls Bussehas produced over nearly 30 years. Every face seems to share a recognizableserenity grounded in some spiritual wisdom or understanding.
Just as each human life starts as female in utero, only developing therequisite Y chromosome to become male weeks after fertilization, each ofBusse’s dolls begin as female, she explains.
A passionate feminist since the 1980s, Busse says she used to be “prettyrabid” about the gender of her dolls but has since mellowed, coming tounderstand gender as more of a continuum, while taking a deep interest inwhat those who encounter her work actually see.
Whether male or female, all her dolls contain imperfect elements thatshow the human hand in her work—whether it be a frayed thread or slightlydistorted proportions.
“Imperfection is essential,” she says. “It’s back to the human condition.We are imperfect and I think the more we understand our imperfections, thekinder we’ll be to ourselves and each other.”—Kyle Mianulli
Michael TonderReminiscent of the icy forms created during the transitional phases of the
seasons when waters turn to ice and back again into liquid form, MichaelTonder’s glass sculptures freeze a fleeting elemental transformation inperpetuity.
Influenced by his experience as a forester and park manager, along withhis regular excursions into the Boundary Waters, Tonder’s work leaves apeaceful, contemplative impression. He employs internal lines and alteredsurfaces that reflect, refract and diffuse light to create tension and piquecuriosity, while bringing a comforting balance to his work.
It might be this effect that has made his work popular with hospitals andhealth care facilities, which have accounted for a number of largercommissioned projects of late, he said.
The spark that started Tonder’s career came while working as a foresternear Little Falls, Minn. During the early spring, as he crossed the MississippiRiver, he noticed that a long stretch of shallows had caused the ice to pile upas it broke.
“As far as you could see up river, all the ice was jamming and sticking upin the air,” he said. “That was a real inspirational view for me. I hadn’t eventhought of working with glass at the time. It was just stunning.”
Like his wife, jewelry maker Jody Freij-Tonder, he uses exclusivelyreclaimed and recycled glass. Instead of small scraps and shards, though,Tonder needs large sheets of plate glass like those used in office buildingwindows or display shelving to create his substantial pieces.
Working with plate glass requires him to use the same sheet for eachproject, as different glass reacts differently in the kiln and can lead tounpredictable outcomes when he removes it from the kiln. “We say it’s likeChristmas every time you open the kiln, but sometimes it’s Halloween,” hesaid.
Most plate glass like that Tonder uses in his work is not recyclable. Heworks with local businesses to reclaim windows and has worked it out sodevelopment companies can receive LEED certification credits by donatingtheir old glass rather than discarding it.
“We know that we’re not really changing the waste stream very much, butwe try to point out to people that there are uses for a lot of material that aregetting thrown away,” he said. “It points out the potential for reuse.”—KyleMianulli
Artist profiles to 14
The ArtistsCeramicsRobert BriscoeBridget DonahueAnn FendorfVanessa GreeneRichard Gruchalla
& Carrin RosettiTravis HintonEric HoleyChris & Sue HolmquistWendy PentaZac SpatesAmy Von Bargen
Glass & enamelCraig CampbellSteve ClaypatchMary Ila DuntemannRachel MasicaMike Tonder
& Jody Freij-Tonder
Fiber & wearableMarcia AlmquistPatti BergSharon CherneyDawnette DavisMary DescombazNancy HovlandLaura LundMarlene MeyerWilliam & Linda SumnerColleen TabaikaKathleen WithersBao YangKim Zaylskie
JewelryAnn AasMary BestTerry ChismRobert HaleBarbara HaleJudith HurdJulie JohnsonAaron KahmannBrenna Klassen-GlanzerLeo & Dina Lisovskis
Mark NuebelSue PeoplesSusan SpillerCandyce WestfieldRebecca Wicklund
Mixed mediaBrenna BusseEmily DonovanJudith HurdEdward LeftoSharon Miller-ThompsonJan Vaughan
Painting/drawingHelen BondJulia CrozierMarilyn CuellarRussel DittmarDan MackermanMegan MooreSarah ThorntonKathryn Weese
PhotographyDavid Barthel
Rachel CainJim GindorffDan LeisenNeil Johnson
PrintmakingKendra BaillieCody BartzEmily KoehlerDan & Lee Ross
SculptureRebecca BruzekBud BullivantDavid DeMattiaSandra HaffDan & Lee RossJennifer Wolcott
WoodTed GolbuffAndrew KringenPaul LambrechtDave & Kathy Towley
Music on the library lawn9:30-10 a.m.: Phillip Rukavina, Renaissance lute10-10:45 a.m.: Phillip Rukavina and Thomas Walker Jr.,Renaissance lute duets11-11:45 a.m.: Carl Street Mandolin QuartetNoon-12:45 p.m.: Stephanie Claussen, harpist1-1:45 p.m.: Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra2-2:45 p.m.: Richard Griffith, songster3-3:45 p.m.: Ladyslipper Baroque Ensemble4-4:45 p.m.: Miss Becky Kapell, songster
Your arts festival to-do list• Children: Make art at the Kids Art Tent. • Check out the used book sale in the library’s lower level. • Find a favorite perennial at the St. Anthony Park GardenClub plant sale (in its new location at St. Anthony ParkLutheran Church)• Visit your neighborhood nonprofit groups, including the Park Bugle. • Try your hand at the Bugle’s photo scavenger contest on page10 and deliver it to the Bugle booth on the east side of ComoAvenue. (We’ll be in the Healy Building parking lot with othercommunity groups; see the map at right.) • Go climb the Boy Scouts’ rope bridge on Luther Seminary Lawn.• Listen to music at Speedy Market and the library lawn.• Eat, buy art and shop at the wonderful businesses in St. Anthony Park.
Looking for the plant sale?The St. Anthony Park Garden Club’s annual plant sale hasmoved indoors.
You’ll find the sale at the St. Anthony Park LutheranChurch, 2323 Como Ave., during the arts festival. Follow theplant sale signs to the side entrance on Luther Place.
Plant sale hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., but come early for thebest choice of annuals and perennials for sun or shade andhouseplants. Enjoy shopping away from the hot sun ortorrential rain (remember last year?).
Garden club members will be on hand to answer yourquestions about their proven-hardy perennials and plantculture. Recycled gardening books and journals will also be onsale as a new feature.
Tickets for the 2015 St. Anthony Park Garden Tour willalso be on sale at the pre-tour discounted price of $12. Ticketswill be $15 the day of the tour, Saturday, July 11.
Third ThursdaysJune 18, July 16, August 20
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Jody Freij-TonderThe handcrafted glass jewelry of Jody Freij-Tonder is born of her dual passions for creating colorful, wearable glass art and an unwavering environmental
mindfulness that fires both her work and life.Working entirely with recycled and reclaimed glass, she achieves a wide aesthetic range that uses an array of techniques, including stained glass, iridized,
frit, confetti and etched. Working from her home studio on the North Shore with husband and fellow glass artist, Mike Tonder, Freij-Tonder’s materials primarily come from
recycling centers—with which the couple has developed a close relationship—as well as scraps from other stained glass artists in the area. She says that siftingthrough boxes of glass scraps is one of the most enjoyable parts of her process.
Working with glass in the ways she does provides unique challenges, but it is ultimately what allowsher to achieve the elegantly playful shapes, colors and textures that define her work. Every piece of glassreacts differently in the kiln and frequently yields surprising—and sometimes frustrating—results, shesays.
“The glass itself is not designed for kiln firing, so over the year’s I’ve ended up with surprises whenI open the kiln and it has not done what I expected,” she said.
Not one to waste a single scrap, Freij-Tonder also collects all the leftover shards and pieces from herwork, tumbles them in a rock tumbler, then fills recycled mason jars partway full and affixes a solarpowered LED light, creating unique and enchanting dock or patio lanterns.
The recent craft beer boom has also been a boon for Freij-Tonder, who produces signature“Beerings,” using empty beer bottles collected from the local recycling center. She hand-cutsearrings and pendants from the bottles and necks to create different shapes in brown, green,blue and clear glass.
She has been making “beerings” since the 1990s, but the hoard of craft breweriespopping up in Duluth and across the state are jumping at the chance to carry branded glassjewelry, opening up a whole new market.—Kyle Mianulli
Jody Freij-Tonder and Michael Tonder
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J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 15
A giant mastadon, a blue toad and a few natural disastersCan Can Wonderland 18-hole mini golf designs have been selected and the build begins at former can factory on Prior Avenue
By Kristal Leebrick
It was pure serendipity that St. LouisPark Middle School offered a mathelective called Mini Golf Madness atthe same time Can Can Wonderlandput out a call for artists to submitdesign proposals for an 18-hole minigolf course in St. Paul.
“It’s the first year we’ve offeredit,” said Randi Graves, the teacherwho leads the seventh-grade mathclass that, incidentally, has 32 boysenrolled in it.
Three of those boys will havetheir designs built as part of Can CanWonderland’s “arts-immersive”course, which should open sometimethis fall in a former can factory at 755N. Prior Ave., just four blocks northof University Avenue in St. Paul.
Can Can Wonderland is thebrainchild of Jennifer and ChrisPennington, Christi Atkinson andRob Clapp. Their goal is to create amulti-purpose art space that includesthe golf course and a food and drinkvenue, said Jennifer Pennington.
The group put out a call forproposals in January with $5,000stipends offered to design-and-buildplans and $1,000 stipends to selecteddesign-only proposals. Can Canintroduced the 18 accepted designsand their creators at a meet-and-greetApril 25 at Forecast Public Art, 2300Myrtle St., St. Anthony Park.
Dusty Thune, a specialeducation teacher in St. Paul PublicSchools, submitted Hot Tub TimeMachine, which features a 20-foot-tall mastodon in a hot tub full of tar.
Sarah Stone’s That ’70s Holewas inspired by her grandmothers’living rooms. It will feature shagcarpet, a poodle knickknackcollection, crocheted afghans, aliquor cabinet and old televisionshows running on a TV.
Than Tibbetts’ proposal issimple: the Longest Miniature GolfHole in the World. In order to beatthe current longest hole in the worldat Chuckster’s Family Fun Park inVestal, N.Y., Tibbetts will build a201-foot-long green to the hole. IfChuckster’s decides to up its gameafter it learns about its newcompetition, Tibbetts said his holecould be easily extended once CanCan Wonderland develops the roofof the building.
Seventh-graders Ame Caldwell-Dass and Bryce Bonine will share the$1,000 stipend for their designsubmission, Natural Disaster. Theirclassmate Colin Weingart worked onhis own when he designed Loopty-Loop Madness.
Natural Disaster willincorporate an earthquake, tornadoand tsunami, explained Caldwell-Dass. The earthquake will move thegreen up and down as a golfer tries tohit the ball into an elevator that willtake the ball up to a track and thensend the ball down a spiral—thetornado—before going into the hole,said Bonine.
The boys designed their holesusing an online interactive designprogram from MIT.
So what are the boys going to dowith their money? Caldwell-Dasslaughed, said he was going to buysome new shoes and wasn’t sure whatelse he would do with his half of the$1,000. Bonine plans to buyequipment to build his owncomputer. Weingart is socking $750away for college and the rest is his tospend as he pleases.
Can Can Wonderland launcheda crowd-funding campaign onIndiegogo on May 19.Unfortunately, the Bugle went toprint before the group had a link tothe site.
Can Can Wonderland won’topen until late fall, but you can get ataste of the group’s work duringNorthern Spark on Friday, June 19.The group will have a humanfoosball court set up at Peavey Plazain downtown Minneapolis.
Keep up with Can CanWonderland at its Facebook page,www.facebook.com/cancanwonderland.
Blue Toad by Andrée Tracey was inspired by Tracey’s childhood. Shegrew up on a miniature golf course in Sioux City, Iowa, her father’sbrainchild.
Seventh-graders Ame Caldwell-Dass, Bryce Bonine and Colin Weingart had their mini golf designproposals accepted by Can Can Wonderland. Photo by Kristal Leebrick
You Gotta Have a Heart by Eric Fetrow will use cans of all varieties, inhomage to the building’s original purpose: a can factory. Call for free estimate
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M-F: 7 a.m .– 7 p.m., Saturday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.www.allseasonscleaners.com 651-644-8300
16 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
Business News
Snelling and Como: a charming little corner of St. PaulBy Kyle Mianulli
Nestled in the shadow of theMinnesota State Fairgrounds andtucked beneath the Snelling Avenueoverpass, many of the businesses atthe corner of Como and Snellingavenues are thriving in an unlikelynook of St. Paul.
With Como Park directly to theeast, train yards to the south and thefairgrounds to the north, theSnelling-Como business district sitsin a pocket that leaves little room fornew large-scale developments orexpansion.
“I think because it’s solandlocked here, there’s really not alot of room for development. I don’tsee a lot of changes coming to it,”says Jim Thompson, the second-generation proprietor of J.O.Thompson Inc.
The flooring business at 1558Como Ave. is the longest standingbusiness on the block, havingrelocated to the corner in 1965. A St.Paul native, Thompson has watchedthe area evolve over the last 40 yearsand owns much of the real estate onthe block.
While the Green Line Light Railcontinues to draw investments andmajor development projects to theCentral Corridor along UniversityAvenue, there is a subtle insouciancea mile and a half north, wherebusiness owners are content with thepresent and hopeful for the future
but have no notions of becoming thenext Grand Avenue or Selby-Snellingbusiness area, either.
Lots of community supportAfter 35 years at its current location,Nelson Cheese and Deli, 1562Como Ave., tallied its most successfulyear to date in 2014, according tolongtime owner and familiarneighborhood hat Mike Greenheck.
“I don’t know if by luck or bychance, but we moved here in 1980and had a successful business eversince,” Greenheck says. “We’ve beenhere a long time and even today westill get new customers.”
When he’s not busy on the linecrafting one of Nelson’s signaturefresh sandwiches or salads,Greenheck posts up near the registerat the front entrance during busylunch rushes where he greets anastonishing number of customers byname.
“I have a system where we knoweverybody by first name,” he says.
“I just love what I do. I enjoycoming to work, I love ourcustomers, it’s fun sitting there,” hesays. “I could tell you exactly what’sgoing on in this neighborhood reallyeasily just by talking to all thecustomers, neighbors and localbusinesses.”
A majority of the youngemployees at Nelson’s live in theneighborhood and walk to work, andthat’s the way Greenheck prefers it.
One current employee is the thirdsibling in their family to work atNelson’s, he says.
Across the street, BelovedTattoo, 1563 Como Ave., is going onnine years and two expansions duringthe same time period. OwnerBrandon Heffron runs the shop withhis wife, Karis, who heads the tattoo-removal business connected to theshop.
“People think it’s funny they areconnected, but if you’re in theindustry, it makes sense,” Heffronsays.
Many of the artists at the shopare booked as far as a year in advance,and it’s not uncommon for clients tofly in from across the country to getinked by some of the shop’snationally recognized talent.
Heffron has witnessed theongoing “mainstreaming” of tattooculture firsthand over the last twodecades. He continues to work toovercome the stigma of tattooing andsees the gap between the art worldand the tattoo world narrowing.
“I’d like people to recognize it asan art form, rather than justtattooing,” he says.
To that end, Beloved Studioshas become more than just anothertattoo shop. Work from local artists isfrequently displayed in the shop anda new gallery space allows them tohost more formal art showings,Heffron says. There is a communityart night the last Thursday of eachmonth, and the shop hosts a blockparty with live music, local food andlots of art every year.
One person who admits toBeloved changing her perception oftattoos is right next door.
“They are fabulous people,” saysSheila Burns, who owns Bliss YogaStudio, 1565 Como Ave. “Theychanged my mind about what Ithought tattoos and tattoo artists
were about.”
Health-and-wellness hub sproutsBliss was the first of the four currenthealth-and-wellness businesses on theblock. Since opening the studio in2007 at an adjacent space in the sameproperty, Burns has seen a steadyincrease in business.
“I taught restorative yoga andremember being thrilled by the ideaof having 18 students in one week,”she says. Today, she is one of 11instructors teaching a variety of stylesof yoga for every age and ability atBliss. It’s not unusual for as many as28 students to attend a single class,she says.
She attributes much of thissuccess to the support of thecommunity in Como Park andsurrounding area. “There are peoplein this neighborhood that have beencoming to Bliss Studio since thebeginning and they’re still here,” shesays. “We’re friends and we’re acommunity.”
Burns is happy to have somenew neighbors also focused on healthand wellness. “I love that it’s anexpanding wellness corner,” she says.“[As a society], we’ve really looked atwhat it means to be healthy and thereare a lot of alternative therapies thatare being recognized medically.”
Each of the four health-orientedbusinesses on the block offers distinctservices and practice unique holistichealth modalities.
Around the corner from Bliss,Andrej Peterka offers acupunctureand oriental medicine in a calming,cozy space at 1563 Como Ave.
“After two decades of experiencein a variety of clinical and privatesettings, I came to realize that I havea deeper calling to go beyondsymptom management and workwith deep transformation,” Peterkasays on his website.
On the other side of the health-and-wellness spectrum, FIT Lab,1565 Como Ave., takes an innovativeapproach to physical fitness andtraining. Owner Tyrone Minor is acertified personal trainer and licensedphysical education teacher. He is alsoa three-time state high school trackand field champion and Olympictrials qualifier.
He started FIT Lab, whichstands for Fitness InnovationTransformation, as a center forpeople of all fitness levels to achievesignificant and lasting changes intheir health.
Though the space features afully outfitted gym with weights,benches and racks, Minor says, “wedon’t really consider ourselves a gym;we try to create more of a family-typeatmosphere.”
The core of FIT Lab’s
The business corner at Como and Snelling avenues has variety: from a flooring business that has anchoredthe corner for 50 years, an Asian market and a Chinese restaurant on the southside to a tattoo business,yoga studio and several holistic health businesses on the north side of Como. Photo by Kyle Mianulli
Bliss Yoga & Wellness was thefirst of four current health-and-wellness businesses to move intothe block.
Como/Snelling to 18
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Present this ad to attend your first drop-by class for $10, or to purchase your first membership package or
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J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 17
Nonprofit trains dogs and people to help othersBy Alex Lodner
Danielle Graczyk believes in the goodin people, and dogs. Through hernonprofit organization, CanineInspired Change (CIC), she sees thatphilosophy come to life every day.
Graczyk has been a dog trainerfor more than 15 years, first at TwinCities Obedience Training Club inMinneapolis and then at the CanineCoach on Front Street in St. Paul.While coaching at the CanineCoach, she received an email lookingfor trainers who would be willing tointroduce their dogs to at-riskstudents. She jumped at the chanceto help.
The school brought studentsinto the Canine Coach to visit withthe dogs, and KARE 11 televisionstation did a story on the visit. Theoverwhelmingly positive feedbackwas immediate, and a new passionwas ignited in Graczyk.
“I am proud to say I am fouryears sober,” Graczyk explained.“Dog training brought me tosobriety and sobriety brought me toservice. Working with therapy dogswas the perfect marriage of the two.I realized I could effect positive
change in my community throughthe thing I loved most—workingwith dogs.”
CIC was born.Katie Kramer, field
representative for Sen. Al Franken,was taking therapy-training classeswith her dog at the Canine Coachwhen she decided to help Graczyk.She created a business plan and filedall the proper paperwork.
“She took care of everything,”Graczyk said. “I could focus on themission.” Kramer is one of morethan 200 volunteers in Graczyk’sdatabase, folks who have had theirdogs certified with Therapy DogsInternational and can be called uponwhen a need arises.
At CIC, Graczyk has created acurriculum-based program that“empowers and nurtures participantsin a fun and nonthreatening way,”according to its website,www.canineinspiredchange.org.
Volunteers can participate onone of Graczyk’s teams or visitcommunity partners such as theCourage Center in Golden Valley orSt. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul ontheir own.
CIC’s structured courses were
designed by Graczyk. A 10- to 15-week course meets once a week and istypically made up of five therapy-dogteams and 10 participants, such asstudents or patients. Each therapy-dog team—a certified therapy dogand its human—is paired with astudent who is led through a rally oragility course at each session.
Graczyk believes that the coursesinspire self-confidence, trust,teamwork and empathy for thestudents, many of which are at-riskyouth or developmentally challengedadults.
“This time with the dogs helpelicit social and emotionalconnection for these people who mayotherwise feel disengaged or alienatedin some way,” she said. “They seethat people are showing up for them,asking for nothing in return, weekafter week. There is consistency andreliability in the length of the course.Over the 10 weeks they see that theymatter.”
The course also helpsparticipants build confidence as theywork through frustration in a safeand supportive environment andlearn to work with anothervulnerable being, the dog. “They getto be there for someone else, too,”Graczyk said. “Maybe it even buildsa desire for volunteerism in them.”
So does your dog have what ittakes to be a therapy dog? The key isa love for all people, Graczyk noted.Behavior issues such as jumping canbe trained out of most dogs, she said,but a comfort level with people hasto pre-exist. Dogs need to be at least1 year old to go through the training.
Danielle Graczyk with two of her therapy dogs. Photo courtesy ofCanine Inspired Change
And there is a lot in it for Fido, too,according to Graczyk. “They get asense of purpose and quality one-on-one time with their humans andothers,” she said. “Dogs need to be apart of a community, just like we alldo. They need to belong.”
Funds for the nonprofit areraised through several fundraisers,including a partnership with theMidwest Firefighters Calendar(www.midwestfirefighters.com),whose 2015 calendar benefited CIC.
“Some schools andorganizations can pay, some look forfunding through grants,” Graczykexplained. “Some people see the
good we are doing and donate. Idon’t want to turn anyone down.”
The volunteers and their dogsseem to get as much out of theexperience as those they serve.
“You show up with your dog,not expecting anything, and yourdog becomes the bridge to thecommunity,” Graczyk beamed. “Youdo it selflessly, but my volunteers tellme how much it changed them.Being of service is good foreveryone.”
Alex Lodner lives in Como Park and isa regular contributor to the Park Bugle.
All Seasons Cleanerscompletes remodelAll Seasons Cleaners, 2234 CarterAve., finished up its remodel at theend of April and the new space hasbeen “well-received” by customers,said owner Steve Rettler.
“It’s much brighter and morecheerful, and it looks larger becauseit’s brighter,” he said.
For two months the drycleaning, laundry and alterationsbusiness worked out of the lowerlevel of Milton Square, in atemporary space while builders toreout carpet and took the shop wallsdown to the studs.
“It was in desperate need of afull renovation,” Rettler said.
Rettler has owned the shop atMilton Square for more than 20
Steve Rettler of All Seasons Cleaners Photo by Kristal Leebrick
years. He got into the businessworking with his father-in-law.
“I spent 10 years working withhim. He trained me, showed me theropes,” he said.
Eventually, Rettler bought thebusiness and since then has expandedto six locations in the Twin Cities: St.Anthony Park, Minneapolis NorthLoop, Maple Grove, Deephaven,Minnetonka and Crystal. TheCrystal facility is where the cleaningand alterations work is done.
Rettler also has a wedding gownbusiness in New Hope that offersalterations work on gowns and theafter-wedding work of cleaning andpreserving them.—Kristal Leebrick
St. Anthony Park resident MicheleChin-Purcell has been named vicepresident of quality and regulatoryaffairs at BioSig Technologies.
BioSig is a medical devicecompany with headquarters in LosAngeles and Minneapolis thatdevelops PURE EP, anelectrocardiogram and intracardiacmultichannel recording and analysissystem.
Chin-Purcell has more than 20years of experience in research,quality and regulatory affairs in thelife sciences.
Most recently, she served assenior director of regulatory affairs atSpinal Modulation in Menlo Park,Calif. Prior to joining SpinalModulation, Chin-Purcell served assenior director of regulatory affairsfor the atrial fibrillation division of St.
Jude Medical in St. Paul. From 2008to 2010, she was executive director ofthe Department of ResearchIntegrity and Oversight at theUniversity of Minnesota.
Chin-Purcell received her Ph.D.and master’s degree in mechanicalengineering from the University ofMinnesota and her bachelor’s in thesame discipline from the Universityof California, Berkley.
St. Anthony Park resident named VPat BioSig Technologies in Minneapolis
18 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
who came from the Range to be thatsmart.” He meant no personaloffense, says Marsnik, but the wordsstung.
What might have hurt morewas an incident at her 20th highschool reunion in Biwabik. “Therewere people there who were unionbashing,” says Marsnik. “People whodidn’t understand how much bloodhad been shed and the importanceunions had in establishing humandignity.”
Marsnik decided to set therecord straight about the Range. It’s aplace “where people are readers witha huge passion for education” and“have the highest voting record in thestate” but also “ a place where peoplestay connected really strongly tofamily and community. [Iron
Rangers] were living off the landbefore it was cool,” says Marsnik. In1916, it was more diverse thananywhere else in the state, whereimmigrants speaking 37 languageswere working at “these terrible jobs.Discriminated against anddehumanized in the [taconite]mines.”
Worried that the stalwartimmigrant identity of the Range isfading, Marsnik wanted to write abook to remind the area of itsheritage.
She began writing the novelnearly six years ago, working on it inearly morning before leaving for herjob as a high school English teacherin Minneapolis. Summer vacationsand a sabbatical year gave heradditional time to write. Walking wasa critical part of the creative process.Marsnik’s routine involved walkingher daughters to school at St.Anthony Park Elementary Schooland then taking the long way home,“letting the characters talk” to her.
Her daughters, who were 9 and11 when she started the book, alsowanted their say. They advised theirmother to add a “wizard or a dragon”to the storyline. The girls are now intheir teens, and Marsnik reports thatthe book remains “proudly dragon-free.”
She entered the Star Tribunecontest “on a lark,” she says. “Mymother-in-law told me to send it in.”
“About a minute later” she sentoff a 22-page excerpt to thenewspaper and a week after that, shelearned that she was one of threefinalists.
Noting that the book hadn’tbeen written with a newspaper inmind, Marsnik says that one of her
first editorial tasks was to take out “allthe saucy parts that wouldn’t fit in afamily newspaper.”
Happily, plenty of engagingmaterial remained, and a few monthslater Marsnik got word that she hadwon.
“I’ve always been interested inhistory,” says Marsnik, “particularlyfrom the Iron Range.” She put inmonths of research on UnderGround, but her interest was initiallysparked during summers she spentworking at the Iron Range ResearchCenter in Chisholm, collecting oralhistories of women of the Range.Still, she was never tempted to writea straight history of the 1916 strike.
“I love history,” she says, “but Ilove stories more. I love to get anintroduction to history through astory.”
She is also aware that historicalfiction can inspire the present as wellas portray the past. As a teacher, shereinvented her curriculum in fall2014, after the controversial policeshooting of Michael Brown inFerguson, Mo.
“My students knew it was ahorrible injustice, but they didn’tknow if their protest would matter,”she says.
“But that’s just what my book isabout: We live in a society wherepeople wonder what the little guy cando. The people who sacrifice forchange rarely reap the benefits. The1916 strike changed labor, eventhough they lost.”
Her book, Marsnik says, tries torelate the strikers’ vision of “how tomake the world a better and moredignified place. The Rangers’ fightwas always for dignity.”
Summer serial from 3
programming revolves around a 10-week transformational challengecalled Insight 2 Health. Participantswork out with a different trainerevery day, covering weightlifting toyoga, kettle bells and more.
In addition to the physicaltraining, participants also work witha certified nutritionist who will takethem grocery shopping, lead cookingclasses and cover a wide range ofhealthy eating practices. The thirdcomponent of the fitness challengeincludes working with a mentalhealth therapist to address theunderlying causes of weight gain andunhealthy habits.
The newest business on theblock seeks to address the health ofpeople and computers in the samebusiness. Psinergy and Tech WarriorSt. Paul opened at 1553 Como Ave.
Como/Snelling from 16 in May 2014. While some might beinitially confounded by a holistichealth and computer repairbusinesses housed under the sameroof, partners SchaOn Blodgett andAndre Thomas insist it’s a morenatural partnership than it may atfirst appear.
“The human body is basicallyan organic computer, just way fasterand more complex,” Blodgett says.He handles the human health side ofthe business, while Thomas acts asthe lead “computer therapist,” as theycall them.
Blodgett’s primary modality isEsogetics, and he incorporates crystaltherapies, light therapies and “colorpuncture,” to name just a few of themany therapies he has studied.
The computer and humanhealth team has received Angie’s ListSuper Service Awards for the last fouryears and are already looking to
expand their business to includegroup therapy and workshops.
While some might view thelocation of the Snelling-Comobusiness area as an obstacle to growthand prosperity, Blodgett has his ownexplanation for the continued successof the area.
The elemental alignment of thefairgrounds to the west (the elementof metal), the water tower to thenorth (water), Como Regional Parkto the east (wood), and therestaurants, which he says representfire, including Nelson’s Cheese andDeli, Shanghai Market and Café 99,to the south, creates a harmony withbeneficial feng shui, he says.
And that may explain the charmof this unassuming corner in St. Paul.
Kyle Mianulli is a Twin Cities freelancewriter and frequent contributor to thePark Bugle.
Urban Tennis begins June 15The St. Paul Urban Tennis (SPUT)youth summer program will beginMonday, June 15, with classesMonday-Thursday each week,culminating with the season-endingall-city tournament, picnic andcarnival games at Harding HighSchool on July 31.
To kick off SPUT’s 25thsummer, there will be free familynights on Friday, June 12, 4:30-6:30p.m., at all 30 city park sites (visitwww.urbantennis.org for a list of the
sites and to register for all SPUTprograms).
Fees for the summer programare $70 for youth 5-8 and $95 forages of 9-18. There are also four-daycamps, which cost $40.
Adult programming starts May30. Adult fees for once-a-weeksessions are $55-65 for five weeks.
For more information, visitwww.urbantennis.org or call theSPUT office at 612-222-2879.
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J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 19
“humbling and amazing” to winwhen it could easily have been anyone of the other books nominated.She thanked her husband and all thelibrarians who had taken suchpleasure in helping her with herresearch and said what a privilege ithad been to get to know HarrietBeecher Stowe, the subject of herbook, so well.
The rest of the evening includedchampagne and desserts, toasts to thewinners and finalists, and live NewOrleans-style jazz by the King BaronQuartet.
Koester was delighted with allthe congratulatory emails, cards andnotices on Facebook that she receivedafter winning this award. The winalso precipitated an invitation to abook festival in Mankato thissummer and an uptick in book sales.
“It’s very encouraging to winand gives me added incentive towork on my next book,” she said.
Koester has other books on thehorizon. She has a second edition ofher textbook Introduction to theHistory of Christianity in the UnitedStates coming out in August fromFortress Press and has made trips tothe Library of Congress and toupstate New York to begin researchon her next biography, of SojournerTruth, a 19th-century African-American abolitionist and women’srights activist.
Koester encourages anyone with
Book award from 3
an interest in learning to write to readAnne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird, awise and funny book about writing.
Michelle Christianson is a pianoteacher, musician and longtimecontributor to the Park Bugle.
L I V E S L I V E DThe Park Bugle prints obituaries free of charge as a service to our communities. Send information about area
deaths to Mary Mergenthal at [email protected] or call 651-644-1650.
Dr. George HanslerDr. George E. Hansler, 93, ofTampa, Fla., died April 26 in St.Paul.
George lived most of his adultlife in the Chelsea area of New YorkCity, taught music and conductedvarious acclaimed musical groups formore than 40 years at New JerseyCity University, Jersey City, N.J.
He was preceded in death by hispartner of 65 years, GregoryMartinez. He is survived by a sister,Elsie Trapp, and a brother, Dr.Richard (Wanda) Hansler.
His funeral Service was heldMay 5 at Como Park LutheranChurch, with interment at CentroEspañol Memorial Park Tampa, Fla.
John IsaacsonJohn E. Isaacson, 86, formerly ofLauderdale, died April 24.
A longtime employee ofInterstate Companies, John mademany friends throughout his careerthere. He loved to tinker in his garageand to build and repair things forfriends and family. He enjoyedfishing at his lake home inGrantsburg, Wis., and spending thewinter months in Sun City, Ariz.
John was preceded in death byhis wife, Carol, and siblings, Louise,Bert, James and Lola. He is survivedby daughter, Mindy (Dave) Quade;son, Jeff Isaacson; four grandchildren;and three great-grandchildren.
His funeral service was held
May 9 at St. Michael’s LutheranChurch in Roseville. Interment willbe at a later date.
Barbara JarlBarbara Grace (Gleason) Jarl, 91,Falcon Heights, died April 30. Shewas born Sept. 20, 1923, in Spencer,Iowa. She attended grade school andhigh school in Litchfield, Minn.
She graduated with honors fromthe University of Minnesota with adegree in medical technology. Shelater received a certificate in interiordesign from the U.
She worked at the MinneapolisVeterans Hospital, University ofMinnesota Veterinary Hospital, andthe University of Minnesota Hospitaland Clinic.
Barbara had many talents,including music, sewing andneedlepoint.
She was preceded in death byher husband LeRoy; sister, DorthaGleason; and brother, Dr. DonaldGleason. Survivors include sons, Fred(Mary) and Daniel Jarl; anddaughter, Margaret Johnson.
Her funeral service was heldMay 7 at the Presbyterian Church ofthe Way in Shoreview, withinterment at Roselawn Cemetery.
Joan Lawler Joan Elaine Lawler, (née Hayden) 85,of Foley, Minn., died April 22 at theFoley Nursing Center.
She was born in St. Paul toGeorge and Dorothy (Roberts)Hayden at the home of her paternalgrandmother, Mary Vogele Hayden.
She attended Lauderdale GradeSchool, Murray High School and theUniversity of Minnesota, where shestudied to become a medicaltechnologist, graduating in 1952.
She married Val Lawler on Sept.20, 1952, at Corpus Christi CatholicChurch in St. Paul. They had onechild, Mark Stephen, born June 28,1953. He preceded her in death dueto cancer at age 41.
Joan worked at various hospitalsin the Minneapolis-St. Paul areaduring the polio epidemic. In lateryears she worked as a veterinarytechnologist, volunteered onnumerous blood drives, farmed,owned her own veterinary supplybusiness and raised sheep. She was aCub Scout and 4-H Club leader formany years and volunteered at herchurch.
She is survived by her grandson;two great-grandsons; and siblings,Dorothy (Robert) McCarthy ofRoseville and Mary (Robert) Carlsonof Foley; and daughter-in-law, Laurie(Mark) Lawler, Annandale.
Memorial Mass of ChristianBurial was celebrated April 30 at St.Ignatius Catholic Church,Annandale.
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The Centurions of St. Anthony Park Elementary SchoolBy Kristal Leebrick
When Colleen Osterbauer met withher third-grade teaching colleagues atSt. Anthony Park Elementary Schoola couple of years ago to plan theupcoming year, the three veteranteachers realized that their combinedyears in education amounted to morethan a century.
“I joked about how this couldseem like some doddering oldwomen were responsible for theeducation of the students,” she said.Instead of worrying about theirimage to young parents, they decidedto embrace their long careers, shesaid, and dubbed themselves the“Centurions of St. Anthony Park.”
Those teachers—Osterbauer,Kathleen Maguire and Judy Roe—along with fourth-grade teacherLinnae Blevins are retiring in June.They’ve taught at the neighborhoodschool (known to most everyone as“SAP”) for more than two decades.Blevins began her career there nearly40 years ago.
They’ve seen changes intechnology and district mandates inthose years, but one thing that hasn’tchanged are the students.
“They are still curious, energeticand engaged,” said Roe. “I don’tthink I have had a day that has nothad at least one good laugh alongwith one problem to solve.”
The Bugle asked the teachers toshare their thoughts about theircareers and plans ahead.
Tell us about your career. Whatmade you pursue a career inteaching?
Linnae Blevins: I began my teachingcareer on Feb. 6, 1978. I was hired asTom Foster’s replacement in fourthgrade. Teaching seemed a naturalchoice for me because of my love fortheater, performance and, of course,being a people person.
Over the years at SAP, I taughtgrades 4, 5 and 6. I also spent twoyears as a Title 1 coordinator where Iworked with small groups of childrenin all grades. I’ve enjoyed all myexperiences at SAP, but my favoriteplace is being a classroom teacher.
Kathleen Maguire: I never imaginedthat when I graduated from St.Catherine’s University in 1973 that Iwould have such a fulfilling,enjoyable, enriching career for 42years.
I think our third-grade themethis year, “Ask, Imagine and Create,”explains the reason I wanted tobecome a teacher. I envisionedlearning with and teaching studentsas an opportunity to facilitate howquestions generate ideas and whatcould be created and learned fromusing those ideas. Children—nomatter what age and what decade —have such an energy and a positivespirit that propels excitement in theclassroom.
Being at St. Anthony ParkElementary School for 22 years hasbeen a pleasure and a gift. It is awelcoming, supportive and caringcommunity.
Colleen Osterbauer: My firstposition was in a nursery schoolcalled Stepping Stones in St. LouisPark in 1979. I did a lot ofbabysitting growing up and alwaysliked playing school. Someelementary teachers were verypowerful influences on me, too.Working with children seemed anatural fit for me.
I began at St. Anthony Park in1986 as a learning-disabilities teacherin a Level 4 program and workedwith intermediate-grade students. Ihave worn a number of hats. Myclassroom experiences have includedteaching grades 1, 3, 4 and 6. Formany summer school sessions Itaught special needs kindergarten atComo Elementary and specialeducation at Washington JuniorHigh for two years just beforecoming to SAP.
There are positives about eachgrade, but my two favorite years arethird and fourth grade. There aremany firsts in grade 3 for thechildren, and it is fun as well asrewarding to see the growth,accomplishments and changes in thechildren.
Judy Roe: I began at SAP in 1986 inthe fourth grade. I was there about14 years. Fourth grade is a place youcan really see growth, bothacademically and socially. I lovedfourth grade, but when I had anopportunity to try sixth grade, I wasready for a change.
I remained [teaching sixthgrade] for about 10 years. Sixth gradehad a whole different set ofchallenges. I loved the academiccontent and the projects we could dowith kids this age. I loved the trip toWolf Ridge Environmental LearningCenter and the friendships withparents and families that began whileworking on this.
When sixth grade moved tomiddle school, I was offered anopportunity to work in third gradewith two of the finest teachers in ourdistrict, Colleen Osterbauer andKathy Maguire. I had worked withColleen both in fourth grade andsixth grade and our friendship mademy job a joy. I found that Kathy wasalso a super teacher and these folkshave made the last two years of mycareer a dream. So I guess it is not thegrade level, but the people you workwith that really matters, and I havebeen blessed to meet and enjoyworking with many good people.
Any thoughts about your work atSt. Anthony Park or any favoritetraditions you’d like to share?
Blevins: The St. Anthony Parkcommunity is truly one of a kind.Everyone, including staff, parents,organizations within the school andin the larger community, cometogether to support student learning.
There are so many wonderfultraditions at SAP, like the carnival,the Fall Festival, staff dinners atconference time (so incredible) theRead-A-Thon, Running Club, thetalent show and so many more. Myabsolute favorite is the Wolf RidgeEnvironmental Learning Center trip.
I went for many years with kids toWolf Ridge for a week. What anamazing experience for buildingcommunity in your classroom andgrade. Kids challenged themselves bycompleting the ropes course andhiking the beautiful grounds. Funwas had on the night hikes, planningskits and, of course, the big bonfire.Not to mention the many pranks,jokes and silliness.
Maguire: Putting on the musicalswith my [former] colleague, Lena[Mayer] Christiansen, for five yearswas terrific. Parents, caregivers,students and staff rallied together tomake it work, and, boy, did it work.I still have the giant heart made fromthe first musical in our classroom.Winter Wonderland at LangfordPark both in fifth and third grade waslike a Norman Rockwell scene withchildren and families skating orhelping the first-time skaters or kidsplaying hockey. Going to Camp St.Croix for three days when I wasteaching fifth grade was a highlight.
Osterbauer: Being in a communityfor a number of years has allowed meto make connections to terrificstudents and families, and I have hadthe privilege of working withwonderful teachers, principals andstaff. My teammates are among thebest anywhere and I have learned alot and had many laughs along theway. I consider the friendshipsformed to be among the highlightsof my career.
Roe: People here care abouteducation and want to help not justtheir own child but others.Volunteers are plentiful.
Being in the same communityfor so long, I feel a part of thisneighborhood even though I havenever lived here. I have gotten toknow entire families. We are nowstarting to see children of formerstudents in our classes.
My favorite project, both insixth grade and fourth, was puttingon a play as a reading project. Wemade props, gathered costumes andhad a great time. I think we put on25 productions over the years. Thereis still one of the backdrops ondisplay on the stage. [Art teacher]
Courtney Oleen worked with thekids to make that for “Robin Hood”originally and then it also served forother plays.
What has changed in educationsince you began teaching? How hastechnology affected education overthe years?
Blevins: The elements that haveremained constant in my teachingcareer are the bright creative students,continual parent support and acompetent, dedicated staff. Thechallenge for teachers in the futureare the increased emphasis on testingand the focus on literacy and math,which diminishes time for otherimportant curriculum.
Maguire: When standardized testingcame into the scene more and morein the ’90s, I needed a mantra to getme through these changing times ineducation, as I knew the tests werenot going away. It is, “I will teachstudents how to think, not what tothink.”
[There are] too many tests. Datais good to a point, but it is not theend all. Let us discover throughactivities, words, discussions andstudents’ self-evaluations how theylearn, so we can guide them on theirjourney. Encourage students to “Ask,Imagine and Create.”
Osterbauer: A lot has changed overthe years in terms of districtdirectives. Teachers are given more
directions in the pacing ofinstruction, pretesting, achievementtests and recording studentachievement. The district haspromoted “Professional LearningCommunities” in the last few years,but St. Anthony Park teachers havealways worked collaboratively ingrade-level teams. This practice ofworking together existed when I firstcame to SAP in 1986.
The technology changes haveadded excitement and haveaugmented learning. Teachers arelearning right along with thestudents. It will be interesting to seehow tech is balanced in the years tocome.
Roe: When I first started teaching,the role of the teacher was muchmore collaborative and creative. Wehad the most fun team meetingswhere we solved problems, createdinteresting curriculum and did a lotof laughing. The teachers really had asay in what and how we taught. Nowthere is a much more top-down styleand following district mandates.There are many more tasks assignedto us by the district that drain ourtime and energy. The never-endingdata mining and testing takes upvaluable student time and attention.The style and feel of being a teacherhas changed.
If you were granted one wish to fixone thing in public educationtoday, what would that be?
Centurions to 22
St. Anthony Park Elementary School third-grade teachers Kathleen Maguire, Colleen Osterbauer andJudy Roe Photos by Kristal Leebrick
Fourth-grade teacher Linnae Blevins
J U N E 2 0 1 5 n P A R K B U G L E 21
School News
The Bugle welcomes news aboutstudents and schools in the area. Thedeadline for the June issue isWednesday, June 10. Send your newsto [email protected].
Como Park Senior High740 Rose Ave., 651-293-8800www.comosr.spps.org
Presidential Scholar!Senior Ellen Purdy is a 2015 U.S.Presidential Scholars Programsemifinalist. The elite recognitionprogram, established in 1964,includes 500 semifinalists from acrossthe country. The 140 finalists will berecognized at the White House inJune.
Purdy’s perfect ACT score, APcoursework, leadership andcommunity service have led to severalother prestigious honors and awards,including the National MeritScholarship. She will attend theUniversity of Chicago next fall.
College PossibleComo’s College Possible studentshave earned more than $58,000 inprivate scholarships. College Possiblehelps first-generation college studentsnavigate the college applicationprocess, from SAT and ACT prepthrough admission. Ninety-eightpercent of Como’s 2015 CollegePossible class has been accepted intoat least one college. Schools rangefrom the University of Minnesota toVassar College in New York, wheresenior Sundus Hassan will attend.
Superior singersThe Como Chamber Singers andConcert Choir earned a Superiorrating—the highest rating of theMinnesota State High SchoolLeague—at the Region 4AA LargeGroup Contest at Stillwater HighSchool April 16. The choirs sangthree contrasting pieces of music andwere judged by three experts in thefield.
Ordway Honors ConcertThe annual St. Paul Public SchoolsOrdway Honors Concert on April14 featured Como singers andmusicians. The singers were AnnaBlaine, Hannah Cornish, Margaret
Coyne, Raphael Forrest, AnnaFryxell, Emily LaCroix-Dalluhn,Jimmy Chimeng Lor, Stella Quale,Nathan Stover, Adam Swanson,Divine Uchegbu, Chang Vang,Esther Vang, Peter Vue and ZaciWells.
Orchestral musicians were NateParsons (who served as the orchestra’sconcertmaster), with Rachel Tetlie,Christian Berger, Arturo Digirolamo,Martin-Malik Williams, KaitlynThomas, Jacob Heiberger and JustinRogers.
The concert band featuredMadeline Karan, Joe McCune-Zierath, Ellie Thorsgaard, EmmetO’Connell, Kathryn Proper,Madeline Kara, Stacy Yang, EvanPauly, Tuomas Sivula, Nate Jackson,Noah Frese, Tyrin Anderson andEmily Devaney.
Senior’s composition to beperformed by Como bandSenior John Paul Proper hascomposed and will conduct“Overture in Eb for Band” when theComo Park band premieres the pieceat the Gala Concert Thursday, May21, at 7 p.m. in the ComoAuditorium. The work featuresmany solos by individual seniors.
Speaking FrenchMore than 50 French studentsparticipated in the annual A Vous laParole language competition on April21 at the University of Minnesotaand came away with awards incontests that ranged from prose andpoetry to song and original skits.
Other newsComo Park Asian American Club(CPAAC) members and some fellowComo students spoke eloquently atthe St. Paul Youth Forum April 11at the Hallie Q. Brown CommunityCenter in St. Paul. Students sharedinsight on school environment, safetyissues, health and equity at the eventhosted by the St. Paul Federation ofTeachers and the NAACP.
Academy of Finance activitiesincluded 14 girls attending the GirlsGoing Places conference, where theymet with more than 30 femaleentrepreneurs; freshmen attendingJunior Achievement's “FinancePark,” where students were chargedwith completing a budgetsimulation; and 10 studentsattending Wells Fargo bank’s lectureon “Opportunists for our NextGeneration.”
Twenty-five Como Karenstudents staged an originalperformance on April 23, expressingthe obstacles, struggles and triumphsof their journey from Burma to St.Paul. Dangerous Productions, incollaboration with the KarenOrganization of Minnesota, andFight or Flight Academy, spent amonth working with students inwriting the play and learningadvanced acrobatic skills to dramatizethe action. It was a powerful andunique show for both the studentsand community.
More than 70 Marine Corps
JROTC cadets attended Mess NightDinner on May 1, an eventcoordinated by the 18 Cadets of theschool’s junior class. The annualdinner is a time to bid farewell to thesenior cadets. The new cadetcommanding officer, KaitlynThomas, and sergeant major, EddyVue, were also announced thatevening.
Murray Middle School2200 Buford Ave., 651-293-8740www.murray.spps.org
E2 program awardedOn April 22, Murray science teacherTim Chase and 10 current and
former Murray students accepted theSustainable St. Paul Award for theirwork as part of the eighth-gradeEnvironmental Inquiry ImmersionClass created by Chase. Each year,Mayor Chris Coleman and the St.Paul City Council recognizeorganizations that work to create amore sustainable city. The awards goto “individuals, businesses andorganizations that work to protectand restore the environment in St.Paul.”
The environmental course ismade possible through partnershipswith the U.S. Forest Service, the St.Anthony Park CommunityFoundation and Wolf RidgeEnvironmental Education Center.
Josh Leonard, Belwin NatureCenter’s outdoor science educationdirector, nominated Chase and theE2 Program for this award.
Scieszka Palooza a successMurray Middle School wastransformed into a place wherestudents learned about men made ofstinky cheese, kids who act likesquids, math curses, science verses,time warping and how thosecharacters were often inspired by theantics of author Jon Scieszka and hisfive brothers. The world-renownedauthor of The Stinky Cheese Man andOther Stupid Fairy Tails visited
Eight students from JenningsCommunity Learning Center, 2455W. University Ave., in St. AnthonyPark, participated in the annualMinnesota Association of AlternativePrograms (MAAP) STARS SpringConference in April at the Mall ofAmerica Ramada Inn. The studentsearned seven plaques and three first-place finishes.
STARS is an acronym forsuccess, teamwork, achievement,recognition and self-esteem. Nearly300 students from more than 30schools from across Minnesotacompeted in a number of eventsrelated to career and college skills atthe conference.
The following students
Jennings students win at 2015MAAP STARS Conference
participated in the MAAP STARSSpring Conference: A’santi Boone,Samaria Burch, Dion Coleman,Karisha Griffin, David McDuffie,R’elle Robinson, Keeara Scarver-Parker and Hannah Schaaf.
Coleman and McDuffie wonfirst-place medals and plaques for theEntrepreneur event, in whichstudents had to write a business planand present that plan to volunteerjudges. Most judges are from privateindustry.
Boone and Burch took home afirst-place award for their audio-visual promotion.
In the category of CareerPortfolio, Boone, Coleman, Scarver-Parker and Schaaf placed in the top
eight, out of 48 entrees. Boone wonthe first-place award.
Jennings CLC student JessanyWilliams is an example of howimportant MAAP STARS is and theopportunities it offers young people.Williams participated in the public-speaking event a number of years agoand impressed the judge so much hesuggested she apply to Rotary Clubto be a foreign exchange student.With the Rotary Club’s assistance,she was able to study in Japan for hersenior year in high school. Williams,who will graduate from HamlineUniversity in May and speaks fluentJapanese, has returned to Japan twicesince her first trip.
School News to 22
Ellen Purdy
Murray science teacher Tim Chase and students accept the Sustainable St. Paul Award.
Jennings Community Learning Center students took home seven plaques and three first-place finishesat the 2015 MAAP STARS conference in Bloomington.
22 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
Murray Middle School on April 22.This was made possible through apartnership between Murray and theUniversity of Minnesota’s Read andMeet Program.
Scieszka spent the day learningabout Murray from the school’sstudent ambassadors—who gave atour, presented and explained thegrade-level projects that were inspiredby Scieszka books—and advisingstudents about how to write books.He presented his story to the entirestudent body and shared tales abouthis family, inspirations for his booksand what a career as a writer means.
Murray has been transformedinto a Scieszka-inspired literacygallery where verse, fables andmultiple perspective fairy tales linethe walls. Additionally, the U of Mselected 30 projects to display in theAnderson Library that exemplifiedthe work done by Murray students.
“You have amazing studentswho made me feel comfortable andwelcome,” Scieszka said, “and I hopethey learned something from mebecause I certainly learned fromthem.”
Maguire: Trust the professionalismof educators.
Osterbauer: Return to the feeling ofprofessionalism and confidence inthe actions and abilities of teachers bythe district. At times it has felt thatteachers are asked to do things thatdo not always benefit the studentsand impact teacher time and energy.“One size fits all” seems to be adistrict attitude and has beenfrustrating at times for me.
Roe: Noticing that there is a big gapbetween those who create policy andthose who implement it, my wishwould be to close this gap. I wouldsend all non-classroom teachers backto the classroom. This would reduceclass size without any additional costto the taxpayer. This wouldreintroduce non-classroom teachersto the arena where education actuallyhappens, thus allowing them tobecome relevant.
What’s next?
Blevins: I have lots of plans for thefuture. My daughter is gettingmarried in the fall of 2016 and I amlooking forward to the planning. Myhusband and I are planning aremodel to our home to be able tosell it in the near future. We’re alsohoping to travel out east to enjoy thefall colors in September.
Maguire: I am going to take the“scenic route”: different routines andopen time, volunteer on a farm oncea week, continue to teach and learnwith students in a smaller groupsetting, tap dancing, be with my 981/2-year-old father in Wisconsin andstart reading the pile of books on mytable. My daughters and I have agadget to keep track of steps, so Iforesee many future daily and weeklychallenges. Traveling with myhusband to national parks (I have alifetime admission card now!) will be
great.To the St. Anthony Park School
and community I say a heartfeltthanks.
Osterbauer: I hope to do sometraveling, volunteering, pursuehobbies I haven’t had time for andcultivate some new interests andcontinue to grow. My parting words:“Thanks to SAP for the memories!”
Roe: My main problem has alwaysbeen, How do I fit it all in? LeavingSAP is going to be tough for me, so Ihope to sub once in a while if I can.Right after school is out, myhusband, Andy, and I are going on ahiking trip in Glacier Park, where wealso spent our honeymoon 40 yearsago. I enjoy riding bike and have atleast three trips planned. Mygrandchildren give me great joy andI savor any time I can spend withthem.
Centurions from 20
School News from 21 Climate expert visits MurrayDr. Mark Seeley presented data fromthe second edition of his bookMinnesota Weather Almanac atMurray on May 6. Students askedgreat questions such as “What werethe wildest extremes Minnesota hasexperienced in one year?” and “Whatcan we do to stop climate change?”The students who asked the bestquestions received a signed copy ofhis book.
Fly fishing in MinnesotaScience teacher Nick Altringer hasbeen teaching students how to tieflies and how to cast a fly rod in hisafter-school fly fishing class. He andsome of his students went out toKeller Lake after school on May 6 totry their skills. Every student caughta fish, and Altringer said he wouldbring a ruler on the next trip to seewho gets the largest and the smallestfish award.
St. Anthony Park Elementary 2180 Knapp St., 651-293-8735www.stanthony.spps.org
Thanks for the supportThe St. Anthony Park School
Association thanks all who supportedthe annual Spring Carnivalfundraiser on May 1. It was a night offood, fun, games and prizes, all in thename of supporting students and theschool.
Retirement partyThere is going to be a retirementparty for the retiring staff at St.Anthony Park ElementaryWednesday, May 27, 6-8 p.m. at theschool. All are invited.
Fifth grade goes to Wolf RidgeFifth-graders will go to Wolf RidgeEnvironmental Learning Centerfrom June 1-5. Thank you to SaintAnthony Park CommunityFoundation, SAPSA and parents forthe funding help.
Chess champions!Daniel Walker (left) and Sam Medhane, fifth-graders in Susan Fredrickson’s class at St. Anthony ParkElementary School, are the school’s chess champs. Walker and Medhane finished at a stalemate in achess tournament in May and both were declared champions. The boys had been meeting in an after-school chess class for several months. Medhane and Walker say they both learned chess at home,Medhane from his dad and Walker from his mom. Walker says he likes chess because “it’s like a sport” instrategizing where players should move. Both students say they plan to keep playing when they move onto middle school in the fall.
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24 P A R K B U G L E n J U N E 2 0 1 5
CPHS Cougar SportsEric Erickson highlights Como Park Senior High School athletics each month in the Bugle.
Como Park Senior High Schooljunior Trevon Clay and senior NateParsons have never had a classtogether. None of their extracurricular activities overlap. But onething they understand and appreciateabout each other is where they’vebeen and where they want to goagain: the state tournament.
Parsons has been to thepromised land of Minnesota highschool sports in tennis. Clay has donethe same in track and field. Both areworking hard and producing resultsthat make return trips to theirrespective state tournaments in Junepossible.
Neither is overconfident. Bothare humble. Their coaches andteammates respect and admire thosetraits and are witness to the workbeing put forth in the attempt torepeat history and build upon it.
Clay qualified for state in 2014as a sophomore in both hurdlingevents: the 110-meter and the 300-meter. He has learned to love thehurdles and the challenge of mixingspeed with mobility.
A two-sport athlete, Clay alsoexcels on the football field. Hisathleticism has been combined withtechnique taught to him bylegendary Como coach Marv Rouse.Rouse was a hurdler in college, andClay credits him for improvingtimes, saying, “he’s a really smartman.”
Clay’s times have improvedsince last year when he qualified forstate. He’s encouraged by this andwas pleased to set all-time trackrecords at Mounds View HighSchool this April in a meet againststrong competition. Clay says settingthe records “builds confidence andshows the hard work is paying off.”
Head track coach RoyMagnuson has worked withthousands of Como athletes in 36years of coaching in multiple sports.As for track and Clay, Magnusonputs him near the top with otherComo runners who have gone on tostate and medaled at that level.
“Ultimately, Trevon will wantto be a state-place winner to cap hiscareer,” Magnuson says. He addsthat Como’s champion track athletes“were able to perform at their highestlevel on the biggest stage. I think thatTrevon will join them.”
In addition to hurdling, Trevonalso tops the conference in both thelong jump and triple jump. The onlyother triple jumper close to Clay isteammate Richard Martin, also ajunior. “People from other schoolsknow about Tre(von) and hisreputation,” Martin says. “Peopleknow how good he is. Competingagainst him makes me better.”
As a junior Parsons became thefirst Como tennis player to advanceto the state tournament as a singlesplayer. As a sophomore, Parsons waspart of the first doubles team to makeit to state, when he partnered withthen-senior Ian Olesak.
Making it to state for a thirdconsecutive year would be acrowning achievement for Parsons.There is pressure to get there again,but Parson’s not letting it get to him.“I’ve been more relaxed this year,enjoying it all more, and being withmy teammates,” he says. “We win asa team and lose as a team. I still getnervous before my matches, butexperience helps.”
He’s undefeated this seasonwith a 13-0 record against city andsuburban opponents. (The team isalso holding its own with a 7-6
record.) Como’s tennis coach, RonFilstrup, credits Parsons withencouraging his teammates and forhis leadership in physicalconditioning.
Filstrup is in his fifth seasonleading the Cougars. Prior to that hecoached for more than 20 years atWoodbury High School, sendingfour elite players to the statetournament during that time.
Filstrup notes that Parsons hasinvested significant time working onthe deficient areas of his game.Parsons is aware of the areas needingimprovement and has focused onthem to become a complete player.
When asked to compareParsons to his previous stateparticipants, Filstrup says simply:“He’s the best player that I’ve evercoached. He’s put in the time to eraseany weaknesses.”
This spring sports season atComo is typical with a few hundredstudent athletes having fun withpeers in activities they enjoy andworking to achieve their personalbests. Trevon Clay and Nate Parsonsare two shining examples amongmany.
They’re also two individualswho can relate to each other throughtheir shared experiences ofcompeting at the highest levels ofstate competition, dealing with highexpectations, mental pressures andphysical sacrifices. Two differentsports, two different kids and onecommon goal: represent Como withtheir quest to be the best.
Eric Erickson teaches at Como Park HighSchool and has coached a variety ofschool and youth sports teams in St. Paulover the last 20 years. Follow twitter@eestp for current school sports news.
Como track and tennis stars hopeto make state tourney this year
Trevon Clay and Nate Parsons Photo by Eric Erickson
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