Audubon Farmers Market has new manager, location
Michelle Spengler, the go-getter who organized the Adopt-A-Drain competition in Northeast, has been hired as the manager of the Audubon Farmers Market. The announcement was made at the April 4 Audubon Park neighborhood meeting. Spengler said they hope to expand the “Power of Produce” program from kids to senior citizens. Under the current program, children get a $2 token to spend on the fruit or veggie of their choice at the market. The senior program would operate the same way, but probably offer tokens of a higher dollar amount. The market will be in a new location this year, in the Johnson Street Merchants parking lot between 28th and 29th on Johnson. Look for it Thursday nights, 4-7 p.m., June 9-Sept. 29.
Heights basketball team, coach honored
The Columbia Heights Hylanders basketball team finished their 23-1 season on March 17, in the 4AAA Section Championship. After a close 48-44 loss to Totino-Grace, the Hylanders placed second in the 4AAA Section and took first place in the Tri-Metro Conference. Senior and team captain Terrence Brown was named the Tri-Metro Conference Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He also received “All-Metro Honorable Mention” on the Star Tribune’s 2021-22 All-Metro Team. Coach Willie Braziel was named Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association 2021-2022 Class AAA Coach of the Year. Braziel has coached the Hylanders team for 12 years.
Volunteers needed for Audubon Spring Festival
The Audubon Park neighborhood’s celebration of spring is back after a two-year COVID hiatus. The theme is Sustainable and Healthy Living. If you can help with food, games, music or a table exhibit, or if you own a business or food truck that would like to sponsor the event, contact Deborah Brister, deborah@audubon
neighborhood.org. The festival takes place May 7, 10 a.m-2 p.m.
Work resumes on NE playground
Construction on a new ‘adventure course’ playground at Northeast Athletic Field Park is scheduled to resume Tuesday, April 19. The new playground is behind Jim Lupient Water Park, near the Northeast Recreation Center. Playground construction is expected to be complete by the end of May, if weather cooperates. Construction on improvements to the athletic fields along Fillmore Street NE is expected to begin this fall and finish by spring 2023.
Dancer Ed Stern receives honors
St. Anthony West neighborhood resident was selected by the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) for its 2022 Lifetime Contribution Award. A founding member of the Tapestry Folkdance Center, Stern is the first person from Minnesota and only the fourth person from the Midwest to be honored in the last 20 years. Ed said he became addicted to dance while in college and is driven to ensure that dance continues to brighten the lives of future generations. His passionate involvement with international folk dance stretches back to the 1960s when he lived in Chicago. Ed, who has a Ph.D. in biochemistry, moved to the Twin Cities in 1971 and since then has taught many different folk-dance forms including Contra, English country, Balkan, Irish, Scandinavian, Scottish country, and ballroom dance. In 1978 Ed founded the Saltari Folk Dance Emporium, which directly led to the creation of Tapestry Folkdance Center in 1983, a nonprofit that hosts more than 20 world dance forms each week. He is also the founder of the Minnesota Traditional Morris Dance group.
Yinghua Academy 4th grader attends Taikonaut event at Chinese Embassy
Zoey Cardamone, a 4th-grade student at Yinghua Academy, 1616 Buchanan Street NE, was invited to attend the Chinese Embassy’s “My Question to Taikonauts” event held Saturday, April 9, in Washingtonn D.C. She was chosen to attend the event following her video submission earlier this year as part of a contest put on by the Chinese Embassy. Yinghua Academy students – 111 in kindergarten through eighth grade – also submitted their questions to the taikonauts. Cardamone was one of eight students from across the nation to share the stage with Ambassador Qin Gang to share their questions and feelings with all the participants.
One of three students selected who asked their questions in Mandarin, Cardamone asked taikonauts how they exercise, what they do for fun, and what they would bring home to their families. Guests included two retired NASA astronauts, a renowned scientist on aerospace, a message from Space-X founder Elon Musk as well as other invited students and teachers. All the participating students joined Ambassador Qin Gang in welcoming the taikonauts home via recorded video; they will return to Earth in mid-April.
Apply for disability advocacy training
Partners in Policymaking is taking applications from Minnesotans with disabilities and parents of young children with developmental disabilities. Sessions cover the history of disability and self-advocacy movements, inclusive education, supported living and competitive employment. Individuals consider how to influence county, state and federal legislative processes. Monthly two-day sessions are held on Fridays and Saturdays, September to May (no session in December). The March session is on a Sunday and Monday, when participants prepare for, and meet with legislators at the Capitol. Sessions are held at the Crowne Plaza Aire in Bloomington, near Mall of America and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Mileage is reimbursed, and meals are provided. Limited to 35 Minnesotans who must attend all the sessions and do all the homework. Applications https://fs10.formsite.com/bfSJU5/efq0pytlzr/index.html are due July 15, 2022.
Latté Da chooses three women for commission
L to R: Crystal Manich, Celeste Moreno, and Bethany Brinton
Bethany Brinton, Crystal Manich and Celeste Moreno were chosen as the recipients of Theater Latté Da’s NEXT Generation Commission in 2022, furthering the theater’s commitment to providing opportunities for women and BIPOC artists. The creative team will share the $20,000 commission. While under commission, the team will work on a project currently titled “The Legend of La Llorona – A Zarzuela of La Frontera: A Border Story in Music.” Imagined as a gothic music-theater ghost story, it is based on the Mexican myth of La Llorona, The Weeping Woman, re-envisioned through the lens of personal family history. The project will receive creative and developmental support over an 18-month period, including two developmental workshops and future inclusion in Latté Da’s annual NEXT Festival.
Students represented in film festival
Audrey Nehring of St. Anthony had her work in the original film, “Amends” selected for screening at the annual Five16 Film Festival at University of Northwestern in Roseville. The festival was held April 11. Nehring graduated from St. Anthony High School in 2018. She is a senior at UNW majoring in Media Production. Micah Clark, of Minneapolis, had his work in the original film, “Getting to Know You After You’re Gone.” He graduated from Avail Academy.