Sng Summer 2013 Profile Web
Transcript of Sng Summer 2013 Profile Web
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Summer Quarterly 2013
Crafts Arts Dance Music Food Theatre Services Community
Out & About:
Here comes the Sun
Were HOT in Seward!
Discover the parks, shops, to-dosand all that makes our hood
the place to hang out for summer.
Abdi of SPOKES
Cam Gordonspeaks his mind
Riverside ReveriesGarden Tour
Get Biking
Read all about why
Seward is the place folks
talk about, visit and
check out to live!
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The Seward Profile, a quarterly publication
of the Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG),strives to keep neighborhood residents,
businesses, property owners and organizations
informed of what's happening in Seward
and assist SNG in building and sustaining a
strong, diverse, and vibrant community.
As a typical Seward endeavor, the Profile
relies on volunteers to plan each issue,
create copy, sell ads, and prepare the
printed edition for mailing. We welcome
your suggestions and would welcome your
time and energy even more.
To get involved, contact us at
[email protected] or Seward Profile, 2323 E.
Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55406.
Upcoming Issues and Deadlines:
Fall Issue 2014 - Festivals and Frolic
Copy and Ad Deadline: August 9
In Homes and Businesses:
August 30-21
If you or someone you know would like a
written translation of the Profile Quarterly,
please contact [email protected] or
call 612-338-6205, ext 119.
Pu
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Editors: Diann, Bruce, Maddy, Trevor and Ryan
Design: Marne
e-mail:[email protected]
Printer: PrintCraft
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Seward Garden Tour:Our Annual Afternoon Delight!
Have you wished you could walk into your neighbors
beautiful backyard but didn't want to appear pushy?
Here's your chance to see some wonderful Seward
gardens to share garden ideas and meet neighbors
and talk about gardening all while being served snacks
and drinks. Enjoy a variety of beautiful Seward gardens
by joining the afternoon Seward Garden Tour from
1 to 5 p.m. on June 15th. There will be light refresh-
ments including Tea/Coffee and cookies or appetizers and sparkling waters or
wine at many of the gardens. Youll be invited into all different kinds of gardens
tranquil Japanese garden, native plantings, rain gardens, and venture into sec
gardens hidden away behind fences. You will even have the opportunity to spe
with a chicken farmer. Each garden you visit will give you a chance talk with
the gardener about plans and planning, techniques and trials. There may be a
professional gardener or two but most are just people who love to garden and
have created interesting landscapes. The Garden tour is a fundraiser for the
Seward Neighborhood Group. Tickets are $10 in advance ($15 on the day of
the event) from SNG at www/sng.org or 612-338-6205, ext 119. Tickets and
Maps will be available on June 15th at 2901 E. 22nd St. for $15/ticket.
Discover allthat is Seward at
www.sng.org
A Yummy Partnership Franklin Freeze and Pita King
Owner, Tabitha Obert of Franklin Freeze has two new partners
Louie Abukhdair and Fayez Almukrahi. Pita King specialties
such as falafel, gyros, sambussas, domadas, hummus are their
must-have, go-to Middle Eastern standards. Have a sweet tooth?
Try the delicious baklavas. And dont forget theres always the frozen delight
of soft-serve ice cream! Now open together at 328 East Franklin Street
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The Seward Profile was named after a refrigerator. Cheri and Karey
Getz were eight and nine year-olds who lived with their parents at
2514 30th Avenue South while attending Seward School a block
away. Their dad worked at the Moline plant in the neighborhood until
the company folded that facility. The Getz sisters found out about
a naming contest for the paper when one of their teachers handed
out the information about the contest in class. We all took a copy
home and eventually decided to enter, Cheri recalled. We (my sister
and I) were in the kitchen banding about names. I happened to look
at our refrigerator. Its brand name was Profile. We thought that
would be an appropriate name for the Seward paper. We had two
different versions.I wanted Seward Profile. My sister suggested
Profile of Seward. We chose Seward Profile with the understanding
that we would split the prize money between us. We were playing in
the front yard with some friends when my mother came to the door and
hollered you won. The following month, the contest winners were
announced in the newsletter and the Seward Profile was born. The
Getz sisters picked up their prize at the SNG office. Cheri put her half
in the bank while Karey spent hers. Ten bucks went a long way in
those days, Cheri said. I always saved my money. Interestingly,
Cheri ended up working for U.S. Bank at 2800 Lake Street, where she
has been for 33 years. Soon after the contest award, the Getz family
moved from its rented Seward home. Cheri bought a house in the
Longfellow neighborhood where she lives today while Karey moved
to St. Louis Park. Ive always been in this area, Sherri explained
either in Seward or Longfellow.As for the famous refrigerator, it was
left in the Seward apartment when the Getzs moved out. Its name-
sake, on the other hand, continues to bring news to the neighborhood.
Whats in a Name?by Burt Berlowe
Seward Neighborhood GroupHome Improvement Assistance
Are you thinking about making improvements to your
home, but not sure how to proceed? The Seward
Neighborhood Group's Housing Coordinator can help
with project planning, hiring contractors, obtaining
financing and advice during construction.
The SNG Revolving Loan Program can now be used for improvements to 1-4 unit ow
occupied and non-owner occupied rental properties. The loans are also available to
townhouses and condominiums. The Revolving Loan Program provides loans up to
$12,000 for exterior, energy, mechanical, electrical and code improvements at 2.5%
The SNG Interest Subsidy Grant Program reduces the interest rate on Community
Fix-up Fund loans from 5.75% to 2.5% on loans up to $20,000 for up to 15 years.
The Community Fix-up Fund is available to owner occupied 1-4 unit buildings and
townhouse and condominium owners. The loans can be used for most types of
home improvement projects including interior remodeling and additions.
The Emergency Deferred Loan Program provides deferred loans to owner-occupants
of properties in the Seward neighborhood who face emergency home repairs and a
unable to obtain funds to repair the problem. Loans will be made to cover the cost o
correcting the problem up to a maximum of $5,000. For home-owners unable to ma
monthly payments, the loans will be repaid when the house is sold. All of the loan pr
grams have an annual household income limit of $96,500 for the owner of the prope
For more information on the loan programs or general home improvement adv
contact Doug Wise, SNG's Housing Coordinator, at (612) 338-6205, ext. 102 or doug@sng.
SNG Home Improvement Loan Programs:
Low Interest Home Improvement Loans
for Owner Occupied and Rental Housing
by Doug
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Discovethat is Sewar
www.sng
Riverside ReveriesA Dying Nurse; the Doctor Vanishes;
A Park Ravaged
This is an excerpt from a longer essay by Seward resident, historian, and novelist Bob Haddow.
n Seward the best place to experience a recreational walk in the old tradition, replete with
picturesque views, is along the Winchell Trail; or perhaps by making the loop around the Cappelin
and Lake St. Bridges. This loop has been a daily tradition for many residents over the last centuryand, along with the trails through Riverside Park, provided some of the inspiration for Riverside
Reveries, a series of letters compiled and published in 1928 by a young doctor named Otto
Schusslerwho liked to wander along the bluffs on his way to and from work at the Sivertson Clinic
and St. Marys Hospitalall of which became the sprawling FairviewAugsburgU. of MN complex
along Riverside Ave.
Riverside Park was once a cherished retreat from the bustling city and it was this aspect of the park,
destroyed pretty much entirely by the construction of I-94, that inspired Schusslers masterpiece.
His slim volume (rarer today than a view of the aurora borealis from the Capellen Memorial Bridge)
called Riverside Reveries, was written in the form of letters to a convalescing nurse. Were they love
etters? Was the unnamed paramour a victim of TB? It may even be possible that Riverside Reveries
was a Manti Teo style hoax ginned up to gain sympathy among wealthy patrons ... TB was prevalent
n the 1920s and Dr. Sivertson, Schusslers employer, was active in the fight against it. At the time
Schussler was writing his hear t-wrenching letters to the mysterious nurse confined to her home in
a neighboring state, Dr. Sivertson was moonlighting as the chairman of the Minnesota Boxing
Commission. Sivertson would eventually quit this position in disgust because too many promoters
efused to allocate 10 per cent of their receipts, as required by law, toward his anti-tuberculosis fund.
The young doctor, Otto Schussler, lived at various addresses around the park and worked for about
a decade at the Sivertson clinic on the corner of 24th Ave and 6th St. (the building was eventually
donated to Augsburg College). He was in the park almost daily, shuffling to work in the morning,
exploring after lunch, or taking notes in the evening. The Fairview Hospital School of Nursing, and
St. Marys Hospital were both near the park and Riversides beneficial atmosphere for both staff
and patients must have been considerable.
Schussler never seems rushed and at the spring, especially, he is able to calm his worries and
ocus on what is essential. Everyone, almost without exception, I take it, loves a brook. . . . Itgurgles and laughs and chatters and runs . . . holds for us so many of our numberless questions
and satisfies so much of the tantalizing curiosity with which we are bursting . . . . We see, too,
hat it is a very social creature, for does it not furnish a home for the minnows and frogs and a
hundred other darting, jumping, squirming things, a bath for the birds and a wading place for the
children?
Almost a century later, it is hard to find remnants of the half-wild park where Schussler sat in
meditation by his favorite springfollowing the myriad bubbles that float and dance along its devious
course, coming seemingly from nowhere and vanishing suddenly into nothingness . . . That park
was a place where overworked men and adventurous children could observe the myriad wild birds of
he Mississippi flyway and the acrobatic stunts and secretive habits of crafty varmints. It was a place
where you could forget for a moment or for a day about money-grubbing, about human suffering. It
was a quiet, mysterious place; the equivalent of that place inside each of us, that place we call the
soul that the world nibbles at as if it were a bit of cheese.
Neighborhood NoteWhats (Hip and)
Happening in Seward
Now open for business Capital Caf. A warming aroma of roasting coffee beans
fills the air and the attentive service is classically East African. Serving traditional
specialties such as Zedbebe, sambussa, habasha, injera and other treats,
its an ideal place to have spirited conversations or enjoy a quiet respite.
Owner, Tsegaye Sombo invites one and all to his place at 2417 East Franklin.
by Bob Haddow
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Meet Abdiasis (Abdi) Hirsi of SPOKES Bike Walk
Center. You might expect the community outreach
coordinator of SPOKES Bike Walk Center to identify
as a long-time bicycle enthusiast. That Abdiasis Hirsi
does not, actually makes him a perfect fit for the job.
As a novice rider himself, he can easily relate to the core
population that SPOKES serves in Seward, Cedar-Riverside, and Phillips, manyof whom are East African immigrants and refugees.
Back home in Somalia, he says, walking was the most common way to get
around, followed by bus. Owning a car was too expensive for most people and
cities lacked infrastructure for bicycling. Those who biked tended to live in
farming communities. For them, he says, it was often the best way to get
from the farm into town.
Once in the U.S., African immigrants and refugees tend to drive everywhere
and want bigger cars or mini-vans that will accommodate large families,
observes Hirsi. As a result, a big part of his job is to educate adults about
health and other benefits of bicycling. He also teaches that bicycling is
a legitimate alternative form of transportation, not strictly something a
person does occasionally for recreation.
Younger people, he says, are already biking,
so the outreach he does is mainly to their
parents, who he calls the target group.
Helping a population unaccustomed to
Minnesotas climate get around safely
by foot during the cold, icy, snowy winter
months is another mission of SPOKES. To
that end, winter safe walking classes are
offered. A Seward Towers resident since
2007, and former board member, Hirsi
came to the United States from Nairobi,
Kenya in 2005. He and his family had fled
their native Somalia for Nairobi in 1991 dur-
ing its civil war.A University of Minnesota
graduate, Hirsi is also employed as an associate educator for Minneapolis
Adult Education.
To learn more about SPOKES, visit SPOKES website http://spokesconnect.org,
which features information about classes, open shop hours, and volunteer
nights, or stop by the shop at 1915 E. 22nd Street.You can also read excerpts
from an interview with Hirsi at http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/
2012/12/13/q-abdiasis-hirsi-sharing-newfound-passion-bicycling.
Hello Abdi of SPOKES!
bike-walk-connect
SPOKES
SPOKES
Basic
Sched
ule
by Bruce Johansen
The Hub @ SPOKES open
Saturdays 10 AM to 5 PM
Open Shop
Use our tools to fix your bike -- with
guidance from our mechanics
All you pay for is the parts you need
(new and used parts available)
Wednesdays 5 PM to 9 PM
Saturdays 1 PM to 5 PM
Youth Open Shop
For youth 9 to 18 years old
Fridays 3 PM to 6 PM
Grease Rag Open Shop
Women, Transgender and Femme on
Second and fourth Mondays,
7 PM to 9 PM
Volunteer Night
Fix bikes donated to SPOKES and
other tasks Earn credit you can apply to buying
used parts
Thursdays 5 to 9 PM
Classes
including Earn-a-Bike, Adult Learn-to-
Ride, Basic Bike Mechanics and mor
Community events and Community Rides
Check www.SpokesConnect.org or
www.fb.com/SpokesConnect for details
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Get Out
& Meet Your NeighborsBlock parties sprout all over Seward on National Nig
Out on first Tuesday in August. And the parties are
diverse as the residents: potlucks, karaoke, traveling
musicians, visiting fire
trucks and police cars,
bicycle parades back
and forth on blocked
off streets, laughterand conversation into
the evening. Although
National Night Out is a
grass-roots event with
each block club planning its own celebration,
SNG provides support with suggestions, information
and solicitation of prizes from neighbhorhood
businesses to blocks who register their event by
contacting SNG's community organizer, Kerry Cashm
([email protected] or 612-338-6205 ext. 119)
Uncovering Storiesof One of Sewards Biggest
(and Most Forgotten) Employers
ou may have heard of Minneapolis Moline, Flour City, and the Milwaukee Rail
ards, all major employers in Seward back in the day. But what about Puffer-
ubbard Manufacturing Company? Historian Laura Weber has been researching
e company, housed at 2601 32nd Avenue South from 1910 to 1941. What
llows is a brief excerpt from her chapter of a forthcoming Seward neighborhood
story book.
uffer-Hubbard manufactured numerous products, evolving over the years from
griculture-related implements such as carts, wheelbarrows, silos, and coaster
agons to folding delivery boxes, tricycles, electric washers, and refrigeration
oducts such as laboratory freezers and hinged glass door refrigerators. Some
these products can be found for sale to this day on various websites.
1919 newspaper ad touted the Daylight Washing Machine, manufactured in the
eward plant, where air, water, and soap combined to clean clothes in one, two, or
ree tub contraptions, electric or power driven.
he company appeared to operate in the paternalistic manner of the time, bothr good and ill. Its clubroom, open every weeknight and Sunday afternoons,
ontained a Victrola, piano, and room for dancing and was furnished with
unging and smoking rooms and card tables. A branch of the public library
as also installed.
ubbard cited the need to provide wholesome recreation to workers stranded at
e remote Seward location, described as a long distance from downtown. The
en did not have a chance to enjoy the things at the disposal of workmen near
e center of the city. We felt that they should have a chance to see and have what
hers enjoy, Hubbard said.
o doubt this was an effort to keep employees out of the nearby bars and from the
nd of activity recalled by neighborhood lifer Aladsen. When Madsens father moved into the
eighborhood around the Hub of Hell in 1910, he
aid that kids roamed the city streets in gangs
ased upon ethnic origin or trade.
s the Great Depression began, however, Puffer-
ubbards way with workmen was losing its touch. During (one) strike at Puffer-
ubbard in 1939, the bank forced the company into receivership, then used their
ontrol over negotiations to demand a 10 percent wage cut and loss of seniority
ghts.
ty directories in 1931, 1939, and 1940 list Puffer-Hubbard as a manufacturer
boxes and carts, still located at 2601 32nd Avenue. In 1941 there is no listing
r 2601, indicating the building was vacant.Neighborhood Not
Whats (Hip and
Happening in Sewar
Live Life Strong! Thats the approach and mantra of this close-to-Seward gy
A gym that builds strong bodies and changes lives. Helping people to get strong
that they can stay active is their mission. Their Strong Body Program uses a uniq
total body strengthening system featuring MedX strengthening equipme
to provide you with the most advanced, efficient way to strengthen your musc
and improve the way you feel and perform. Who doesnt want to feel and be in t
best shape possible? Stop by and get a consultation at 3260 Minnehaha Aven
or call to discuss all the options, 612-767-02
by Laura Weber
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Q& A with City Councilor Cam Gordon by Trevor Born
Cam Gordon has represented Seward on the Minneapolis City Council since 2006 and lived in the neighborhood since 1991. Prior to his career in city politics
Gordon had stints as co-president of the Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG), chair of the neighborhood group committee that managed Neighborhood
Revitalization Program (NRP) money, and editor of the West Bank Stories section of the Seward Profile. He spent 18 years as a pre-school and Montess
teacher.
As of this writing, Gordon, the council's only Green Party member, is running unopposed for his third term representing Ward 2. The city's regular redrawin
its Council boundaries this spring removed much of Seward's northwestern portion -- north of 24th Street and west of 30th Avenue -- from Gordon's ward.
The Profile turned the tables on its former writer and sat down with Gordon to reflect on his time as a City Council Member and Seward resident.
What brought you to Seward?
I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1977 and after that moved to the West Bank. A few years later I bought a house in Longfellow. In
1989 I moved to Seward and, af ter renting for a while, purchased my current house on Franklin Terrace in 1991.
Anything notable during your time as co-president of the neighborhood group?
Not all of this happened while I was president, but while I was closely involved with the group I
remember some important things happening. The group stabilized in an office and grew a little bit
because of NRP. The group was able to provide support for youth activities in the park and run an
active housing program that loaned funds for housing improvements.
We made improvements along Franklin Avenue and helped bring in the Northern Clay Center and
Welna Hardware. We helped demolish some of the boarded up bars at 26th and 26th [the "Hub
of Hell"]. Not that I deserve credit for all those things, but those were exciting things happening while
I was involved.
Describe some city council actions that have been important for Seward during your tenure.
The City helped with some of the development of Franklin Avenue. It had a lot of details to work out
with the most recent move of the Seward Co-Op. The city had to restructure the alley, figure out how to
manage stormwater, bought and tore down a house and did a little rezoning.
We worked with the County on adding bike lanes to Franklin Avenue and the full reconstruction of Riverside Area. We're working on improving
the bike path along the light rail, including better lighting and improving the crossing on 26th. We're working on realizing the hopes for the
Franklin light rail station. Theres a sense that the old industrial uses right near the station is not the vision we want. It would make more
sense to have more residential uses there. I think our urban agricultural initiatives have been popular in Seward. It allows commercial food
growing in Minneapolis and accommodates this new interest in urban farming. There is already a little farm project on the east edge of Seward.
What do you think of the results of this year's redistricting?
I wasn't supportive. I've appreciated representing all of Seward. The change took some of my oldest friends and supporters and neighbors out
my district. But I also realize, and it's a comfort for me to know, that it's all still the Seward neighborhood, and that I'll be able to care about it, hel
it, and support it, even if there is not a direct vote for me. If I step back further, I can see some benefit in having two Council Members represent
neighborhood. Back when I was president of the neighborho
group, we had two Council Members, and sometimes that m
it easier to be heard.
What keeps you living in the neighborhood?
I really like the sense of community and having neighb
who know and care about each other. I love the way it
connected to the urban wilderness, but yet you turn aro
and you're in the middle of the city. I like the variety of
neighborhood -- dense housing, a commercial main stre
industrial areas. I love that I can walk or bike and get j
about everything I need -- groceries, hardware, restaura
bowling, parks. When my son was born, my wife and I
walked to the hospital.
I also really appreciate the engagement of the residen
and the neighborhood organization. Since being on th
council I've had the chance to see how different neigh
hoods work. Folks who go to the Seward Neighborhoo
Group meetings really care about the community and
work really hard to make good decisions and involve
people in those decisions.
Leading up to the municipal election in November, Gord
is hosting a series of roundtable discussions to talk abou
priorities for his prospective next term.
Learn more at www.CamGordon.
Pho
tograp
hy:
Cou
rtesy
of
Chuc
k
Olsen
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Calendar
Sewar
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Ne
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hbor
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Group
2323
E.
Fran
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Avenue
Minneapo
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MN
55406
Discover all
that is Seward at
www.sng.org
Keepupwithneighborhoodevents,
meetin
gs,
andissuesatTheForum.
Jointod
ayat:http://bit.ly/sewardforum
CheckoutSeward'sother"virtual"properti
esat:http://goo.gl/Xa6AR
Join
your
Neighbors
Online
at
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ig
hbor
hoo
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On
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Forum
!
Commuting by bike isnt hard! You dont have to wear Lycra or be a daredevil biker to learn
to love bike commuting. I am in my mid-forties and enjoy bike commuting to work meetings
and social events. I often wish I saw more gray-haired women like me on the bike path
enjoying all the benefits of bike riding. I appreciate being outdoors, the opportunity toincorporate exercise into my day instead of requiring a trip to the gym, and I like knowing
my transportation is almost free and doesnt pollute the environment.
GETTING STARTED
Set a goal for yourself. When I started, I decided to commute to work one day per week.
I scheduled the day in my calendar and planned out-of-office meetings or after work
errands that required a car, accordingly.
FIND A ROUTE
Consult an on-line map with a bike route option, e.g. Google Maps, to review recommended
routes and estimated ride times. Another good source is a friend or co-worker who bikes to work.
Spend some time on a weekend getting to know the bike routes nearyour home the Midtown Greenway, Hiawatha (LRT) bike trail, and
University of Minnesota Transitway are good places to start. You
will be surprised how far you can bike in Minneapolis on dedicated
bike routes!
GO DO IT!
You may be surprised what you find. The first time I biked from
Seward to a meeting near Loring Park, I was intimidated thinking
about how I could avoid Franklin Avenue or downtown. Going a
few blocks out of my way yielded a very pleasant ride the
Midtown Greenway to Bryant Avenue bike lane, then the bike
bridge over I94 (have you even noticed this despite hundreds
of trips under it in your car?!), then a bike lane that parallels
Lyndale/Hennepin. - five miles of biking and hardly a busy
road crossing. See you on the trails!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Check out SPOKES Bike Walk Connect a new, innovative
community biking and walking resource in Seward for information
about adult Learn-to-Ride classes; Basic Bike Commuting classes;
the monthly Women, Transgender and Femme Free Open Repair
Shop, and Basic Maintenance classes.
http://www.SpokesConnect.org/
BIKING the day away by Michele Braley