| |
|
Submitted photo
CivicFest patrons can check out the replicated fuselage of Air Force One
|
CivicFest showcases state, national history
|
By Steve Pease
While the main attractions for the Republican National Convention (RNC) will be held in St. Paul, the Minneapolis Convention Center will be home to a nonpartisan affair.
“I think it’s an opportunity to be a part of history and involved in the convention experience,” said Minneapolis-St. Paul Host Committee Producer Maxene
Fernstrom. “And there are very few cities that [can] host political nomination convention and be a part of history.”
And Fernstrom should know — she was the chief operating officer of the 1996 and 2000 Republican National Conventions.
In coming weeks, crowds wearing everything from Brooks Brothers to Birkenstocks to baby booties will pack the Convention Center, 1201 2nd Ave. S., during CivicFest (Aug. 29–Sept 4). Fernstrom said she expects two-thirds of the attendees to be local, and the other convention visitors.
The event will feature 35 educational exhibits chockfull of presidents and patriotism. There’s arguably no better time to become acquainted with the history of the United States’ presidents (aside from learning all of them in grade school) than during a national convention.
On the floor of the Convention Center, you’ll be able to step aboard a scale model of Air Force One only to walk outside and find yourself at the steps of the White House. As if that’s not enough, patrons can get a feel of being the president, when they take a seat behind a model replica of the desk in the Oval Office.
In an interesting twist, the wholly original exhibit will also feature those who donated the pieces.
Miniature Artist John Zweifel will be on hand answering questions. He has been inside every Oval Office since the Kennedy Administration, taking photos, documenting furniture and creating scale models for people to take in.
Historic documents will rest along a cavalcade of Americana, including: flags, military medals and presidential limousines. And if you feel like dusting off Old Glory, free “roadshow appraisals” of
political memorabilia will be offered.
Many of the exhibits “have been featured attractions at the Smithsonian Institution, the Lincoln Museum and Library, and other renowned historical institutions, but never before have they been brought together under one roof,” according to www.civicfest.org.
Event organizers are hoping to attract everyone but particularly local patrons. Aside from presidential paraphernalia, CivicFest will also address Minnesota’s first 150 years of statehood in the realms of business, technology and invention. Betty Crocker, the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Post-It notes will be featured.
An abundance of exhibits will feature other moments in American history and the idea of democracy, itself.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul 2008 Host Committee organized the event in cooperation with 15 corporate sponsors. There will be a number of local volunteers on-site, and every performer featured on the Best Buy Live Stage will have a local connection, event organizers said.
While CivicFest will be one of 50 events planned in Minneapolis during the days around the RNC, it will be, perhaps, the largest scale event.
Minneapolis last saw a convention when the RNC was held on the east bank, across from modern-day Downtown in 1892. President Benjamin Harrison got the nomination. He lost in the general election to Grover Cleveland.
If You Go
Cost: adults, $15; student/senior/military, $10. Children 8 and under, free. Be on the lookout for a number of discount coupons around the city.
Times: 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m.,
Friday, Aug. 29; 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30; 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 31; 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 1, Tuesday, Sept. 2 and Wednesday, Sept. 3; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Art beat // Closing and opening
By Dylan Thomas
Art of This leaving current space, but won’t cease to existLYNDALE — A few weeks before they planned to shutter their Nicollet Avenue art space for good, John Marks and David Petersen of Art of This Gallery reflected on “Open Summer,” their ongoing, open door, last blast summer project. A free-for-all residency program that eventually enrolled 80-some artists, the slowly percolating “Open Summer” was building steam as it headed into its, and the gallery’s, grand finale at the end of August. And for all the potential pitfalls in telling some seven dozen people where the gallery key is hidden, about the worst thing that happened all summer was when someone spilled salsa in the refrigerator and never cleaned it up.
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
On the mat // Green yogis in Linden Hills
By Sarah McKenzie
Devanadi Yoga, a new studio near Lake Harriet, is a trailblazer in the local yoga community. The small 525-square-foot studio, tucked behind the Bruley Center on West 43rd Street in Linden Hills, is the first yoga studio in the state to be certified by the Green Yoga Association for its environmentally friendly efforts. The studio’s green practices include using non-VOC paint, controlling the thermostat to keep the building energy efficient and encouraging students to walk, bus or bike to class. Tanya Boigenzahn Sowards, studio director/owner of Devanadi Yoga, said being green is “core value of the studio and it ties back to the yogic philosophy of doing no harm.” “Minneapolis frequently ranks as one of the top green
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Everyday gardener // Q&A
By Meleah Maynard
Struggling tomatoes, rain barrels and rootbound plantsEven though spring started in earnest in March this year, it still seems like summer is going by too fast. So, fast, in fact, my inbox has been a bit stuffed with questions. As always, I’ve replied directly to people who asked for help with various things. But here in the column I’m going to cover some of the questions that seem likely to be of interest to a lot of gardeners. By far, the questions I’m getting most are about tomatoes, so I’ll start there. Q: My tomato plants look good and have a lot of flowers, but I’m not getting a lot of fruit this year. What’s going on?A: It’s been too hot for tomatoes to set fruit
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Flavor // A smokin’ sensation on Nicollet
By Carla Waldemar
If you’re wondering what caused the traffic stand-still on South Nicollet the other evening, let’s just say I should have kept my window shut. When passing cars got a whiff of possibly the best aroma in the galaxy — I’m talking about barbecue, of course — they halted to demand, “Where’d you get that?” At C&G’s, of course. Greg Alford launched C&G’s Smoking Barbecue exactly a year ago; the anniversary balloons in the otherwise-Spartan, clean-as-a-whistle hole in the wall provided the only touch of whimsy in this serious business. Greg was born in Louisiana, which may explain his superior taste in food. He grew up in Detroit, one of 12 kids whose mamma set him to cooking when he was 5, he
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Wild city // Eating the yard
By Mary Jean Port
I love August. It is so lush. All summer, as I nurse the garden along, I anticipate these eating days. We now have too much of everything: tomatoes, green beans, heat, humidity, and also thunder, for those of us who have a dog frightened by it. I have been working our piece of ground for 14 years, and have good soil to show for it. Back when we first started, my husband was more of a lawn guy. He liked the idea of a garden, but drew a line in the grass with his toe. Don’t dig up anything beyond here, he said. So I dug my first of what are now 10 beds, and planted the pumpkin right on his line. The vines ran out of the garden and took over the whole backyard. My husband good-naturedly threw up his hands. We started with vegetables, and
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Kid rock
By Sam Lane
Twin Town Guitars hosts a camp that gives young musicians a chance to play and perform in a bandMore than 60 excited, camera-toting fans packed Cause Spirits and Soundbar on a warm August afternoon waiting for two headline bands to take the stage. The hotly anticipated musicians weren’t well known. They weren’t 20-somethings trying to strike a record deal. They weren’t middle-aged men trying to relive their youth. They were kids, ages 8–17, who spent prior weeks at Twin Town Guitars, 3400 Lyndale Ave. S., preparing for their first concert. In an economy where budget cuts deal constant blows to public school music programs, the owners of Twin Town have spent the last three summers providing a haven for aspiring
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
