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Local residentmakes trekto TanzaniaCounty respondsto questions onMinnehaha Ave.Ericsson residenthonored atWhite HousePage 2Page 3Page 7LongfellowNokomisMessengSeptember 2013 Vol. 29 No. 7www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.comYour communitynewspaper since 198221,000 CirculationThe 5th annual Monarch Festival takesflight on northeast shore of Lake NokomisBy JAN WILLMSHonoring a connection between the United States and Mexico and the flight of the Monarchbutterfly, the 5th annual MonarchFestival will take place Sept. 7 atthe Nokomis Naturescape on thenortheast shore of Lake Nokomis.The closest address for theday-long event is 5001 E. LakeNokomis Parkway, and it occurs atthe intersection of WoodlawnBlvd, E. 50th St. and E. LakeNokomis Parkway.“The Monarchs have a fall migration,” said Rita Ulrich, executive director of the Nokomis EastNeighborhoodAssociation(NENA). “It can start anywhereeast of the Rockies, and they migrate to Mexico.”The festival, presented byNENA and the Minneapolis Parkand Recreation Board, drew between 8,000 and 10,000 peoplelast year. “If it’s a good day, Iwouldn’t be surprised if the number exceeds 10,000 this year,” Ulrich said.She explained that it was notknown by outsiders until 1975that hundreds of millions of butterflies spend the winter in Mexico, and that this has been a part ofearly Aztec culture.“At Lake Nokomis we havethree nature plant gardens,” Ulrichcontinued. “These are specificallywildlife habitats, growing nativeplants for butterflies and bees. Thegardens are certified as MonarchWay Stations.”Over the years, the focus hasbeen centered on Monarchs and“We try to create a habitat herefor the Monarch and support itsjourney to Mexico.”- Soraya Valedon-Lopezeducation about Minnesota’s statebutterfly.Ulrich said that some yearsago NENA and the Park Boardthought about having a celebration of these butterflies and theirjourney to winter in Mexico, butthe thought came too late in theseason. However, the next year acelebration was held. The secondyear, the event took a big jump.“The Park Board secured agrant that allowed us to haveprofessional performers participate,” Ulrich said. A mini-grantfrom the Center for Regional andUrban Affairs (CURA) was usedas a seed to get the festival going.A theme was set, and partnerships between neighborhood organizations were developed.This year, the festival willfeature music from Silva Sol, Machinery Hill, RAMM, CharangaTropical and Salsa del Soul.Dance performances will be offered by Ketzal Coatilcue AztecDance.A variety of art activities willbe available, as well as the KidsButterfly Fun run sponsored byUnivision MN and U Care. Toursof the Naturescape will be given,and native plant sales and infor-Longfellow Park wins city baseball championshipTwo young guests get ready to release a tagged monarch at the 2011 Minneapolis Monarch Festival. Last year's Monarch Festival drew between8,000 and 10,000 people. This year's festival takes place Sept. 7 at theNokomis Naturescape.mation will be a part of the festival.Soraya Valedon-Lopez provides Latino outreach for theMonarch Festival.“I try to bring the communityin by advertising through Latinoorganizations, and having Latinofood vendors and performers,”Valedon-Lopez said. She makessure all the flyers and written information about the festival arewritten in Spanish as well as English, and she also gets bilingualvolunteers to participate.“We want to unite the community and be inclusive,” Valedon-Lopez stated. “We try to createa habitat here for the Monarchand support its journey to Mexico.”Her efforts over the past fouryears have resulted in a strong participation by the Latino community—last year 40 per cent of the attendees were Latino.Another event at the festivalwill be the release of Monarchsthat have been raised by citizens attheir homes.Ulrich said that for a numberof years, volunteers have beenworking with Growing Monarchsin Habitat. She sent out a noticeContinued on page 16What did you possibly miss by notbeing a Messenger Facebook friend?Congratulations to the Longfellow Park 15U baseball team for winning the city championship against their rivalSibley Park with a 11-1 victory. The game was played at Parade stadium on July 26 and is the second year in arow that this Longfellow team has taken the first place trophy in the city championship. Pictured Top left toright: Coach Mitch Lacombe, Jake Olson, Coach Dan McGuire, Nick Duda, Conner Listul, Coach MJ Olson,Keehler Gonzales, Coach Scott Isebrand, Ed Isebrand, Malachi Lossow, Coach Rodney Lossow; Bottom row leftto right: John Erickson, William Johnson, Joe Reff, Declan McGuire, Grayson Lacombe & Keith Oneal.Becketwood Open House Personal Permaculture Discussion group meets Joint community faith and arts Vacation Bible School Items for sale duringAug at the Midtown Farmers Market Falls Hardware closing sale Art in thePark at Stevens House Fundraiser for the Minneapolis K9s National NightOut Public Hearing on Diggity Dog Daycare Ice Cream Social at St. Albertthe Great Open Streets Minnehaha Updates on upcoming Monarch Festival Neoteric Chamber Winds in local concert Public meeting on Skate Parks,including Morris Garden Club Social and Potluck Mpls Back to School Jam Taste of Denmark festival Movie night with Transition Longfellow Historian presentation at Stevens House Free movies at Crosstown Covenant Reception at Vine Center New neighborhood tree program Longfellow Park15U baseball team wins city championship LoLa Art Tour reminder GroupSing Coldwater Moon Walk Dowling celebrates 70th Anniversary Inaugural opening of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium exhibition
Longfellow resident makes trek to Tanzania, camera in handBy JAN WILLMSAs a child, Moira Lennox always used to take her family’scamera and shoot pictures.“What are you wasting allthis film for?” her dad wouldtease her.But the experience and skillsshe developed as a child have resulted in a photography careerthat will enable her to embark ona project to Tanzania.On Sept. 3, the longtime resident of Longfellow, who is originally from South Africa, willcombine her passion for conservation and photography andmake a three-week trek to Tanzania.Sponsored by Photographerswithout Borders (PWB), Lennoxwill be on assignment spendingtime with the Masai community.She will capture images that document the success of the Sustainable Community Conservationcollaboration between EastAfrican Safari and Touring Company (EASTCO) and the localcommunities.Reflecting in a recent interview on how she got started inClassifieds: 1 per wordphotography, the blonde and athletic Lennox, speaking with tracesof her South African accent, saidthat once she was old enough topurchase her own camera, shecould use up all the film shewanted. And once digital camealong, it was easy to make thephotos happen.“But my dad was a firm believer that you have to have a realjob,” she said. “I got a businessdegree in computers and workedin IT until three years ago.”She had first moved to thiscountry to stay with a sister inEdina. When she decided shewanted a place of her own, shesaid the Longfellow area offered agreat location and the right pricerange for her.“Photography was alwayskind of a hobby and a part-timegig,” Lennox explained. “But I realized I enjoyed it a lot more thansitting in a cubicle. I took a leaveof absence.”She went to Rocky MountainSchool of Photography in Missoula, MT. “I took a three-monthprogram of immersion into photography,” Lennox said. While inMontana she discovered what BigSky really means.“I did this three-monthcourse and came back with greatimages and a smile on my face,”Lennox recalled. She was planning to return to her IT consultingbusiness but decided not to goback. Her partner encouraged her,telling her: “Just do photography.”“I said to hell with it, let’s doit,” Lennox quipped. She set up awebsite and returned to the RockyMountain School of Photographywith a teaching assistantship.“I realized photography waswhat I loved to do,” Lennox said.She has been a scuba instructorfor the past 15 years, and itdawned on her that she was goodat teaching and loved photography.“I started formulating a business plan,” she continued, “and inthe last two years I decided to dothis full-time and make a go of it.”She admits it has not beeneasy. “The recession hit the photography industry hard,” she said.Continued on page 6Moira Lennox's photography work has taken her to many parts of the world,filming landscapes, people and animals. On Sept. 3, the longtime residentof Longfellow, who is originally from South Africa, will combine her passionfor conservation and photography and make a three-week trek to Tanzania.INTRODUCINGCathleen LongCertified Master Groomer All Breeds1885 University Ave.St. Paul, MN 55104651-645-7045Publishers:Calvin deRuyter, Tim NelsonManaging Editor:Denis WoulfeAdvertising:Denis Woulfe - 651-917-4183 Specializing in DoodlesRegal Pet Beauty Salon2700 East 38th St.612-721-1142Photographer:Stefanie BerresProduction/Illustrations:Bob WasilukContributing Writers:Iric Nathanson, Deborah Brotz,Jane McClure, Tesha M. Christensen,Sherri Moore, Tom Gilsenan,Jan WillmsNow, communicate with theLongfellow/NokomisMessenger electronically!Now it’s easier than ever to keep in touchwith the Messenger. Letters to the editor andnews releases for publication can be sent viae-mail at denis@deruyternelson.com. Besure to send copy in the body of the e-mail,and please mark whether the copy is a letter,a news release for publication, or perhapsjust your thoughts on the last issue. Don’tforget to write!The Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger is amonthly community publication in theLongfellow and Nokomis areas ofMinneapolis, owned and operated bydeRuyter-Nelson Publications, Inc. Allcorrespondence should be sent to theMessenger, 1885 University Ave., #110,St. Paul, MN 55104. Editorial and advertising offices can be reached at 651-6457045. Our fax number is 651-645-4780.All rights reserved. The contents of theMessenger cannot be reproduced without express written permission of thepublisher. Copyright 2013.Page 2September 2013 Messenger www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com
County responds to Minnehaha Avenue reconstruction questionsBy JILL BOOGRENCounty responses to questions about Minnehaha Avenuereconstruction that were asked atpublic meetings in July are nowposted on the county’s website,along with 130 written comments submitted at the meetingsand online. Most questions couldnot be answered at the meetings.Based on comment cardsalone, the type of bikeway –whether to install on-street bikelanes or a two-way cycle track —garnered the most public input,then tree loss, use of bumpouts(or “curb extensions”), parking,traffic speeds, and snow removal.Tree loss was a hot buttonissue. While some wanted to minimize tree loss (“Keep all shadetrees,” commented one personfrom the July 17th meeting), others suggested trees could be replanted and asked the county togive a final tally for tree loss discounting those that would be replaced.According to HennepinCounty Project Engineer KristyMorter, the project would remove49 trees due to intersection realignment and adding turn lanes.An additional 48 would be removed in the cycle track conceptto provide bus boarding areas inaccordance with ADA requirements. Cycle track proponentshave contested the need to remove so many trees and haveasked for a redesign of a cycletrack option.The county said the numberof trees to be replaced is not yetknown but “removed trees wouldbe replaced to the extent feasiblewithin the project limits.”To the question of whetherbumpouts are really needed, thecounty said constructingbumpouts “is a proven techniquefor effectively improving pedestrian safety” and that bumpouts reduce pedestrian crossing distance,improve the ability of pedestriansand motorists to see each other,and reduce speeds of turning vehicles.Not everyone liked the idea.“The bumpout idea is very sad,”wrote an attendee of the July 11Longfellow Business Association(LBA) meeting. “Most of us donot have parking lots and weneed all the spaces to park thatwe can have.”Others were very supportive.“Shorter crossings for pedestrianswould make a huge difference insafety! Thank you,” wrote a July11 meeting attendee. The countynoted that the cycle track concepthas“significantlyfewer”bumpouts.While losing some parkingspaces was of concern to some,others felt parking is not at capacity. The project team wrote thatHennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin addresses residents atthe first public meeting on Minnehaha Avenue reconstruction July 17 atMinnehaha Communion Lutheran Church. The reconstruction is scheduledfor 2015-16. (Photo by Jill Boogren).they will be conducting a parkingsurvey before the next meetingsto understand current parking demand.A number of people calledfor slowing traffic on Minnehahaand preventing it from being analternate route for Hiawatha.“If we can keep Minnehahafrom being more car filled or discourage more cars from comingon Minnehaha instead of Hiawatha, I’d love that,” wrotesomeone from the July 11thmeeting. And another said: “Weneed to slow down traffic.” Thecounty indicated that traffic calming elements will be used, including narrowed travel lanes,bumpouts, and a median nearLake St.Snow removal was a bigissue, with people wonderingwhether on-street bike laneswould be clear after plowing andparked cars shrink the availablespace. Some wondered whowould be in charge of plowingthe cycle track and bumpouts.The county said they will discusssnow removal with snow plowoperations staff but the countywould not maintain an off-roadfacility. This would be up to thecity.“Bumpouts are horrible withMinnesota winters,” commentedone person from the July 11 LBAmeeting. The county acknowledged bumpouts “require specialmaintenance considerations during the winter season.”Over 100 of the 130 writtencomments submitted includedreferences to the bikeway, wherein peop
19.10.2020 · Longfellow Nokomis Your community newspaper since 1982 September 2013 Vol. 29 No. 7 www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com 21,000 Circulation County responds to questions on Minnehaha Ave. Page 3 Ericsson resident
