This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, May 26–Sunday, June 1, 2014
May 26, 2014
If you did not notice last week, festival season is upon us. As you make your way through these festivals, remember, you are not only making memories and stories, but you are also making history. Who knows what you will see this summer, and the Saint Paul Almanac will be doing its part to join the fun including taking time to roll out our new Storymobile at the opening of the light rail Green Line on Saturday, June 14!
2014 Saint Paul Almanac wins the Midwest Book Award for Travel; finalist in four other categories
May 19, 2014
Last Wednesday, May 14, The Saint Paul Almanac took home the top prize in the Travel category at the Midwest Book Awards. We were finalists in the categories of Culture, Midwest Regional Interests: Text, Reference, and, thanks to our awesome web man Nigel Parry, Publisher’s Website. The Almanac has won previous Midwest Book Awards for Travel (2012) and Culture (2013). This is the fruits of a great community, an Almanac family that is proving its value in a lot of different corners of the our Saint Paul world, and beyond. We are proud, not so much for the awards, but more for the unique and amazing work we do with a rare assembly of community members who continue to create something special.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, May 19–Sunday, May 25, 2014
May 19, 2014
Last Wednesday, May 14, The Saint Paul Almanac took home top prize in the Travel category at the Midwest Book Awards. We were finalists in the categories of Culture, Midwest Regional Interests: Text, Reference, and, thanks to our awesome web man Nigel Parry, Publisher’s Website. This is the work of a great community, an Almanac family that is proving its value in a lot of different corners of the our Saint Paul world, and beyond. We are proud, not so much for the awards, but more for the unique and amazing work we do with a rare assembly of community members who continue to create something special.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, May 12–Sunday, May 18, 2014
May 11, 2014
Last week, some of us celebrated National Train Day and the first train to pull out of Union Depot since the early 1970s. I imagine a day when I can walk out my door, take a generous walk to the Light Rail, and wind up not far from my sister’s house in Chicago without having to set foot in a car or a plane. In a month, the Green Line will be able to take us close to many arts happenings around our city, whether along University Avenue, in Lowertown, in Downtown, or just a few blocks either direction of the tracks. We don’t need to wait for the train to enjoy the art now. The weather is great. Let’s get out!
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, May 5–Sunday, May 11, 2014
May 5, 2014
Spring arrives slowly, but Saint Paul hasn’t slowed down. We had a busy Saint Paul Art Crawl two weekends ago, Cinco de Mayo on the West Side, and the Festival of Nations in Downtown this past weekend—and maybe some weather dampening the heels of our festiveness. The momentum and better weather will carry us into more opportunities to keep up the process of thawing and warming up, and art is the star we’re following in the brighter heavens. Here are a few ideas.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, April 28–Sunday, May 4, 2014
April 28, 2014
We are not quite recovered from this year's Saint Paul Art Crawl. It may be the best weekend in the Twin Cities, but this coming weekend doesn't look too shabby, either, and I think you might see some of the same faces out on the streets, with more than enough sights and sounds to make it worth your trip. The middle of the week doesn't look to bad, either. Get out, because our shining faces on the city may encourage spring to shine on us, eventually.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, April 21–Sunday, April 27, 2014
April 21, 2014
Last week, the Saint Paul Almanac received news that it has been nominated in five categories for this year's Midwest Book Awards—in the Culture, Midwest Regional Interest: Text, Publisher’s Website, Reference, and Travel categories. There are many congratulations to be shared with hundreds of people who share their stories and acknowledgement of all the sweat and tears behind the sweet voices. So many voices, sometimes it is overwhelming—like everything we would like to tell you about what’s happening this week!
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, April 14–Sunday, April 20, 2014
April 13, 2014
Welcome to single-sort, curbside recycling, Saint Paul! We are following the simplest of recycling adages: keep it simple and people will use it. If I can fit all of my recycling into one bag, will I have room for more art in another? Saint Paul is reducing, reusing, and recycling. I hope this affords us more creative spaces and the time to fill them with talent. I've listed a few examples here.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, April 7–Sunday, April 13, 2014
April 7, 2014
I woke up Friday morning to a white blanket of humility. I had watched it begin to fall the previous afternoon as I sat in on one of the many events listed in the Almanac arts calendar. We looked out the window of the third-floor room of the Metropolitan State library to see heavy flakes against the backdrop of our downtown skyline and both of the capital city’s domes. I know last week, I hinted that we might be past all of this. I was wrong, but at the same time here I was in a room full of people happy not to be stuck in front of the television at home.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, March 31–Sunday, April 6, 2014
March 31, 2014
Okay. No kvetching! You can park on both sides of the street now. The snow will be with us for a while, but the air feels a lot better, light enough for us to seemingly glide down sidewalks without having to brace ourselves from the previous months’ harsh elements. They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Here, that image rings as thinly as that story about the groundhog. I can't think of a good animal to reference in an allegory fitting to this Minnesota winter, but it does not matter. It's nicer out. Let's greet it with art in our 20th edition of This Week in Saint Paul!
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, March 24–Sunday, March 30, 2014
March 24, 2014
The calendar on my kitchen wall claimed that spring had sprung last week, but Minnesota still predictably holds out. As a kid, and even now as an adult, I didn't understand the connection of the equinox (nor that Pennsylvanian hedgehog) to any change in season. As a kid, I wasn't sure if the groundhog myth was about adding six weeks or six months to winter. Hey, I was growing up in Minnesota! Anything is possible.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, March 17–Sunday, March 23, 2014
March 17, 2014
Happy St. Patrick's Day! If you have ever seen the sea of faces at Saint Paul's St. Patrick's Day parade, maybe you wonder, like I do, why March 17 is not a government holiday in Saint Paul. With all the crowds, as there should be in our city, my biggest question is whether the mayor will take out his bagpipes.