Organizations

I just learned that Howard Hong passed away on March 16, 2010.  Howard was a great friend of NHS and he will be greatly missed!  You can read  his full obit at the Benson and Langehough website.  A few years ago I had the privilege of sitting in on an oral history NHS conducted with Howard.  It was one of the best histories I have ever sat in on.  Here is the video.

Howard Hong Oral History from Hayes Scriven on Vimeo.

Friday, March 26            Author’s read – Siri Hustvedt 7:00 PM upstairs at the Library

March 20, 2010, is the date for the NHS Annual Meeting/Membership Ball.  This year's event will be held at Carleton College's Great Hall.

Doors open at 7:00 p.m.   

The meeting will start shortly after that.  This year our Honorary Chairs are Elvin and Corrine Heiberg.  Elvin and Corrine are long time members of NHS and Elvin was on the founding Board of NHS.

There will be free Hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

The event is free, that's right FREE if your NHS membership is paid!  If you are not a member, not a big deal, you can sign up that night.

Shortly after 8:00 the fun really begins with some amazing jazz music by Christina Schweitz and Sweet Jazz.

If you need a ride, Ecotrans is offering FREE rides if you live in Northfield to and from the event!  THANK YOU Ecotrans for your continued support!

Finally, I would like to thank our sponsors, The First National Bank of Northfield and Carleton College.  Without their support we would not be able to bring you this event.
To RSVP today call us at 507-645-9268.

See you at the Ball!

No, it’s not green beer.  Seamus Heaney, Jonathan Swift, W. B. Yeats…oh, I’m sure there are many more.  What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than enjoying some poetry?

Wednesday, March 17th, Poetry Reading: Drew Weis & Scott King, 7:30 p.m., Monkey See Monkey Read, and Chance Meeting, 8 p.m., The Contented Cow.

Thursday, March 18th, Mark Mraz, 7 to 11 p.m., The Tavern Lounge, and Study Hall, 9 p.m., The Contented Cow.

Friday, March 19th, Tim Freeland, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Butler’s Steak & Ale, Lonesome Dan Kase, 7 to 11 p.m., The Tavern Lounge, Sweet North, 8:30 p.m., The Contented Cow, and Mark Mraz at Froggy Bottoms.

Saturday, March 20th, Wake-Robin, 12 to 1 p.m., Bittersweet,  Area 51, 7 to 11 p.m., The Tavern Lounge, Fashion Fix, 7 p.m., The Ole Cafe, High School Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m., Boe Chapel on the St. Olaf College campus, Immigrant Music Celebration, 7:30 p.m., Urness Recital Hall on the St. Olaf College campus, and Dime-Store Watch, 8 p.m., The Contented Cow.

Sunday, March 21st, St. Olaf Band Concert, 3:30 p.m., Skoglund Center on the St. Olaf College campus, Politics and a Pint, 6 p.m., Northern Roots Sesion, 7 p.m., and Quiz Night, 8 p.m., all at The Contented Cow, and Hardangar Fiddle and Swedish Violin Concert, 8:15 p.m., Boe Chapel on the St. Olaf College campus.

The annual cleanup of the parish grounds has been scheduled for Saturday, April 17, beginning at 8 a.m.  We will meet at the church; bring rakes, shovels and hand trimmers.  Please come — even if only for a couple of hours. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Our church will be producing a new pictorial directory with Olan Mills.  Our photography dates are Monday, April 5 through Thursday, April 8.  If you wish to sign-up early you may click on https://signup.olanmills.com/familyinfo.aspx?chcontract=50699 for online sign-up through Olan Mills.  Once you enter your name and home address information click “SAVE” at the bottom of the screen and the available times will then be displayed for you.  You may also call 1-800-866-2263, Mon-Fri, 8AM to 9PM Central Time to schedule or change an appointment.  Remember, our directory won’t be complete without YOU!

Bulletin for March 14, 2010

Well, I hope that headline grabbed your attention.  At least they’re not tipping the cow, eh?

Thursday, March 11th, Scream Night with KEY Kids (open mic for The Key’s writing workshop), 7 p.m., the Contented Cow, The Bacchae 2.10, 7:30 p.m., Haugen Theater on the St. Olaf College campus, and Todd Thompson at the Tavern Lounge.

Friday, March 12th, Tim Freeland, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., Butler’s Steak & Ale, Sarah Henson Fundraiser, 7 p.m., Grand Event Center, The Bacchae 2.10, 7:30 p.m., Haugen Theater on the St. Olaf College campus, and Bingo at Froggy Bottoms.

Saturday, March 13th, Annual St. Patrick’s Parade, 2 p.m., starting at EconoFoods, Handout Helpless, 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., the Tavern Lounge, Fourth Annual International Night, 7 p.m., The Pause on the St. Olaf College campus, Heritage, 7 p.m., The Contented Cow, Annual Auction, 7:30 to 11:00 p.m., Northfield Arts Guild, Dave Hagedorn & Kevin Clements, 7:30 p.m., Northfield Public Library, and Lonesome Dan Kase at Froggy Bottoms.

Sunday, March 14th, Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for American Cancer Society, 8:30 to 12:30 p.m., Northfield Eagles Club, Politics and a Pint, 6 p.m., Northern Roots Session, 7 p.m., and Quiz Night, 8 p.m., all at the Contented Cow.

Jane McWilliams, LWV Observer

Jon Denison was absent.

A half-inch thick packet  (http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/assets/p/Packet162.pdf) accompanied the agenda containing 4 items for this evening’s discussion, which lasted a little over three hours.  In addition to the council, the city administrator and other staff  – which came and went, depending on the agenda item  -  City Attorney Chris Hood was at the table with the council throughout the meeting.

Work sessions provide an opportunity for the council to receive reports from the staff and to conduct discussions in preparation for taking up issues at regular meetings.  City staff keeps no minutes. However, the meetings are recorded for later broadcast on NTV.  Recordings are available to borrow for 48 hours from the City Administrator Office on 24 hours notice. Presently, radio station KYMN streams the meetings live ( http://kymnradio.net/) and one can view archived versions of meetings.  It is uncertain whether this service will continue, as the city has yet to decide whether to fund it.

It is in the nature of a work session for the discussion to be informal. Usually, staff is asking for direction on issues so that they can bring a draft resolution at a subsequent meeting.  For example, the first item at this meeting was a discussion of Community Gardens.

Last spring the Northfield Community Gardeners had sought support from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Environmental Quality Commission for creating additional community gardens in Northfield. In March 2009, the council discussed the matter and directed the PRAB to create a process for establishing new gardens.  Tonight, they had before them a process for their consideration and to give direction to the staff.  In the packet was an outline of steps in applying for a community garden and a draft of the application form.  During the rather brief discussion, Councilor Rhonda Pownell, referring to the section which “strongly recommended that all cultivating practices be organic,” asked whether it is possible to have a non-organic garden. Public Works Operations Engineer Brian Erickson noted that the city has an organic pest management policy for city property.  Councilor Jim Pokorney said this has the potential to redefine our parks and there may need to be some boundaries. He said perhaps there should be a small fee.  Erickson noted that this will be on the council agenda next week, and that he expects to begin receiving applications the next day, suggesting that the policy will be in place for the coming gardening season.

Community Event In-Kind Program:  In the 2010 Budget, there is a line item of $31,000 to cover staff time used to the cost to the city in supporting community events.  The staff has proposed setting up an “in-kind” policy for making decisions on funding the city’s cost during community events. (Staff said this would be similar to the Grace Whittier Fund, established in 1988 with a gift from her estate to support the recreational opportunities for Northfield Youth.)  Organizations would need to apply for city support (for renting the show mobile, traffic control, clean-up, etc.) by a certain deadline.  Staff would review the applications, using criteria established by council. A small work group would make recommendations which would be submitted to the council.  There would be a fee, possibly $100.00, to help cover costs which the city might waive.

Councilor Betsey Buckheit said that there are competing values in the matter:  community building and managing finances.  She was skeptical about using the Defeat of Jesse James Days as a model, because this wouldn’t apply to small events. Councilor Erica Zwifel agreed that we should encourage community events, that the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation should be consulted.  Walinski reminded the council that the city needs to cut over $700,000 from the budget, and we need to review all costs. Councilor Pownell and others said it would be important to consult organizations about this.  Walinski will invite organizations to a workshop to review the draft which will be revised and brought back later.  April 30 is the deadline they hope to meet for receiving applications for this year.

Fire Department – Finances and Operations:  Finance Director Kathleen McBride and Fire Chief Gary Franek came to the table to talk about the pay and benefit structure the city has with the members of the Fire Department. A significant issue is the increase of the city’s contribution to the Fire Relief Association from $49,665 in 2009 to $98,000 in 2010. This is necessary to keep the fund sufficient for anticipated retirements.  State law governs firefighter pensions and relief associations.  Pension funds come from the city’s annual contribution, State Fire Aid, a Rural Fire Association contribution and investment earnings.  The city’s contribution is calculated each year according to regulations filed with the State Auditor.  Benefit level is set by the city annually (currently it is $7,500/year of service, paid in a lump sum at retirement.)  The very comprehensive report provided by the Fire Department will serve as background for future discussions about the department, including annual costs, equipment replacement and conversations about cost sharing with the Rural Fire Department.

Annexation: Community Development Director Brian O’Connell led the discussion which focused on:  General and overarching policies related to annexation and infrastructure extension;  Annexation expectations with Waterford Township; Annexation agreement strategies in Bridgewater Township relative to the Prawer/Gill request.  O’Connell said the city needs a policy on infill development.  Councilors Zweifel and Buckheit agreed, saying they’d be happier if this were in place before the city discusses further annexation.  On the topic of the financial arrangements in annexation agreements, the consensus was that there should be recognition not only of tax replacement, but other fixed costs as had been done in the recent agreement with Greenvale Township.

Later this month, the council will meet with the Waterford Township Board.  While no one envisions annexation happening in the short term, it possible that businesses and landowners in the area along Highway 3 may desire to come into the city to connect with city services on a case by case basis.  O’Connell suggested at the meeting that the conversation start with asking Waterford what is on their mind and discussing what things the two bodies can agree to.  Pokorney noted that we don’t have an offensive position, rather what we wonder is why we’re still paying the tax replacement after 25 years. The meeting is scheduled for the April 13 work session.

The protection of Rice Creek is important to both the city and Bridgewater Township.  Just how this can be achieved will be a matter for discussion during annexation negotiations.  In addition, road maintenance issues need to be considered as well as the matter of tax compensation.

For this observer, recording concrete responses to the questions raised in the preparatory material O’Connell provided the council was impossible.  I recommend viewing the meeting on either of our local media as suggested above to learn more about the council’s views.

The meeting adjourned at 10:40 p.m.

Today’s Program: Roberto Pedros Bretos on his exchange year.

Happy Birthday: Bob Will (3/8), Jim Herreid (3/10) and Scott Davis (3/11).

Next Week: Library Centennial: Margit Johnson, Lynne Young (Lane)

Last Meeting:

Charlie Kyte’s presentation on the state budget and its affect on k-12 education left me wondering, hoping maybe, that it really is darkest before the dawn.

The executive director for the Minnesota Association of School Administrators and a former Northfield superintendent, painted a grim picture for the foreseeable future. A Solomon-like deal by power brokers at the end of the Ventura administration eliminated state surpluses as we cut income taxes and saw the state assume responsibility for k-12 education. Given Governor Pawlenty’s “no new tax” stance, school districts have been in a box for the last several years. Government’s revenue cycle trails the business cycle by a few years, Charlie said. Given the slow climb out of this “great recession,” money for government services, including k-12, will be in short supply.

The state is staring at a $1 billion shortfall for this immediate biennium. Given the number of legislators running for governor and Pawlenty’s national ambitions, Charlie predicts we will see “political hardball” over the next few months. He reminded us that our future depends on how well we education our children.

Guests: Dana Cogan (Cogan)

Scholarship Enhancement: David Halsor, a repeat offender

Announcements:

Brasil and Back was a financial success. All of the bills are now in, and we netted $7,800 on the evening. Wonderful job.

Tom Stringer announced that Andrea Wilgohs, Sidney Beaumaster and Brenda Kell, all Northfield High School juniors,  have been selected to attend Rotary’s Camp RYLA later this spring.

President Estenson reported that we now have 127 members.

President-elect Chris Weber and President-elect elect Robert Bierman attended the PETS conference.

Rick Esse has been selected the district’s next assistant governor. He will follow Mark Cashman in that post.

President Estenson said the youth exchange conference he and Vicki Dilley attended in Chicago was invigorating. He said there is a lot to learn, but the conference affirmed the program we are developing here.

Coming Up:

March 25 – Colleen Van Blarcom (Tiano)

April 1 – Manger Inn: Ten Year update, Mike Behr (Caskey)

April 8 – Neil Lutsky, Fountain Pen

April 15 – Mama Tesha, founder and current principal of the primary school, St. Margaret’s Academy, in Arusha, Tanzania and her principal,  Mr. Michael Magaya, host (Carlson)

Welcome Our Newest Members:

Dayna Clemments

Peter Schmelzer

So … does God send disasters to punish people?  Here’s what Jesus had to say about that …

Who Is to Blame?

Psalm 63:1-8; Luke 13:1-9 

Jesus is asked a great many questions in the book of Luke. Most of the time he answers with a story or a parable or another question. But in the passage we just heard this morning, he twice answers clearly and succinctly: “No.”

(These are, by the way, the only time in Luke’s gospel where he answers a question this way.)

The two questions are good ones – the kind of questions that we raise ourselves (though perhaps we don’t always voice them). Both ask this: does suffering come to people who are sinners as punishment for their sins? Did they bring it on themselves? And the hidden question, of course, is more personal: Am I at risk for some kind of disaster because of my behavior? The people asking the question have two different examples that they bring to Jesus: first, about some Galileans who were slain by Pilate while they were making sacrifices; and second, about eighteen people who died when a tower fell in Siloam. We don’t know anything else about these two events – but we have plenty of experience with unexpected tragedies where the loss of life seems arbitrary and capricious. So – were the Galileans and people of Siloam (or the people of Haiti or Chile or New Orleans …) more sinful than everyone else?

“No,” says Jesus. Twice he says it: “no.”

That’s the part we want to hear, especially when we are people who are suffering – when it is our loved one who was killed in a random shooting or our friend who died in a freak accident. We want to be reassured that they are not responsible – that we are not responsible – for the suffering that takes place.

Or do we? Because there is another part of us that wants very very much to have an explanation for the suffering. We want there to be meaning for us in terrible events – even if it is difficult or unpleasant meaning. We want to be in control, or at least partly in control, of the dangers that are around us. We want to be able to fend off those dangers, but if we can’t do that, we want at least one a clear explanation. We would rather be guilty (or know who is guilty) than live with an unexplained tragedy.

That tension between wanting to know that “it is not my fault,” on the one hand, and wanting to believe that “it is somebody’s fault” on the other hand is a recurring and confusing one in the bible as well as in our own lives. We hear the observations of the prophets that the people of Israel have been defeated and exiled because of their disobedience. We hear (in the psalms) the troubling truth that often the wicked do just fine and the responsible people are left wanting. And we hear Jesus saying, “No,” the ones who suffered and died were no worse than the rest of you.

Jesus doesn’t stop with his “No.” He goes on (twice): “…but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” [Luke 13:3 and 13:5] That sounds – at least the first time you hear it – like a seriously mixed message, something like “it’s not their fault, but if you don’t shape up, you’re going to get it.”

I think this is a complicated message – but not about fault or guilt or responsibility. I believe that the “No” of Jesus is terribly important. It is the text with which we refute the religious leaders who blame the people of Haiti and the people of Chile for the terrible tragedies that have overtaken them. It is the text we turn to when someone is the victim of a violent crime or a terrible disease. it is the text we remember when we are tempted – like Job’s friends – to believe that we must have done something wrong to “deserve” the suffering in our lives.

It is the text we should remember because it says more than just “no.” It says “No” while at the same time reminding us that our lives are full of opportunities to repent. We are, in many ways, headed in the wrong direction and need desperately to turn around, to repent, to change our hearts and go in a new direction. Put more colloquially, “you aren’t responsible for all your own suffering, but there are a lot of things you could be doing more virtuously and faithfully than you are now.”

We would really rather not hear that word of judgment. Not that we don’t know the ways our lives fall short of our own aspirations, let along God’s aspirations for us. We are not as generous, not as kind, not as forgiving as we might be. We tolerate all kinds of injustices – some out of our own self-interest and others out of distraction or exhaustion. We ignore God more often than we intend to. We act out of attitudes that are biased, selfish, and narrow, and we resist changing those attitudes, even when the evidence of our own lives contradicts them. We are, in short, something of a mess.

At the same time, we don’t want Jesus – or anyone else – to be judgmental about all of those shortcomings and sins. We don’t want to be told that we are “bad people,” even if we suspect that might be true; we don’t want to be told that we should be doing a lot better, even if we secretly know that we should.

I believe that this warning, this “but” in the words of Jesus, is not so much judgmental as it is prophetic. Jesus does not sentence us to punishment, he proclaims the truth of what is in plain view: if we live in ways that exploit, destroy, and separate, we are perishing. We are spending our lives in the ways of death and not in the ways of life.

All of this leaves us with our first question unanswered though: why did those terrible things happen to the Galileans and the people of Siloam? And why do terrible things happen to people today? There is no single answer, of course. Some tragedies are caused by poor judgment and selfish choices, by human emotional frailty and human intellectual limitations. But there are great many tragedies for which we cannot answer this question at all. Earthquakes happen, and tsunamis and hurricanes and avalanches. Diseases exist, and so do disabilities and chronic conditions and mental illnesses. Disasters and accidents are often mysteries that will not yield answers to our queries or comfort to our laments.

The simple truth is that God doesn’t have to send tragedies and disasters to teach us about the consequences of our broken and sinful behavior. The natural consequences are perfectly obvious all around us: corrupt organizations, disordered relationships with both persons and substances, economic exploitation, anger and resentment and bigotry and hate. If we listen to the voices of prophets – both ancient and modern – we know what we have to do; we have to repent.

Repentance is not always easy; it requires that we turn our spiritual faces in a new direction. It means turning away from habits and behaviors that are familiar and towards actions that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable. It means letting go of ideas and convictions we have held for a long time, and which may have served us well in the past. It means opening our hearts to new possibilities.

Here’s the cross-stitch version of repentance – an adage that I embroidered many years ago, before I realized it was really a theological statement: “The only way to change is to do something different.” The clear “no” that we hear from Jesus frees us to stop trying to blame disasters on other people’s sin, and to start preventing the pain and suffering that results from our own.

Prayer for March 7, 2010

Almighty and everlasting God, creator of all things seen and unseen, hear now our silent prayers, as we open our hearts to you in the sacred quietness.

God of faith and hope, we bring before you our prayers for those we have named this morning – we especially remember … Bring to each of them the gifts of mercy and grace that are most needed, according to your wisdom and love.

God of strength and resilience, we are weary as we pray, and so today we pray about our weariness

We are weary in our bodies: tired from doing too much, moving too fast, resting too little. We have forgotten your gift of Sabbath, of the day to renew and refresh ourselves. Even our relaxation seems to take a lot of planning and energy. Help us, we pray, to return to the Sabbath, to take time where we set aside our responsibilities, our work, our busyness. Let us find the holy time where we can enjoy one another and rest in you.

We are weary also in our minds. The technology that brings us information also overloads our ability to understand and assimilate that information. We are tired of hearing so much news, exhausted by the complexity of the world, overwhelmed by too many ideas, too many faces, too many choices. And so we pray this morning for a mental Sabbath as well as a physical one. Let us find the holy time where we can stop the whirling in our heads and ponder the things that invite wonder and appreciation more than understanding.

Our hearts, too, are weary, O God of compassion. Our eyes are filled with the images of people in need: the lonely and the homeless, the addicted and the hungry, the despairing and the confused, the sick and the wounded. Our capacity to respond feels so inadequate to all those needs, and we tire under the weight of our own limitations. Strengthen us, we pray; give us the discipline to choose where we shall invest our energies and our gifts, and the humility to know when we have done all we can.

We confess, O Holy One, that even our spirits are sometimes weary. We ask you to build up this community of faith so that we can nourish and refresh one another. Weave us together with threads of encouragement, wisdom, good humor, and understanding, into a fabric of strength, resiliency, and beauty. Then let this fabric bedeck and protect us in all that we do.

These prayers we offer in the name of the one who calls the weary and offers us rest and the sharing of our burdens, even Jesus the Christ, and we pray together in the words that he taught us ….

Dave Hagedorn & Kevin Clements Jazz Duo

Dave Hagedorn directs the jazz bands and percussion ensemble at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.  He is an active and eclectic performer in the Twin Cities area.   Gigs range all over the musical map, from playing vibes with jazz groups at the Artists’ Quarter to performing as a percussionist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera Orchestra.  Hagedorn is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

KEVIN CLEMENTS (Jazz Bass) received the B.A. in Music from the Conservatory of Music/University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he studied with Bruce Bransby and David Danesi. After performing with numerous jazz artists throughout this country and abroad, he settled in the Twin Cities in 1989, where he has become a staple in the jazz community. Clements currently performs and records regularly with the area’s top jazz artists. 

Join them upstairs at the Northfield Public Library!  Dessert and coffee served at 7 pm the concert starts at 7:30. 

Sponsored by the Northfield Public Library 210 Washington St.  All programs are free and open to all!  Thanks for additional support from the Northfield Area Foundation, Goodbye Blue Monday, the Ole Cafe and the Friends of the Library.

Jan Mitchell, LWV Observer

All members were present.

Public Comment:
Judy Dirks spoke in opposition to the Spanish immersion program, saying that it made native speakers of languages other than Spanish or English feel slighted, and that the money spent would be better used to provide more ESL instructors.
Ms. Otterdahl form Keya Paya expressed concern about the lengthy bus ride her children would have with the proposed Companeros program .
Ms. Peterson spoke with a similar concern.

Minutes of the last meeting were approved.

Supt. Richardson commended elementary students who paid to wear hats to school (Hats for Haiti campaign) which generated $2000 for Haiti relief. He also noted the K-6th choral festival success, and the accomplishments of the gymnasts, wrestlers, swimmers, divers, weight-lifters, Alpine skiers, and Science Olympiad contestants in recent competitions. Anne Maple complimented the Greenvale students on the artistic and poetic creativity on display there.

Staff members addressed the concerns raised recently about the Companeros plans.  The cap of one section per grade level per school is in place to help reduce class size discrepancies, and to assure the District of staffing to achieve the higher rigor expected in the proposal. The controlled lottery to blend native speakers of English and Spanish is the system best suited to balancing the classes with equal access opportunities. Student who are open-enrolled will only be able to participate if there are not enough applicants within the district for the programs. The bussing of students from Keya Paha is challenging, since they will have a ride of 51-58 minutes to attend Greenvale in the morning. The district & the bus company have worked to minimize this situation, and this is the best alternative available for the 14 children from this neighborhood.

Tom Stinger presented the proposed 2010-2011 Debt Service Budget and the Trust Fund Budget.

The Board unanimously approved the Companeros Program revisions, thanking the staff for a great deal of work over many months, and the parents for their interest and input.

The Board held a closed session to consider a parent request for grade change, and they resumed their public session to announce that the final decision on such issues rests with the Superintendent.

Local student Sarah Tiano, needs your help to make bracelets to raise money for War Kids Relief. Here is more from Sarah.
“In December, I applied and won a grant through the Healthy Community Initiative. The money allowed me to buy supplies to construct bracelets. To raise money to support children in war torn countries, I work with local youth making bracelets and educating them about the situation of kids in the Middle East. My project specifically focuses on Afghanistan and people living in internally displaced refugee camps. The conditions in these camps are absolutely atrocious, no food, water or medical care. The thing that hurts the most to see though is that there is no joy. These people are people and they deserve to have happiness and the same comforts we take for granted in our own daily lives. I am matched up with one Afghani mother/father (I am not sure which one yet) and am going to be helping them start there own business in the camp. That way, they are able to become self sufficient and earn money to help their kids. They will then be able to teach other people and the project will continue to grow. That is what is so great about this- we aren’t just sending money somewhere, we are giving people the resources and opportunities to better their own lives and the lives of their children.

I have worked with youth at St. Peter’s and now at church and also will start work with the Middle School Youth Center on March 1. I would absolutely love to get something going and work with Fifth Bridge. I think this would be an amazing opportunity to expand this project and get the word out to even more people. If you want to learn more about War Kids Relief, the non profit I am collaborating with, visit warkidsrelief.org

Also, here is the article from the Northfield News. It might be helpful for a little bit more knowledge.”

www.northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=51390

If your group would like to help, please contact Sarah Tiano at sarah.tiano@gmail.com

Mayor Rossing sent the NDDC an e-mail yesterday about a neighborhood meeting/open house on the 4th Street Reconstruction Project.  The meeting is next Monday, March 15th, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Council Chambers at City Hall.

Many of you are aware that we are going to experience the reconstruction of 4th Street this summer, not unlike the recent reconstruction of 5th Street.  Monday’s meeting will be an opportunity to hear more about it.

The meeting will also be a chance to offer input on the final design.  Apparently there have been some different opinions expressed during the design process regarding street trees, bump-outs, and flower pots.

If you have thoughts on these design elements or just want to hear more on the project, head down to City Hall, Monday, March 15th, at 6:00 p.m., to join the discussion.

Photo courtesy of Griff Wigley.

As some of you know, the NDDC has been doing the “Be Local” ads for several years.  This year, we’re partnering with the Chamber in what is loosely called the “Be Local…Buy Local” campaign.

This month, our message is “Be Local…Dine Local”.  NDDC Board Member Anastasia Balfany designed the image for the Northfield Entertainment Guide ad.  It’s a plate that’s ready for your order…in downtown Northfield.

We consider ourselves fortunate to have over two dozen dining options in downtown Northfield.  They include B & L Pizza, Basil’s Pizza, Bittersweet Eatery, Goodbye Blue Monday Coffeehouse, Butler’s Steak & Ale, Caribou Coffee, Chapati, China Buffet, Contented Cow Pub, Domino’s Pizza, Eagles Club, EconoFoods, Froggy Bottoms River Pub, Hogan Brothers Acoustic Cafe, J. Grundy’s Rueb’N'Stein, James Gang HideAway, Just Food Co-op, Mandarin Garden, Quality Bakery & Coffee, Quarterback Club, Subway, Taco Bell, The Tavern, Tiny’s Dogs All Day, and the VFW Club.

The weather’s getting better; it’s safe to come out of your “cabin”.  Come on down(town) this month and Be Local…Dine Local.