Institutions

For most of us, church is a physical place, a building we go to when we worship, attend meetings, or participate in programs.

But for a growing number of people, church can also be a website called i.ucc.org

There are Bible studies, an online prayer service every evening, educational resources of several kinds, plus many blogs, forums, and other electronic conversations.

Who “attends” i.ucc.org?  Lots of different people: UCC members who want to widen their circle, UCC folk who don’t have a UCC congregation near by, and perhaps most importantly, people without a church connection who have somehow been drawn to the particular ministry of the United Church of Christ:  No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.

Take a look at this online community, then let us know  what you think about it!  Just click on the title of this post, then scroll down to the comment section.

As a new twist to this year’s ArtSwirl, there has been an extra effort to book local bands in the pubs. It’s all happening this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so come on down(town) and check out your favorite group.

Thursday, Todd Thompson & Friends are at The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division Street, and Down Lo is at the Upstairs Rueb, 503 Division Street.

Friday, Tony Newes is at The Tavern Lounge, 212 Division Street, Marty Anderson & The Goods are at The Contented Cow, 302 Division Street, and Meredith Fierke’s CD Release Event, with opening act Scaredy Cat Blackie, is at at the Grand Event Center, corner of 4th and Washington Streets.

Saturday night, its Todd Thompson & Friends are at the Hogan Brothers Acoustic Cafe, 415 Division Street, Matt Arthur and the Bratlanders are at The Taven Lounge, 212 Division Street, and the Rice County All Stars are at The Contented Cow, 302 Division Street.

Oh, and after Politics and a Pint, it’s the Nordic Roots Session at The Contented Cow, on Sunday night. It’s a long weekend of great local music in Downtown Northfield.

This Thursday, August 7th, is the big ArtSwirl Kick-off in Bridge Square. It’s a family-friendly event with something for everyone.

From 4 to 7 pm, the weekend-long Wood Sculpting Demonstration by Minnesota artist Curtis Ingvoldstad begins. The subject of Curtis’ ArtSwirl piece is a secret (at least until tomorrow night), however, (hint) it is a popular local theme.

At 6 pm, there is a surprise visit by the subject of the Ingvoldstad sculpture (and then it’ll be no secret). Don’t miss the dramatic arrival!

Shortly after 6 pm, the breakdancing, featuring the Lost Boyz Crew and an “Edible Art Walk“, along with a variety of arts and crafts activities for kids (sponsored by the Northfield Entertainment Guide, The Rare Pair, Sisters Ugly, The Sketchy Artist, Sweet Pea’s Toys and Treats, and Women & Kids on Division) begins.

Finally, back by popular demand from the Vintage Band Festival, it’s Craig Ebel & DyVersaCo for a polka-style street dance. People who were there will tell you, it’s a whole lot of fun.

It’s all free and it’s all in Downtown Northfield.

Please click on the August 2008 Chronicle for church news and interesting events happening at First UCC this month!

On Sunday, August 10, at 3pm the large sculpture by Mac Gimse called “Between Earth and Sky” will be unveiled at the Lampe Law Group offices at 105 East Fifth Street in Northfield. Facilitated by the local group ArtOrg, the outdoor dedication ceremony will celebrate this important work with music, poetry and stories from Mac’s former students and colleagues. Speakers will include Pat Quade, Glenn Switzer, Carl Arnold and some surprise quests. Music will be provided by Peter Diggins. The sculpture will be placed in Northfield for the next year, until which time it is permanently sited at the Dundas trailhead of the Northfield to Dundas ARTrail. There is information about the ARTrail here, and a photoset of other abundant sculpture in the area here. This activity is part of this year’s Art Swirl festival.

The ARTrail Group promotes the siting of art and sculpture along the Northfield to Dundas section of the Mill Towns Trail. Several important organizational and legal steps have been accomplished since the ARTrail formation circa 2005. For example, the Dundas trailhead of the Mill Towns Trail will see the siting of the first sculpture in the summer of 2009. ArtOrg has been asked to host this page which will accumulate information on the ongoing activities of the ARTrail Group. Contact us if you have ideas, or want to have sculpture on your favorite site.

A story about ARTrail and the Gimse sculpture titled “A Towering Tribute to Dundas” appeared in The Northfield News in April of 2006. Mac is also a part of the ArtOrg project called “The Twenty Views of Dundas”, and his artistic contribution is a copperplate etching based on this sculpture; here is that artist’s statement.

Mac Gimse’s “Between Earth and Sky” is the first sculpture to be formally placed on the ARTrail, and this will be sited at the newly-completed Dundas trailhead parking lot. Until the final installation is accomplished, the piece will temporarily be exhibited at the Lampe Law Group offices at 105 East Fifth Street, in Northfield. A big thank you goes to the partners of the firm for establishing a wonderful location to exhibit local sculpture. This is a great example of how art can be supported directly from the private sector.

The local area is rich with sculpture. Marybeth Fredrick and Raymond I. Jacobson completed an important sculpture inventory in April of 2005 and this has been expanded to include additional pieces:
Click this link to see photos of the nearly three dozen area sculptures.
Click this link to see these sculptures on an interactive map.

Other sculpture related links:
2006 ARTrail Walking Tour Photoset, with Ray Jacobson
Sculpture Garden, Anderson Center, Red Wing, Minnesota
Franconia Sculpture Park, Franconia, Minnesota
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Forecast Public Art, St. Paul, Minnesota

In case you haven’t heard, this weekend is ArtSwirl. On Saturday night, there’s going to be a Gallery and Studio Crawl, in Downtown Northfield.

ArtOnWater, 217 South Water Street, is featuring an exhibition of selected works of local artists Colleen Riley, Jim Bohnhoff, Tonya Kjerland, April Ripka, as well as special guest artists Gail Tang (Chicago), Mary Ruth and Lynette Schmidt Yencho (Owatonna), and some photography from Dean Kjerland’s international years, ArtOrg, lower level 314 Division Street, is showing “Twenty Views of Dundas”, Grezzo Gallery, 16 Bridge Square, is featuring wood sculptor Curtis Ingvoldstad, and the Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division Street, is showing the work of Ron Gallas and Meg Ojala. Additional venues are joining The Crawl, including The Key, 303 S. Water Street, featuring the work of recent Honors Art graduates, and swag, 423 Division Street, showing the work of a number of regional artists and crafts people.

The studios are also joining in by opening their doors to the public. Barefoot Studio, 418 Division street, offers the work of Carla Thompson, Phil Daniel, 101 E. Fifth Street, Suite 209 (enter at rear of building), shows architectural stained glass, Kirsten Johnson & Barbara Zaveruha, 105 E. Fifth Street, offers paintings and drawing, Karen Oiseth, 105 E. Fifth Street, shows her paintings, Right Brain Ventures, 305 S. Water Street, offers the work of Barb Matz, and the Women’s Art Share Studio, 101 E Fifth Street, Suite 305, features the works of Sue Hammes-Knopf and Mary Rose Gondeck.

Both the galleries and the studios are up and running all year round. However, Saturday night their doors will be open for a Big Time on our little Art Town.

When you check out this month’s Northfield Entertainment Guide, make sure to check out the artwork of Daniel Mueller, ‘08.  Daniel’s work, part of his ARTech senior project, is featured alongside professional artists from the Northfield area.  Daniel will be starting his first year at Minneapolis College of Art and Design this fall.

You can email northfieldunionofyouth@gmail.com for any additional questions.

Okeh, I ran with Dixon Bond’s pun for the title of my post on today’s NDDC Downtown Forum. Paul Niemisto cited the 1904 Iowa Band Law as a possible tool for strengthening art and culture in Northfield, Dixon made a joke and I’m keeping it going. I’ll blame it on the cookies.

Well over two dozen people showed up this morning, including Arts and Culture Commission members, members of the Northfield Arts Guild Board of Directors, members of the Northfield Historical Society Board of Directors, and current and hopeful political leaders, to share their ideas on arts and culture in our community. It was a continuation of a discussion that has already begun, in many parts of our community, will be further explored Sunday night at Politics and a Pint, and reach its dramatic climax at the Arts and Culture Commission’s Candidate Forum on October 2nd.

For those who are interested but were unable to attend, here are the raw comments from the discussion this morning:

1. Compartmentalize Jobs - Functional Specialization
2. Take Communal Responsibility for Events and Promotion
3. Need an On-Going Contact Point for Information/Coordination
4. Arts/Culture Cannot be Just Event-Driven; Need On-Going Support System for Art Town
5. Can’t be Totally Dependent on Volunteers; Paid Staff Necessary for Continuity and Avoiding Burn-Out
6. Our Events are somewhat Shaped by our Human Asset Base
7. We are an Art Town, We Just Need to Win Outside Notice
8. Long-Term Success Depends on Systematically Dividing Up Tasks
9. Increase Awareness of On-Going Activities/Events
10. Need an Informational Hub
11. Reinforce Volunteer Ranks
12. Address Split and/or Balance between being an Arts Destination or an Arts Incubator
13. Need a Vibrant Web Presence for Arts and Culture
14. What Do Working Artists Need?
15. Need to Support Sales, Attract Customers for Artists
16. Continue to Pursue Elusive Community Calendar
17. Increase CVB Leverage of the Arts
18. Address Split and/or Balance between Public vs. Private Support of the Arts
19. Remember the Northfield Craft Alliance from the 1970s
20. Dedicate a Percentage of City’s Funds for the Arts
21. October 2nd Unveiling of Harvest Sculpture/A & C Commission Candidate Forum
22. Arts and Culture Candidates Forum
23. Need to Recognize More than Just the “Splashes”
24. Need Technical Facilitation Not Hindrance
25. Include Art Forms of All Cultures
26. Convince the Council that Art & Culture are Worth the Investment
27. Better Integrate the Efforts of the Colleges into the Community
28. Loss of Community Resources Threatens the Arts
29. Think of Visibly Impactive Art
30. Free Up Time from Fund-Raising
31. Remember/Revisit the 1904 Iowa Band Law
32. Growing Working Artists Requires Money
33. Regulations Can Be Road-Blocks
34. College Students as a Source of Funding - Sales Tax?
35. Get More Leverage from the Library
36. Faculty Spouses’ Frustration Resulted in Arts Guild
37. Regionalize Solutions
38. EDA Supports NEC Supports Artists
39. Learn from Other Communities
40. The City Supports Arts with the Showmobile

Our Platform

VOTE YOUTH is the Northfield Union of Youth’s current campaign in making youth issues known to their peers, the public and especially, voters and their candidates. This is a general platform of issues that a committee of youth and adults have compiled, and is based off of our five key needs.

Somewhere to go:
While the Key provides a safe chemical free space, it is obvious there is a need for more of it, even space outside of the Key. This means places accommodating all sorts of youth activities inside and outside (tennis courts, skatepark, and further recreational spaces) as well as having handicap accessible places for youth that have a desire to get involved. This includes spaces after school and during the summer.

Things to do:
Youth are constantly in need of accessible, low-cost activities that can enrich them as well as entertain them. An issue that comes up frequently is activities for “older” youth in the middle school and high school range who find their options dwindling. In petitioning for more programs for this age group we encourage organizations to expand or help start programs for all varieties of youth (Latino youth, youth with disabilities, girls in power, kids recovering form drug issues, etc).

A way to get there:
Accessibility options are key. Current options for youth to get places are finding rides from adults or using themselves as transportation. Extremely valid forms of transportation are things such as walking, biking or skateboarding, but traffic makes these options difficult, especially for disabled youth in the community. There are so many effective transportation options that could be created for youth to get themselves places other than their home and school.

People to meet:
One of the most important things that can be stressed in this campaign is community relationships, especially with youth. Youth interactions are vital in having kids meet other youth from different backgrounds, cultures, and financial situations. It’s also important for youth to get to know their community with inter-generational mentoring, getting familiar with community leaders and authority figures, and getting to know other people in their community. It’s also important to have youth representatives in the community to act as a voice for decision making in their areas of interest.

How to know:
Resources for youth can be found everywhere in community, but the issue is finding them. Kids that have problems are constantly in need of resources that are easy for them to use and find. It’s as simple as having access to information and even bringing up new solutions to youth problems.

You can direct any comments, suggestions or questions to northfieldunionofyouth@gmail.com

From now until early September, the Key will be working on making a Chinese Dragon for art project. We need LOTS of help, so much in fact that we’re having art project TWO days a week. Tuesdays will stay the same (at 6:30), but we’re also meeting with Stephen Delwiche (of Grezzo Gallery fame) on Sundays at 4:00.

Keep in mind, as the dragon gets bigger, we may need to find other locations for creating this monster. We’ll keep you updated as to where we’re meeting.

An editorial in today’s (August 4th) Star Tribune, A private sector fix for a downtown in need, supports the creation of a Downtown Improvement District for Minneapolis.

A Downtown Improvement District, or Business Improvement District, as they’re known in most of the country, or Special Services District, as they’re technically called in Minnesota, or Downtown Management District, as we’ve called it at the NDDC, gives building owners in a defined district the ability to assess themselves and then decided how the money is spent within that district. These Districts have been around for decades and are quite successful in giving property owners more control over their neighborhoods and moving the decision making on capital spending from the center to the periphery, where the leather meets the concrete.

The NDDC has spent considerable time researching BIDS and discussing them with downtown building owners. Last year, we were ready to move forward on the concept but another year of double-digit property tax increases led many building owners to request that we shelve the idea, at least temporarily.

Now that we appear to be making real progress on the property tax issue, it may be time to try again. In our previous work, Duluth and Rochester were valuable sources of information. Now perhaps Minneapolis will be able to offer us a few tips.

The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC), in collaboration with the Northfield Arts and Culture Commission, will seek stakeholder input on arts and culture policy at its August Forum, scheduled for Tuesday, August 5th at 8 a.m. in the Riverview Conference Room, located in the lower level of the Archer House, 212 Division Street, in downtown Northfield. The gathering is the intellectual kick-off of the Fifth Annual ArtSwirl Festival. The public is invited to attend and encouraged to participate.

Home to a number of institutions, galleries, venues and studios for a wide range of artistic mediums, Northfield is poised on the brink of regional recognition as one of Minnesota’s most vibrant “Art Towns.” With St. Olaf College’s recently completed arts facility considered among the top-rated in the country, and Carleton College’s proposed Arts Union promising a new paradigm in arts education, Northfield could soon be winning national recognition as an arts incubator.

A growing number of people in the community believe that arts and culture can lead the way to creating and supporting a new economy. The NDDC and the Arts Commission seek to generate ideas, to be presented to the candidates in the upcoming election, as well as offered to the city’s boards and commissions and community’s organizations and groups, of policies that can enable Northfield to maximize the potential that this sector holds for our local economy.

The NDDC is a non-partisan, non-profit community organization dedicated to the vitality of downtown Northfield. The event is free and open to the public. As always, coffee and cookies will be served.

For more information, contact Executive Director Ross Currier at (507) 663-0319 or rcurrier@nddc.org.

Today I tried to tie together two very different stories: Jacob wrestling with God and Jesus feeding the 5000 with only five loaves and two fish.  The connection:  both stories start with someone who is afraid …

Scoundrels and Saints

Genesis 32:22-31  Matthew 14:13-21 

The cover of this morning’s bulletin may have been a clue to you about my reflections on the Biblical texts for this week: two illustrations of different styles sitting next to each other, but not really connected. The two stories we just heard – one about Jacob wrestling with God, and one about Jesus feeding a crowd of 5000 people with five loaves and two fish – these stories are remarkably resistant to being woven together into a single sermon. What they do share, curiously enough, is a focus on fear.

The disciples are afraid there will not be enough – not enough food for the great crowd that has followed and listened to hear Jesus. This is not an unreasonable concern, after all, if the Biblical estimate of 5000 men (plus women and children) is at all accurate. There is almost certainly not enough food in the deserted place where he has been teaching.

Before you think that I have chosen this story for today as a comment on the economic uncertainties of our own time, let me assure you that this is the lesson assigned in the lectionary for today. The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary were chosen to follow the church year and the life of Jesus, not to respond to current events – though it is always somewhat unnerving when they do resonate with front page news.

And resonate they do. This week’s news brought reports of a slowdown in home building and home sales, a speed up of home and business foreclosures, an increase in unemployment and a corresponding decrease in the number of jobs available, and financial problems for businesses, retailers, airlines, and nearly everyone else. Just as importantly, confidence is waning, as more and more people worry about money and debts and dreams that will likely go unmet in the future. What can we learn from this narrative of abundance when we are in the throes of growing scarcity?

We can be reminded, first, of the cost that fear of scarcity brings into our lives. When we believe that there is not enough – not enough money, not enough energy or time, not enough love or loyalty – when we believe that there is not enough, we become stingy, cranky, and focused on hoarding whatever we believe is in short supply. Few of us are ennobled by our worries about money. Believing in abundance, on the other hand, does bring out the best in us. It makes us feel grateful, generous, and generally optimistic. A sense of abundance brings people together – even if an objective accounting of assets doesn’t show much wealth. (People who have traveled in the third world – where scarcity is a fact of daily life — almost always report with surprise that they have encountered folks who are remarkably generous with what they do have …) Living with an awareness of God’s good and extravagant creation – as described in the beginning of the book of Genesis – seems to be good for our souls; recognizing abundance, like recognizing love, casts out fear.

Believing in the abundance of God, of course, is not the same as expecting your bank account balance to go up by itself, or your credit card balance to go down. Believing that there is “enough” is a tool that helps us to steward our resources more faithfully and more thoughtfully. The story of the loaves and fishes is not so much a story of magic as it is a story of generosity and hospitality.

Jacob’s fears were of another sort altogether. Jacob really was a scoundrel, and he had come to the moment in his life when he needed to confront his brother, whom he had defrauded many years before.

The story of Jacob is told in the book of Genesis, starting in chapter 25, and I commend the whole tale for your attention. [Here’s a hint: choose an easy-reading translation of the bible when you want to get an overview of the whole story, then go back and read one of the more scholarly versions (like the NRSV) to catch the nuance and detail.] Briefly, here’s what has happened so far: Jacob and his twin brother Esau were rivals even when they still in the womb. Genesis says that Jacob stuck his hand out of the womb even before they were born, as though to establish his claim to superiority. Esau was came first from the womb, but Jacob came out directly afterwards, holding on to his heel. When they became adults, there came a day when Esau came in hungry from the fields, and Jacob used that greedy hunger to trade the birthright of the firstborn for a bowl of lentil stew. And when their father Isaac was coming to the end of his days, he asked Esau the hunter to bring him some meat and prepare to receive the ritual blessing. Jacob, conniving with his mother, disguised himself as his twin and stole that blessing, too. After that, Jacob had fled in fear of Esau’s reprisal.

So in the passage we heard this morning, Jacob has decided to come home after many years away. He returns with his two wives and their two maids (the four women who together have borne 13 children), and with all of their slaves and livestock and belongings. He does not know how he will be received – which may be why he has sent everyone else ahead of him, including servants with generous gifts of livestock for Esau.

We can’t help asking who it is, exactly, that Jacob wrestled with that night on the bank of the Jabbok. The text is tantalizing ambiguous here. At first, it identifies the foe just as “a man,” and we imagine it might be a thief. But when the wrestling match takes all night, we begin to suspect that it might be his own fear and remorse with whom he is grappling. The match is a draw apparently, with neither man able to subdue the other – until suddenly Jacob’s hip is put out of joint. Still, Jacob holds on, and demands – of all things, a blessing from this stranger.

Jacob, who connived to get the blessing of his own father, now demands a blessing from this midnight adversary. The blessing he receives is a new name, Israel, a name that commemorates the struggle he has had, both human and divine. In the words of the stranger, “you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.”

Jacob quickly asks the stranger for his name. He receives no reply, nor does he need one, for he is clear that is God he encountered alone on the bank of the Jabbok. Our lesson for today ends here, but I think it is important for you to know that Jacob’s encounter with Esau turns out to be a peaceful one, in spite of all of his worry and even in spite of all of his precautions.

Just as the two illustrations on the front of the bulletin do not come together easily, these two lessons about fear do not come together easily. Sometimes fear erodes our souls and makes us stingy and the only cure is to push against the worry and act out of generosity and hospitality anyway. Sometimes fear paralyzes us and makes us prepare elaborate defenses, and the only cure is to push inward to struggle with our own history and with the power and mercy of God.

And today, of course, we often stand in just these fearful places. The economic changes swirling around us (whether or not they are of our own making) leave us afraid that there is not enough. The political and social changes swirling around us (not to mention the wars and violence) leave us afraid that we will be attacked. We understand the disciples. We understand Jacob. We understand being afraid.

The question is whether we will hear the voice of Jesus, gently insisting that we feed those who are hungry, and in that act of generosity set aside our fear. The question is whether we will wrestle with the stranger on the riverbank, and in that act of struggle find our new name, and our welcome home. The question is whether we can learn from both the saints and the scoundrels about the weakness of fear and the power of obedience and faithfulness.

Amen.

Prayer for August 3, 2008

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. [pause]

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. [pause]

God of all seasons, the summer heat that slows us down leaves us more time to think about our own lives. Instead of taking joyful rest, we find ourselves ruminating over past mistakes, shortcomings both real and imagined, and dreams that have not come true.

Bring your cooling and gentle healing to us, so that we may let go of our fussing and worrying. Sooth our injured feelings, and draw us into a wider perspective that will make it easier to let go of our resentments. Quiet our fears, and fill us courage to meet the challenges of our lives. Reconcile our aspirations with our aptitudes and energies, so that we can know the delights of accomplishment and completion without the burden of exhaustion.

At the same time, Lord, help us to be soulfully quiet so that we can hear your words of correction and direction. Let the slower pace of our summer lives make us better at discernment, and less likely to jump to decisions based on our anxieties. Help us to appreciate the gifts of slowing down and taking time, and to use these gifts to reshape our lives where they bulge with business or warp with weariness.

Do not, we pray, let the languor of this weather decrease our compassion, or dampen our ardor for peace and reconciliation. Teach us, we pray, the ways of summer discipleship.

All this we ask in the name of the one who lived in the heat of the Middle East, and who fed the multitudes with loaves and fishes, even Jesus the Christ, and we pray together now I the words that he taught us: …

First offered July 30, 2006

1

This year we will be participating in the Defeat of Jesse James Days celebration for the first time! We will be teaming up with Northfield Dance Acadmy (NDA) with a float and routine for the Kiddie Parade.

WHEN/WHERE:
Rehearsal: Fri 9/5, 4:00-6:00pm behind NDA’s studio on Water St (please wear tennis shoes and comfortable clothes).
Parade: Sat 9/6, 10am - 11am. Line-up starts at 9am at 6th St. & Division St.

WHO:
Skaters 6+ may dance in the routine and must attend the rehearsal. There is no upper age limit. NO DANCE EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Your skating skills will prepare you just fine.
Skaters 5 and under may be seated in the float.
Parents and other family members are encouraged to walk with us, carry signs, hand out brochures, etc. Skaters age 6+ who are unable to attend the rehearsal may still join us to march.

Attire: Jean shorts, NSS t-shirt, cowboy hat and bandana. Purchase of an NSS t-shirt will be required to participate.

If you would like to participate, please contact us by FRIDAY, AUGUST 8th with number of participants (including parents), ages of the skaters, and t-shirt sizes for all participants (youth S/M/L, adult S/M/L/XL). If you are unable to participate but would like to order a t-shirt, feel free! The cost of t-shirts is $15.

…between the gentleman on the right and yours truly in purely coincidental.

Okeh, I’ll admit it, I play bass guitar in Blue Moon. My band mates have wondered why I hesitate to promote our band on this website and so I finally succumbed to peer pressure. We (Jerry Johnson, Lance Heisler, Wendy Smith and me) are playing tonight (Friday, August 1st) at the Contented Cow. As a special treat, we’ve got musical guest Inga Johnson playing fiddle for family and friends before she heads back to Ripon College.

Also tonight, the Norwegian Cowboy is playing at the Tavern Lounge. Head to the riverside of Northfield’s Historic River Inn, the Archer House, to hear his wide range of music, creative pronunciations of foreign languages, and unique brand of locally loved entertainment.

Finally, it’s the Merry Wives of Windsor, 7 pm, on the Central Park Stage. John Falstaff, one of Shakespeare’s deepest and most human characters, leads the action in perhaps the Bard’s most popular comedy. He tries to trick a couple of women in matters of love and money and, in a familiar turn, ends up the fool. Falstaff takes it well, accepting responsibility for his actions, laughing genuinely at his own foibles, and inviting everyone back to his place for brews by the fire. Ah, we can all learn something from the fat and happy Sir John.

Saturday night, The Merry Wives are again in the Park, Spruce Top Review (musical interpretations that are “familiar and obscure”) is at the Contented Cow, Mark Mraz (Northfield’s “piano man”) is at Froggy Bottoms, and Cam Waters (”understated, expressive singing and simple yet inventive finger-style and slide guitar playing”) is at the Tavern Lounge.

Then Sunday, it’s Politics and a Pint, at the Contented Cow. Moderator Bruce Morlan will be out of town so it’s rumored that Proprietor Norman Butler will be assuring truth, justice and the pursuit of happiness for this weekly session.

Bulletin for August 3, 2008

Philip Spensley, Chair of the Northfield Arts and Culture Commission, discusses increasing access of visitor-generating organizations to tourism promotion resources while Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Feldbrugge jots down some thoughts at yesterday’s tourism discussion. Also attending the meeting were Michelle Egeness of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Victor Summa of the Economic Development Authority, Ross Currier of the NDDC, and Hayes Scriven of the Northfield Historical Society.

The meeting grew out of an NDDC Monthly Forum that focused on tourism. After hearing about the experiences and accomplishments of the Chamber, the CVB, the Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee and the Historical Society, audience members encouraged the groups to seek and exploit more opportunities for collaboration.

Topics discussed included The Message and supporting themes, target markets and prepared packages, leveraging lodging from existing assets, and constantly and consistently coordinating calendars. Of particular interest to me was the brainstorming of tourism assets; we quickly moved from the familiar to the completely unexpected.

Everyone seemed energized for the session and we all came out of it with action steps. I do believe that Hayes offered to host the next one.

Our newly opening Northfield Area Family YMCA Wellness Center will bring Jobsto Northfield.  We are looking for a variety of staff team members to include Wellness Center staff, Child Watch staff, Exercise Fitness staff and Youth Development staff. 

Wellness Center Staff, Fitness Exercise and Child Watch staff will work at our newly opening Wellness Center located at 900 Cannon Valley Drive (space inside the Northfield Retirement Community (NRC) near Greenvale Elementary School. 

Youth Development staff will work in a variety of programs ranging from Messy Play to Scooter Basketball to Flag Football.  Applicants need not be an expert in the particular program but must have the ability to direct kids in programs and enjoy working with kids ages 3-11. 

For further details, please visit our Jobs page on our website at www.northfieldymca.org.