A recent story by Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Baier looks at the 'agripreneurial' activity happening on a patch of farmland near Northfield where Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, director of the Rural Enterprise Center, has helped immigrant farmers start their own operations.

"The way he sees it, if hundreds of thousands of Latinos already work in the nation's food and agricultural sectors, many of them could also branch out and be their own bosses," reports Baier.

"Rather than letting someone in a factory define what you're worth, why don't we try to create a path so you can decide what you're worth?" Haslett-Marroquin asks.

The Northfield Area YMCA is hiring youth coaches. For further information, please contact visit our website (to include an employment application) or call 507-645-0088.  You may send application to info@northfieldymca.org or mail to 519 Division Street, Northfield MN 55057.  More details about these and other positions are available on our website at www.northfieldymca.org (under "About Us" and "Jobs").

The Northfield Swim Club Bull Sharks would like to welcome you to our pool! The Fall season is about to begin and we’d enjoy seeing some new faces mixed in with our 70+ current athletes. If you are able to swim from one side of the pool to the other (25 yards) without stopping, you are qualified to join our team!

We will have an informational meeting on September 13 from 6-7 at the pool at the middle school. Come check us out. If you sign up, we’ll have a team shirt and a team swim cap for you.

A clinic for beginner swimmers will be offered starting September 20 at the middle school. It will run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for three weeks from 7-8 pm. This will give you a taste of what it is like to be on a swim team. After the clinic, you will see how great our team is and join us for the remainder of the season!

The public library's First Steps Early Literacy Center is a place where children, parents & caregivers can come to relax, play and connect.  It is a time when preschoolers can meet and learn early literacy and socialization skills in an informal setting.  Parents and caregivers can also share the joys and frustrations of the preschool years.  The library's meeting room is child friendly and full of toys.  Vollunteers help keep the area safe and focused. 

First Steps is open Monday,  Friday and Saturday mornings from 10 to noon.  No sign up! No fee!  Just come and enjoy time with your child or children!  If you are interested in volunteering please contact the library.

Check out the morning storytimes that resume in September!

The wonderful celebration of the original Carnegie library building's centennial continues into the fall.

There are free concerts on Saturday evenings at the library. The variety of musical entertaiment is amazing! You also are treated to dessert and coffee!

Check out the library centennial blog http://npl100.wordpress.com/

7 PM Dessert and beverages 7:30 – 8:15 PM Concert

Saturday, September 18: Roger Lasley– Guitar

Saturday, October 9: OsterVasterbotten Brass Band

Saturday, November 13: David Carter

Saturday, December 11: St. Olaf String Quartets

 Sponsored by the Northfield Public Library, 210 Washington St.

All programs are free and open to all!

Supported by theNorthfield Area Foundation, Goodbye Blue Monday,

the Ole Cafe and the Friends of the Library.

Have you ever wondered what downtown Northfield looked like in 1880? Or been unable to make out what was in the background of an old photograph? Then visit the Northfield Historical Society (NHS) when it opens a new exhibit showing downtown Northfield like you've never seen it before on Thursday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m. We have selected some rare photographs from our collection, cleaned them up to bring out the details, and enlarged them. So if you want to see some amazing photographs of downtown Northfield, come to NHS between 5 and 8 p.m. and enjoy refreshments courtesy of Just Food Co-op.

The public is invited to the 3rd Annual Northfield Retirement Cemter Walk to Remember on Sunday, September 19 at 1:00 p.m to benefit the Alzheimers Association.  Meet at the main entrance of the Center, 900 Cannon Valley Drive. Participants are asked to donate a money gift to the Alzheimers Association. Donations can be made by those choosing not to walk as well. If you would like to make a direct donation to the Alzheimer’s Association for NRC using the internet, go to: http://memorywalk10.kintera.org/twincities/nrc.

To pre-register, contact Emily Kerling, 507/664.7340 or : ekerling@northfieldretirement.org.  One may register the day of the event from 1-2 p.m.

The city’s Arts and Culture Commission seeks nominees for the annual Northfield Living Treasure Award which honors individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to arts and culture in the community. The recipient may be a practitioner in the arts or of cultural endeavors or be a supporter of and advocate for the arts and or culture. The award is one of recognition and has no financial value. It is also sponsored by the Northfield News.

The Arts and Culture Commission was created in 2007 as a result of recommendations made by Arts Plan 06, a community arts and cultural planning process, which assessed the strengths and weaknesses of current arts and cultural realities along with citizens' aspirations for the future. The ArtsPlan06 process was initiated by the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation and funded by the City.

Editor addendum: If you've got video from that day, feel free to add it into the comments or use our contact for to let us know about it.

• Here's our original page from that day.

Where were you four years ago today? Remember the tragedy (to our roofs) on that fateful day?  This is a video I shot from my house here in Northfield on August 24th, 2006 during the biggest hailstorm in recent history.  

The fall sports season is fast approaching . Both Northfield colleges are gearing up for another year of fierce competition. The fall sports that have commenced thus far are football, and men’s and women’s soccer.

This year at St. Olaf, football is off to an exciting start with forty-three new first-year athletes, in addition to last years returning players. Head Coach Jerry Olszewski is implementing a new team motto: “Either grab an oar or grab a life jacket, help paddle or head for shore”. This year is about teamwork and working as one. The first Ole football game will be September 4th vs. Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Carleton football is also off to a strong start beginning their season with offensive tackle, Brad Eckelmann being named Pre-Season All-American for the second straight year. Head Coach Kurt Ramler will lead the Knights into their first battle on September 4th vs. Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota. Their first home game will be on September 18th vs. Luther.

Have you noticed all the beautiful plantings in downtown and the surrounding area? Join Northfield in Bloom (NIB) on Wednesday, August 25 in Bridge Square at 6 p.m. to show your appreciation to the volunteers and NIB partners that helped to make it happen.

Register now for fall classes with the Northfield Skating School! We offer skating classes for all abilities and skating goals, including beginners through adults and aspiring hockey players. We are a U.S. Figure Skating model program and encourage participation, enjoyment, and achievement in skating by fostering a positive and challenging learning environment. 

This year's programs include group and private lessons, power/edge class, spin class, off-ice strength & stretch, practice ice, holiday events, an ice show, competition opportunities, skating camps, and more.

This fall Carleton College will be debuting a new tennis facility. The Bell Field Tennis Courts have been completely torn down and rebuilt. Not only are these new tennis courts a great addition to the Carleton College campus, they are a great addition to the Northfield community as well.

The Bell Field Tennis Courts are a unique part of Carleton's athletic facilities. What was once six courts has now been expanded into eight new courts, and the court surfacing and nets have been redone with state-of-the-art equipment. Not only will these courts be used by Carleton varsity athletics, they are also open to the Northfield community at no charge.

As the summer quickly comes to a close, head over to Carleton and try out the new tennis facility. These courts are a perfect spot for some summer fun and recreation.

On Wednesday, August 25th, 7-8 p.m, Just Food Co-op is offering a free class on how to deal with all the produce CSA members are getting right now. What to do with all those veggies? Join Molly McGovern Wills, enthusiastic veteran CSA member and imaginative cook, and Betsy Allister of Spring Wind Farm CSA, to discover what can be done.

Molly and Betsy will provide ideas for storing, processing, cooking, and eating those boxes of goodness that you are receiving in late summer. Pick up recipes your family will love and make sure that your vegetables are put to good use along with support for those whose refrigerators are bursting. Call to register - 507-650-0106.

How to Be A-OK in your CSA Fall Edition

• Wednesday, August 25, 7-8 p.m
• Just Food Community Room.
• Cost: FREE
• Register with a cashier or call 507-650-0106

Come to a celebration of the 90th U.S. Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote and the founding of the League of Women Voters! The event will be this Thursday, August 26th, from 6 to 7:30 pm on Bridge Square.

Bring the family and a blanket or lawn chair. The Northfield community will be brought back to the year 1920, with a mayoral proclamation, suffragists in costume, music of the time, and a historical perspective on Northfield during the suffragist movement.