Warren Ringlien seems to have found some bliss in this rocking chair at last week's Home and Garden show. And he's probably still smiling after Monday's City Council meeting when the Council decided to halt routine brush burning at the city's compost site.

It was Warren who initiated discussion of the problem with this posting to Northfield.org's ISSUES discussion list on May 26, 2004.

We hosted a special ten-day web forum on the issue in August, and Warren got appointed to the EQC earlier this year. (Click photos for larger view.)

Construction has begun for a garbage structure on the River Walk access path.

Location: between the Kjerland Building and Basil's Pizza on the west side of the Cannon River in downtown. Click the photo for a larger view.

NORLUG (Northfield Linux Users Group) held its monthly meeting tonight. The meeting began with a presentation on RPM (Red Hat Package Manager), a method of building, installing and managing software on Red Hat based computer systems. NORLUG member Jima gave the presentation, explaining the basics to experienced and novice attendees alike.

The meeting ended with a friendly discussion of various things Linux. Lastly, President Steve Usdansky announced that the organization will hold officer elections at its May meeting. NORLUG meets every first Tuesday of the month, and consists of members from Northfield, Dundas and Faribault. Click here for details.

The NDDC held its monthly Downtown Forum this morning at the Archer House, featuring the Northfield Union of Youth. The Union, according to its literature, is "the longest standing youth-run center in the nation." The Union was started in 1993 in order to address a growing need to provide local youths with activities, and as their mission puts it "to bring power and voice to area youth and create a caring community."

As Kevin Brown put it "the youth needed a place to call their own." The Union, a non-profit organization, launched its youth center "The Key" in 1995. It is named after a member who committed suicide, and serves as both a memorial and a reminder for the Union.

Griff created this set of photos http://www.nfld.us/gallery/unionofyouthnddc0405. Enjoy!

The Northfield Union of Youth (whose youth center is know as "The Key") is the featured organization at tomorrow's monthly NDDC Downtown Forum. See Dan Bergeson's blog post for details.

This photo (click for a large view) is from last spring's writing class at The Key. See the photo album for more.

Faces from the Home and Garden show last week (click any photo for a larger view):

L to R: Lee Klimisch with some hunky guy; Retired St. Olaf Processor Bruce Roberts with a former student, Leif Knecht; KYMN manager Ned Newberg and Nola Mathison drawing tickets for door prizes.

Left photo: The Mill Towns Trail will go under this Hwy 3 bridge (that's Walgreen's in the background) on the north side of the river and then behind the Safety Center. How soon? Stay tuned.
Center photo: Wednesday sunset on River Walk.
Right photo: a City of Northfield work crew, cleaning up Bridge Square on Thursday morning.

Click any photo for a larger view (popup).

L to R: Agora, downtown Northfield, has a new website and is renovating; the roof is on the Village on the Cannon, across from Riverside Lions Park; Caribou Coffee at Hwys 3 & 19 has opened. (Click any photo for a large version.)

The Nothfield Area Chamber of Commerce has named McLane Minnesota as Business of the Year, and Don Kuehnast, CEO of Community National Bank as Business Person of the Year. Both will be honored at the Chamber's Annual Meeting and Business Recognition Banquet next Wednesday, April 6, at The Grand Event Center.

Full Disclosure:

On Tuesday afternoon when it was 70 degrees, I took this photo (click for a large version) of a father and son watching the Cannon River's flow over Malt 'O Meal's Ames Mill Dam.

It doesn't compare to last June's high water (photo album). (See the blog posts of that week, starting here and then click the blog post headlines on the top right.)

In the non-Northfield media this week: Earl Weinmann, Tom Neuville, Chris Richardson, Bruce Santerre, Women in Northfield Giving Support (WINGS), Rob Schanilec, Mark Fagerwick, Joan Kark, Malt 'O Meal, Bob Johnston, Northfield.org, me.

K-12 students from Northfield area schools have their work displayed at the Northfield Arts Guild through Wednesday, April 20.

I've posted a dozen+ photos of the exhibition that I took on Monday in the Schools Art Exhibition photo album. More details on the NAG's exhibition page.

Bart DeMalignon and Jim Bohnhoff, in one of the exhibit rooms at the Northfield Historical Society. (Click photo for a larger view.) What's being done?

See Rob Shanilec's March 16 blog post on interior construction, his post on the discovery of the original ceiling, and their Capital Campaign. Northfield Construction Company and SMSQ Architects are involved in the restoration/construction. Exterior work of the Scriver building starts soon.

Full disclosure:

I took this photo of Northfield City Councillor Kris Vohs circulating a pledge sheet at the Northfield Home and Garden Show (photo album) on Saturday.

He's asking people to pledge to not drive a fossil-fueled vehicle for one day during Earth Week, April 17-23. (Earth Day is April 22.) Click either photo for a larger version. You'll likely recognize some of the signatures.

I spotted this on the paved trail through Carleton's Upper Arb, on the bridge over the creek at the bottom of the hill near Oak and 2nd. (Click the photo for a larger view.)

If you know what's going on, please attach a comment.

FYI, most but not all of the paved path is clear of ice and snow, though mud and debris are plentiful.

(L to R) Merl Dahl, Noel Stratmoen, Ernie Milbrant and Dave "Sewer Man" Legvold serenaded the crowd with some barbershop quartet singing earlier today at the Northfield Home and Garden Show.

Mark Mueller-Dahl, Mueller-Dahl Interiors, makes a hard sales pitch to Bill and Molly Woehrlin who actually just wanted some candy from his handout dish.

Just Food Co-op's Alex Beeby gets hosed down with some 409 by a woman from Procter and Gamble.

Click the photos for larger versions and see three dozen more in the Home and Garden Show photo album.

3/27 update: thanks to Dennis (comment attached) for the help in identifying Dave Legvold. Merl identified Ernie.