Downtown

The Northfield Public Library is hosting a series of planning meeting at St. John's Lutheran Church Tuesday, May 13, May 27 and June 10, from 7-9 p.m. to answer an important question: Can the public library be expanded on its present site to serve the community for the next 20 years?

Topics for the three meetings are:

• Tuesday, May 13: Dreams and visions for the library and community.
• Tuesday, May 27: Ideas for ways to expand the library on its current location.
• Tuesday, June 10: Concepts and options.

The Northfield Public Library is hosting a series of planning meeting at St. John's Lutheran Church Tuesday, May 13, May 27 and June 10, from 7-9 p.m. to answer an important question: Can the public library be expanded on its present site to serve the community for the next 20 years?

Topics for the three meetings are:

• Tuesday, May 13: Dreams and visions for the library and community.
• Tuesday, May 27: Ideas for ways to expand the library on its current location.
• Tuesday, June 10: Concepts and options.

Margit Johnson, chair of the Library Board, sent us word about a series of upcoming planning meetings. I grabbed the information below from a post on the new Library Planning web site at http://nplfuture.blogspot.com/.

Help answer the question: Can a 21st Century Library fit into a 19th and 20th century neighborhood?

You’re invited to a series of informational and brainstorming events to explore the challenges and possibilities for an expansion of the Northfield Public Library at its current location (Third and Washington Sts.)

Here is your chance to share your thoughts, dream big and envision the future of the library building!

The Northfield Public Library is hosting a series of planning meeting at St. John's Lutheran Church Tuesday, May 13, May 27 and June 10, from 7-9 p.m. to answer an important question: Can the public library be expanded on its present site to serve the community for the next 20 years?

Topics for the three meetings are:

• Tuesday, May 13: Dreams and visions for the library and community.
• Tuesday, May 27: Ideas for ways to expand the library on its current location.
• Tuesday, June 10: Concepts and options.

Tennis anyone?  Join us! Youth, adults, seniors, beginners, intermediates, advanced -- All are welcome at the upcoming Tennis Block Party!

The Northfield Tennis Association (NTA) is sponsoring a "Tennis Block Party" at the Northfield High School Courts on Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. to Noon.

Tennis players of ALL ages and abilities are invited! Bring your racket and be ready to have some fun on the courts. If you haven't played in a while, just stop by - we'll have rackets available to use.

We've added Sweet Lou's Waffle Bar to the list of places that offer free Wifi access to its customers. 

If we've missed any, please let us know and we'll fix it ASAP.  Or, if you know of another list that would be valuable for Northfielders tell us that as well.

The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC) will present a public forum focusing on the health of the Cannon River on Tuesday, May 6 at 8 a.m. Featuring a panel of experts including Beth Kallestad of the Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP), Hugh Valiant of the Department of Natural Resources, and Cailin Orr of St. Olaf College, the forum will take place the Riverview Conference Room, lower level of the Archer House, 212 Division Street, in downtown Northfield.

Kallestad will discuss the CRWP’s efforts to protect and improve the health of the river as it runs through the region. Valiant will present a historic overview of the condition of the river as well its prospects for the future. Orr will shift the focus to the Malt-O-Meal dam and its impact on the river’s health.

YMCA Day Camp Scholarships! Cocoa Bean Fundraiser - Send Kids to Camp!

This Saturday, purchase a tantalizingly delicious Hawaiian Shaved Ice and 50 cents will go towards a YMCA Day Camp scholarship fund to send kids from our community to camp.

"The weather might not know it's spring, but we sure do," said Virginia Kaczmarek, Executive Director of the Northfield Area Family YMCA, "Maybe if you enjoy a Cocoa Bean treat on Saturday - we'll coax mother nature into full (sustainable) bloom!"

While you are out enjoying the city-wide garage sale (supported by 5th Bridge), stop by for a quick treat. Proceeds will go towards a scholarship fund for kids in our community.

Thank you, in advance, for your support!

Get ready get set…. There is only one week left until Sweet Pea’s Loft opens Toys & Treats. There will be two great shops in one great location.

If you haven’t already seen the sign outside the Nutting Block building (220 Divsion St.) where the YMCA offices used to be, Toys & Treats is opening on May 1st.

Toys & Treats we will be featuring toys, candy, ice cream, pop, juice and water.

Stop in between May 1st–4th and enjoy 15% off at either Sweet Pea shop. Special surprise give away and lots of fun!

GOP <= 4AM; McCain = Ole+1; Hong on Pipa

Northfield is specifically included in the bill relaxing the closing time of bars for the GOP convention in September, so sayeth the Pioneer Press:

A proposal for bars to remain open until 4 a.m. around the time of the convention passed unanimously through the House Commerce and Labor Committee today.

The action follows the failure of two previous proposals — including one by Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, which was removed from a budget bill on Thursday.

MPR has the story of Andrew Foxwell, an Ole, who has decided to back McCain for President...

"I'm not going to assign any to medical marijuana and drug policy," Foxwell said as he went through the quiz again, recently. "Civil liberties and domestic security, I'll give a couple points to that."

Then you answer some questions about how you think those issues should be addressed.

"Privatizing social security through personal social security accounts? Yes. Great idea," Foxwell said. "Support or oppose an increase in troop levels in Iraq? I do strongly support that."

(Submitted by Jerry Bilek)

Tom Swift, author of Chief Bender's Burden, will read from and discuss his book Thursday, April 10, 7:00 pm at Monkey See, Monkey Read (425 Division St in Northfield, MN). Afterward, Tom will sign books and answer questions. Refreshments will be served.

Library Journal recently gave Tom's book a starred review.

"Signal thanks to journalist Swift for this authoritative biography of Charles Albert Bender, the early 20th-century pitcher who managed to shine in both the big leagues and in life while confronting poverty and racism."

I am currently reading Chief Bender's Burden. I highly recommend this book. Tom's writing style makes this book a great read. The story is engaging and the game sequences are very exciting. Tom has recreated many of the games Bender pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics.

The book is currently 20% off the cover price.

Two stories today about how Lansing's hardware is going out of business, in addition to them settling their long-standing lawsuit with New Division Development:

• Northfield News: Lansing Hardware to close, Lansing Hardware suit settled
• Griff Wigley: Lansing Hardware going out of business

KSTP TV (Channel 5) featured local Northfield weekly acoustic music jam session, Nordic Jam, on the evening news broadcast on Thursday, March 28. KSTP decided to rebroadcast the feature on KSTP newscasts this past weekend.

If you missed the story on television, you can view it on the web at:
http://kstp. com/article/ stories/s392985. shtml?cat= 1

Emmy-nominated photojournalist John Goss contacted Nordic Jam in early March about doing the story and came down to film one of their regular Monday night sessions at the Northfield Eagles Club on March 10.

In honor of spring, the Dundas Exxon (near the corner of Railway and 2nd) is selling gas for $0.41/gallon for one day only. (The catch: 12 gallon limit.) We called the station to find out to find out the inside scoop.

"Not many people seem to know we're out here, so this is our way of saying 'Hey, here we are', you know, and I think that people will understand that."

The offer didn't specify if containers were ok or not, so if you were able to fill one up, please leave us a comment and let us know!

If there was a silver lining to the 3 to 58 inches of snow we got Thursday/Friday, it's that it brought out the photographer in people. Here are some links to spring snow shots from local photogs. If you know of any other picture collections, please let us know and we'll update the list. If you've got photos you want to share, send them to pictures@northfield.org and we'll add them to our Flickr gallery.

• Rob Hardy - Spring Snow
• Penny Hillemann - Spring Snow
• Griff Wigley - Sticky March Snow Downtown
• Chris Tassava - Good Friday Driving

Keep shooting, Northfield!