Downtown

I thought that would get your attention!

VELKOMMEN! on Nov. 5, 2011 the Friends and Foundation of the Library will be sponsoring a Carnegie Concert at Northfield Public Library featuring the Lars Skjervheim Spelemannslag Hardanger Fiddlers of St. Olaf College.    

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

Thanks to St. Olaf you can get "a taste" of the Hardanger Fiddles here: http://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?e=526

The performers are; Seniors: Megan Peterson from Grand Forks, ND., Janelle East from Spicer, MN. Juniors: Sara Modahl from Port Washington, WI.,Eden Ehm from Decorah IA. Sophomores: Lindsie Katz from Boulder, CO., Sonja Wermager from Northfield., MN., Evan Deam from Chanhassen, MN, Kristian Cardell from Stockholm, Sweden.
Andrea Een, Leader

When Cynthia Gilbertson decided to open Northfield Yarn, she had a list of (very good) reasons for doing so. “First of all,” she says, “I loved the town. Second of all, I wanted to become more involved in the community, being new. And third of all, it just seemed like the kind of town that should have a nice yarn shop.” Cynthia, a former lawyer, had been teaching part time at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, and didn’t want to continue to make the commute from Northfield two or three times a week. When she learned that home décor shop Digs was moving to Minneapolis last Spring after a ten year run as Northfield’s Division Street craft supplier, “it just seemed like a sign,” she says.“I was having all of these thoughts in the spring, and fall is prime yarn season. I just thought if I was gonna do it I had to do it soon.”

Ross Currier, NDDC Executive Director, invites all to a great downtown event this week. Stop in the Downtown Northfield, MN Post Office on Wednesday, November 2nd, and wish it a Happy (Historic) Birthday.

The post office in Northfield, Minnesota was built by the New Deal  in 1936.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it's  a cornerstone of the Northfield Downtown Historic District. 

Patricia Wegman has offered up a bunch of photos from her fall gallery, which you can visit by clicking here or on the thumbnail to the right.

The Earth, Water, Fire exhibit at the Flaten Art Museum is opening on Friday with a  reception is 6-8pm. The Northfield Arts Guild is hosting Talún in thier upstairs studio at 7:30pm. The Northfield High School choir and orchestra are performing in the middle school auditoirum 7:30-10pm, and the Carleton Symphony Band is performing 8-9:30pm in Concert Hall at Carleton. The Tavern Lounge is hosting Midnight Collision 8-11:30pm, and 3AM is playing the Contented Cow 8-11pm.

The annual YMCA Fall Classic 5K and Kid's Fun Run and Obstacle Course is happening at Riverside/Lions Park on Saturday morning, with registration beginning at 7:45am. Max Nygren is playing the Cow 5-7pm, followed by Marty Anderson and the Goods 8pm-12am. Pipes, Pumpkins and Pferg, a Halloween organ extravaganza, is happening in Boe Memorial Chapel at St. Olaf at 7:30pm, and Jeff Ray is playing the Tavern Lounge 8-11:30pm.

The Carleton Jazz Ensemble is performing in Concert Hall at Carleton 3-4pm on Sunday, and the Bach Society of Minnesota is performing in Boe Memorial Chapel at St. Olaf at 3:30pm.

For the third year in a row, the Northfield Library's Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will be transforming the library into a scary and creepy place!  Members of TAB have been working hard on the transformation that will take place on Sunday, not to give away too much, but 200 feet of shiny Mylar, snakes, strobe lights and black plastic will play a part!   St. Olaf's Deep End APO, a theater service and production organization is assisting TAB with their special make-up.

The library will become a Carnival maze throughout the upper floor for you to travel through.  With the help and support of a Northfield Healthy Community Initiative Grant TAB is able to do this for Halloween fun but also as benefit for the Northfield Area Food Shelf.  Admission is $1 or a non-perishable food item. 

People attending must be in 6th grade or older, college students and adults will be welcomed!  It will be scary and not for little kids! 

When?  Sunday, Oct. 30 from 6:30-8 pm

Where?  Please use the Washington Street entrance of the library  210 Washington St.

Neuger Communications Group, a full-service strategic communications firm specializing in marketing and public relations, is hosting an open house for the Northfield community today, Thursday, October 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. at its new world headquarters at 25 Bridge Square in Northfield. The public is invited to enjoy coffee, cider and cookies, and tour the renovated space which was formerly home to Community Resource Bank.

The Norwegian royalty are visiting for the Royal Sammenkost at St. Olaf in Boe Memorial Chapel at 2pm on Friday (tickets required). The Cow is hosting New Moon Trio (5-7pm) followed by Bonnie and the Clydes (8-11pm) and The Pleasure Invasion (11pm-1am). Sasha Mercedes is playing the Tavern Lounge (8-11:30pm).

The weekly Riverwalk Market Fair is happening on Saturday for an extended time (9am-3pm) to include the Harvest Festival. Community Services Costume Closet is running 10am-2pm in the middle school cafeteria. The annual Cemetery Stories will be happening at Oaklawn Cemetery (4-8pm, reservations required). The Cow is hosting a Honky Tonk Night (4pm-1am) and the Tavern Lounge is hosting Art Vandalay (8-11:30pm). The Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema at Carleton will be showing the film Clean, Shaven at 7pm.

The South Central Minnesota Studio ArTour is happening on Saturday and Sunday (10am-6pm) in Northfield, Cannon Falls and Faribault.

For a complete menu of happenings pick up a copy of the Northfield Entertainment Guide, or check it out online. Have a great weekend!

This week Market Fair profiles Finca Mirasol, a local farm that specializing in free-range chickens and an assortment of vegetables. They also grow black beans. Owner Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, known for his work with the Rural Enterprise Center - a program of Main Street Project, was able to produce a cold climate variety of the native Guatemalan black turtle bean in Minnesota! Read more here.

Prairie Creek Community School is hosting a Poetry Making Activity this Saturday starting at 10:00 a.m. at the welcome tent that will encourage Fair goers of all ages to exercise their own poetry writing skills. Using magnetic poetry kits, one can build their expressive thoughts on the spot! A microphone will be available on-site for those interested in reciting their literary work.

Also, mark you calendars for Oct. 15th’s Harvest Festival! This is a family friendly celebration with seasonal farmers market goods, live entertainment, and art activities from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

For current information on Riverwalk Market Fair, visit the blog at www.riverwalkmarketfair.org.

Carey Langer is playing the Cow on Friday 5-7pm, followed by Marty Anderson and the Goods at 8pm and Foremand Band 11pm-1am. There is an exhibit opening reception for the Photography Invitational exhibit at the Northfield Arts Guild 7-9pm. The Tavern Lounge is hosting Bonnie and the Clydes 8-11:30pm.

The weekly Riverwalk Market Fair is happening on Saturday 9am-1pm along the Cannon riverwalk downtown, and the annual Sogn Valley Craft Fair begins on Saturday 10am-5pm in the Sogn Valley, between Dennison and Cannon Falls. The Cow is hosting a special Beatles Tribute beginning at 6pm. Carleton's Weitz Center for Creativity will be showing the film Down By Law at 7pm, and Western Union is playing the Tavern Lounge 8-11:30pm.

The Sogn Valley Craft Fair continues on Sunday 10am-5pm. The St. Olaf Chapel Choir is having their Vespers performance at 7:30pm in Boe Memorial Chapel.

 Donnita L. Rogers, author of Faces in the Fire, will read from and discuss her book on Thursday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m. in the Northfield Public Library meeting room.    Are you a “Viking Voman?”  A strong woman is a strong woman in any culture of situation; only the details vary.  You don’t have to be Scandinavian to love all things Viking.  You don’t have to be a feminist to stand up for women.  You don’t have to live in the sixth century to experience terror attacks.  Freawaru, the heroine in Faces in the Fire, could be you, your mother, your sister, your daughter, your friend.

Donnita Rogers grew up in Indiana, graduated from Earlham College, and went to graduate school at the University of Minnesota, earning a PhD in English.  She taught high school and college students for many years, during which her fascination with the epic Beowulf inspired her to write the novel Faces in the Fire.  Now retired, she writes, travels, and paints.  She and her partner Don divide their time among an island cabin in Canada, a river home in Texas, and a farmhouse near Northfield.  Come and listen to her discuss her first book of a trilogy.  The talk is free and open to the public.

Grab a cup of coffee before perusing the art scene at Riverwalk Market Fair this Saturday from Premiere Coffee Café. Brewed just moments before the cup is put in your hand, you know you’re getting it fresh! And who could resist that aroma permeating through the brisk autumn air at Market Fair? Plus, it’s certified organic and fair trade.  In addition to gourmet coffee, Premiere Coffee Café also serves iced coffee, hot chocolate, cold water and organic juices.

Next, quiz yourself at the Exhibit of Mathematical Art at the Welcome Tent starting at 10:00 a.m. The handsome collection of interactive puzzles and games, made of Minnesota hardwoods, can be enjoyed by all ages. Loren Larson, professor emeritus of mathematics at St. Olaf College and mathematical puzzle expert, constructed the inquisitive pieces while working with award-winning mathematics writer Barry Cipra. The puzzles and games can be appreciated on a number of levels, from novice to expert. The display will include building blocks for sculpture and design, put-together and take-apart puzzles, arrangement puzzles, sequential movement puzzles, sliding block puzzles, and two-person games.

Also, the Rotary Club of Northfield is hosting a fundraiser (a chance to win a 2011 Chrysler 200) at Riverwalk Market Fair this Saturday. The proceeds will benefit numerous Rotary initiatives and community groups including: Polio Eradication, Youth Exchange, NHS Student Scholarships, Bike Trails, Disaster Relief, Literacy, Northfield Union of Youth (Key) Shelter Box, & the Soccer Fields.

For more information visit Market Fair’s blog at www.riverwalkmarketfair.org. Fan Riverwalk Market Fair on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @RiverMktFair.

There is an exhibit opening party for Back and Forth: a retrospective Friday evening 6-8pm at the Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf. Burning Chrome is playing the Contented Cow 8-11pm followed by Droppin' Jive and the Uptown Five 11pm-1am, and Counterfactuals is playing the Tavern Lounge 8-11:30pm.

The weekly Riverwalk Market Fair is happening on Saturday 9am-1pm along the Cannon riverwalk downtown. The exhibit opening reception for Lowbrow-High Octane VI is happening 5-9pm at the Northfield Arts Guild. Art Vandalay is playing the Tavern Lounge 8-11:30pm and T.H.E. House Band is playing Castle Rock and Roll Bar & Grill in Castle Rock 8:30-11:30pm.

For a complete menu of happenings pick up a copy of the Northfield Entertainment Guide, or check it out online. Have a great weekend!

This week Riverwalk Market Fair offers some tasty bites for the crowds. Dan Borek‘s hot dog cart serves up 100% grass fed beef from Thousand Hills Cattle Company with fresh, locally-baked buns topped with zesty condiments like onions, relish, and sauerkraut all made close to home.  Klaus Huehn brings his famous sausage — a recipe from his homeland in Germany — to Riverwalk’s “European Fair” providing locals with an authentic experience of this flavorful food. (Don’t forget to add some of Luigi Sison’s German mustard for the real deal.) At the Welcome Tent is a demonstration of lacto-fermented foods like Carrot – Ginger – Kraut complements of Spring Wind Farm starting at 10:00 a.m. Try some samples, pick up healthy recipes to make at home, and visit Riverwalk Market Fair’s blog for more recipe ideas.

The Northfield Area United Way will be on site to exhibit their 2011 LIVE UNITED Gallery as part of its fall fundraising campaign. The Gallery showcases some of the local non-profits that get funding through Northfield Area United Way. It also profiles individuals who participate in our United Way in different ways. Learn how donations are spent locally and see how they help keep Northfield strong.

For more information on Market Fair, visit www.riverwalkmarketfair.org.

The Weitz Center for Creativity at Carleton (the old middle school) has exhibits beginning this weekend. The opening reception for Seeing is Knowing: The Universe and Middle School: Photographs by John Schott is 7-9pm on Friday, and there will be a community open house for Middle School: Photographs by John Schott Saturday 1-4pm in the small gallery.

Also on Friday, Shoot Lucy is playing the Cow 7-9:30pm followed by Fred the Bear at 10pm. The Tavern Lounge is hosting Midnight Collision 8-11:30pm.

The weekly Riverwalk Market Fair is happening along the Cannon Riverwalk in downtown Northfield on Saturday 9am-1pm. The annual Harvest Festival is happening at Just Food Coop 11am-2pm. The Cow is hosting Jim Lenway 5-7pm followed by Meredith Fierke 8pm-12am, and Jeff Ray is playing the Tavern Lounge 8-11:30pm.

Wake-Robin is playing Bittersweet on Sunday 12-1pm.