Events

You are invited to join singers from around the Northfield community for an evening of reflection on and celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, at Arcadia Charter School’s Arts for Martin, Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 7:00 PM.

Carleton College’s Department of Political Science will present Jon Olson, U.S. Naval Intelligence Commander (Ret.), on Thursday, Jan. 24. His lecture is entitled, “The U.S. Intelligence Community and the Intelligence Cycle” and it will explore the various collection disciplines, the organization of the U.S. Intelligence Community, funding, and the role of the various intelligence agencies within the national intelligence framework. The lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Room 304 of Leighton Hall, and it is free and open to the public.

An exciting new art and performance space is thriving in downtown Northfield, but you may not have noticed it yet. Without a street-level storefront or any visible signage, you can be forgiven for being unaware of its under-the-radar existence. But this Thursday—during Northfield's annual Winter Walk—you'll have a chance to discover and explore the venue during two overlapping events.

Beginning at 5 pm on Thursday, December 6, an exhibition titled "Dig and be Doug: The Poster Art of Doug Bratland" goes on display with a public reception at The Chapel, a music venue, art gallery, and gathering space located at 310 1/2 Division Street (above The Local Joint). This exhibition is The Chapel's first visual art show, and it will feature concert posters—an appropriate choice for a venue that has been hosting musical performances for over a year.

Looking for a fun activity for the kids over the winter holiday break? Come to Bethel Lutheran Church on Friday, December 28, at noon for a Sleight of Hand/Magic Tricks show with local magician Tim Freeland. Invite your friends, neighbors, and all those relatives who are still hanging around after Christmas! A free will donation will be taken. All proceeds will be donated to Feed My Starving Children and the Northfield Food Shelf.

Tim will perform dozens of close-up magic illusions that take place right in the hands in and in the face of all spectators.  And if you ask, I just may reveal some of his secrets! For a video of Tim's magic tricks, see his blog post about the event.

Northfield High School students Kirstin Buck and Annika Fredrickson will lead the procession Friday, Dec. 7, at the 37th annual Lucia Fest sponsored by the Northfield Swedish Club.

Area residents of Swedish descent, or those interested in Swedish customs, are invited to join the festivities beginning at 6 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Northfield. The celebration includes a potluck supper, a Lucia processional and pageant, live fiddle music, the singing of Swedish carols, and folk dancing.

After the meal, the Lucias, each dressed in white with a red sash at her waist and wearing a crown of candles on her head, will lead a procession of attendants and star boys, singing the traditional St. Lucia song. Afterward, they will serve cookies and coffee to everyone. The event concludes with songs and dancing around the Christmas tree.

This year’s Lucia attendants are Mali Buck, Katie Brust, Libby Brust, Claire Casson, Grace Casson, Brooke Green, Teagan Green, Sylvia Koenig, Louisa Lawler, Siri Lindell, Rose Mibus,  Elsa Nystrom, Ava O’Neill, Julia Peterson, Emily Rhoades, Madeline Scott, Codi Shogren, Emily Thurnheer and Linnea Thurnheer. The star boys are Max Casson, Trey Coudret, Creegan Croone, Peder Lindell, Liam O’Neill, David Rhoades and Connor Scott.

On Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Grand Event Center, the public is invited to celebrate the Northfield Public Library with an evening of trivia, music and dancing. The Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library (FFNPL) will host a Trivia Bee led by quiz mistress Jessica Peterson White, along with live music and dancing to the sounds of one of the area's favorite bands, The Zillionaires. Proceeds from this not-to-be-missed event will support a wide range of initiatives and programs at the Northfield Public Library. The teams are set and ready to go.  All ages are  welcome to attend. There will be a suggested donation at the door.

At their October and November 2012 board meetings, the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board approved grants to support four projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth.  The projects are funded through HCI’s Investing in Youth grant program.  Funded projects included:

Learn how to find, craft, remember, and retell folktales, legends, and family stories with professional storyteller Kevin Strauss. The Northfield Public Library is hosting two, free 3 hour workshops geared for adults and teens. Workshop presenter KEVIN STRAUSS, M.S. Ed. is a professional storyteller, and the award-winning author of six books and two storytelling CDs.  You can learn about him at www.naturestory.com

How to tell a story: an introduction to storytelling (Storytelling 101) Saturday, Dec. 1st from 9 am to noon.

How to find, craft and tell amazing stories (Storytelling 201) Saturday, Dec. 1st from 1 pm to 4 pm.

ECU Credits available or educators.  Registration is required. Call 507-645-6606 or email Kathy.Ness@ci.northfield.mn.us 

The Northfield Public Library's science-fiction book club will meet Tuesday, November 27th at 7:00 pm in the library's meeting room. The book to be discussed is Time and Again by Jack Finney. Call the library at (507) 645-1803 or e-mail david.greenfield@ci.northfield.mn.us for more information.
 

Thursday, November 15 is Give to the Max Day—a day each November when Minnesotans can make the the most of their donations of $10 or more to local non-profits. Through GiveMN.org, local non-profits have the opportunity to compete for matching grants based on the volume of contributions from community members like you. Would you like to Give to the Max? You can find out more about opportunites to give to local non-profits on LocallyGrownNorthfield and Northfield Patch, or through the Northfield Gives webpage of 5th Bridge.

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) has been making a difference in the lives of youth and families in our community for more than 20 years, working behind the scenes in support of successful programs like TORCH, Take It to The Box, Accelerate Northfield, the Mayor's Youth Council and many, many more.

Over the past eight years, HCI has helped to bring in over $4 million in state and federal grants to make a difference for our kids, and HCI has been recognized statewide and nationally for our collaborative approach to local issues. 

HCI's work has been funded in part by a generous federal grant, which has now expired. We ask your support with a tax-deductible donation to close our funding gap and ensure that our work can continue. Together we can make a difference and leave a legacy that will make the health and well-being of our children our first priority both today and tomorrow.

Through generous matching contributions, any donation made to HCI on Thursday, November 15, 2012, as part of the "Give to the Max Day" celebration, will be DOUBLED, up to a total match of $3,600.  Click HERE to help us meet this match!

At the Northfield Library you'll find,
With poems, some piece of mind,
In the Poetry Patch,
For young poets, a match,
And a place where your words can shine!

If you're a K-5 kid that loves Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, or 
maybe even Shakespeare, you're invited to join members of the 
St. Olaf Poetry house for Poetry Patch, a bi-monthly program 
for aspiring young poets. 

The Northfield Swedish Club is preparing for its 37th annual Lucia celebration and is looking for girls and boys interested in participating as attendants.  The event is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Northfield.  

Area residents of Swedish descent – or those simply interested in a night of fun, food and music – are invited to attend this annual celebration marking the beginning of the Swedish Christmas season.  It includes a potluck supper, a Lucia processional and pageant, live fiddle music, singing, and folk dancing around the Christmas tree.

Northfield Retirement Community (NRC) announced recently that it would be hosting Caregiver Support Groups, a series of gatherings designed to help caregivers let go of stress, support loved ones and find ways to care for themselves in the process. The sessions are designed to be safe places to share with one another and learn helpful tips on how to juggle a caregiver role with other responsibilities during the holidays.

The groups will meet for five sessions on Thursdays before the holidays – November 8, 15 and 29; and December 6 and 13 at the following sites:

• Noon–12:45 p.m. – St. Olaf College, Buntrock Commons, Room 145A
• 4:30–5:30 p.m. – Northfield Retirement Community, Buckeye Conference Room
• 6–7 p.m. – Northfield Senior Center, Room 106