Visit Lake Street Blog
Best of the Cities
August 26, 2010
We are honored to be named in Minnesota Monthly’s new Best of the Cities issue. They gave us the prize for Best Twitter Feed:
“You can’t possibly cram the energy and vitality of the most diverse and historic street in Minneapolis into 140 characters, right? Tell that to the Lake Street Council, which has been packing its Twitter feed, @VisitLakeStreet, with gorgeous photos, restaurant reviews, coupons, and breaking news from the people and businesses that line Lake Street.”
Always nice to know that people are paying attention and like what you’re doing! Be sure you’re keeping up by following us on Twitter and Facebook.
Heidi’s to Lyn-Lake
August 19, 2010
More big news for the Lyn-Lake area this month, as it was announced that popular Minneapolis restaurant Heidi’s will soon open up at 2903 Lyndale Ave. S. Heidi’s was one of the restaurants displaced from the fire at 50th & Bryant. That fire was a tragedy for Minneapolis, but we’re happy that Heidi’s has found a new home, and that it’s right here in the Lake Street area. According to City Pages’s Hot Dish Blog, they plan to have 55 seats there, and a patio that can seat 28. And:
As a nod to the neighbors, Woodman said, the new Heidi’s will continue to keep its entrees priced less than $20. He plans to offer a larger selection of one or two-bite amuse bouches priced at a couple bucks a pop, so the restaurant can be open to more flexible drinking/snacking options than the multicourse meals commonly eaten at the original Heidi’s.
Keep an eye out for them!
In other Lyn-Lake restaurant news, Szechuan Spice is now open at 3016 Lyndale Ave. S. Kathy Jenkins at the Pioneer Press says it’s one of her new favorite dining spots. Check it out!
Openings all over West Lake
July 29, 2010
New things happening all over the Lyn-Lake and Uptown areas! Here’s what we’re tracking:
MSP Magazine’s Foodie File is reporting that an empty spot at Lyn-Lake is picking up interest from the restaurateurs at Tea House. The Pioneer Press says that it may be named Szechaun Spice.
Another restauranteur is looking to expand into the Uptown area. Look for Darbar India Grill to open at 1221 West Lake. Among the highlights of its offerings: “an exhibition tandoori oven that will roast free-range chickens, among other ingredients, and the menu will also focus on grilled items served small-plate-style.”
And HUGE Improve Theater just signed a lease at 3037 Lyndale Ave. S., and is currently looking for donations to help with the move. (Thanks to Our Uptown for the tip.)
Making the Twin Cities Tasty
July 26, 2010
The August 2010 Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine has a big list of 52 People, Places, and Plates that make the Twin Cities Tasty. Congratulations to Salty Tart’s Michelle Gayer for being number ONE on the list, and getting a nice big photo to go along with it. Congrats too, to Midtown Farmers’ Market, Ingebretsen’s, and Town Talk Diner for clocking in at #20, #22, and #28, respectively. Look for the issue at your local newsstand!
Oral history with Volunteers of America’s Bill Nelson
July 07, 2010
For our latest oral history video, we interviewed Bill Nelson from Volunteers of America about his memories of growing up at 36th & Lake. His attended school at St. Albert the Great, he remembers going to the fire station on Minnehaha (now Patrick’s Cabaret) to get sugar rations during World War II, and his father worked at Minneapolis Moline. Check it out!
And visit our YouTube channel to see even more oral history and our other past videos.
Weekend on Lake Street 6/18-6/20
June 18, 2010
Highlights
Friday: The Uptown Minneapolis Criterium bike race returns. “The course has teams race past Calhoun Square on a .88 Kilometer course that comprises six tight corners and a furious race to the finish line.” The expo opens at 4:30 and closes at 9:00, with several races in between.
And the opening of Jungle Theater’s The Mystery of Irma Vep. It’s already drawing acclaim, with the Star Tribune saying that it’s “seriously ridiculous” and a welcome summer laugh.
Saturday: Intermedia Arts’ Summer Kickoff BBQ: Let’s Get Summer Started! “Check out our fantastic new community spaces, see the latest art-on-our-walls, meet our new staff members, and be the first to find out about the amazing new programs and events we have planned for you this year!” Hands on activities for families include button-making and screen-printing, as well as the interactive gallery installation exhibit, the Storefront of Ideas.
Sunday: The first Uptown Market of the year. It’s weekly this year, with many produce vendors plus a rotating selection of artists, crafters and local organizations to bring you something new every week.
And That’s Not All!
Also check out Patrick’s Cabaret Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for Rooted: Hip Hop Choreographer’s Evening. “The first and only choreographers’ evening dedicated to Hip Hop dance and its’ roots in the Twin Cities; showcasing high school, emerging, and established choreographers!”
At Bryant Lake Bowl, it’s the sketch comedy Department of Redundancy Department followed by Dykes Do Drag on both Friday and Saturday evenings. And on Sunday it’s Play On Birds, “sketches about birds, bird watching, and the spouses who have to endure it.”
As usual, there’s plenty of live music at Sauce Spirits & Soundbar. Friday evening it’s Matt Dodge and the Lobsters, with The Farewell Circuit, The Sextons, and Arch Stanton. Saturday is the Rock the Garden Afterparty with F**k Knights, Phantom Tails, and DJ Skeleton Hand. And on Sunday it’s The New Congress with Root City Band and Laura Bell and Boombox.
And before heading to the Uptown Market on Sunday, don’t forget to swing by the Midtown Farmers’ Market the day before! Sergio Mojica and Gumption Trap play live, and the Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour swings by at 10:45. Plus, the vendors keep adding more and more produce, plus bedding plants, glass jewelry, birdhouses, coffee tables, and everything you’ve come to expect.
Enjoy this great summer weekend!
Oral history with Kathleen Clarke Anderson
June 10, 2010
Kathleen Anderson was a longtime staffer for Congressman Martin Sabo during the over two decades he represented Minneapolis in the U.S. Congress. She grew up in Longfellow, a few blocks south of Lake Street, and has many fond memories of those times. In this oral history interview, she recalls her friend working at a Lake Street ice cream shop, a roller rink in Uptown, and going on a date at the El Lago theater, amongst other things. Enjoy!
Weekend on Lake Street 6/4 - 6/6
June 03, 2010
A bunch of unique things happening this weekend, let’s get right to them!
Everything you ever wanted to know about Swedish style is yours for the listening this Saturday when Edie van Breems talks Swedish style in America at Ingebretsen’s Gift Shop. “Edie will touch on the historic origins of Swedish style and take you through a vivid and visually stunning tour of Sweden and America, showing how homeowners across the country are incorporating the touchstones of Swedish design into their American homes.” Call 612-729-9333 to reserve a spot.
So that’s Swedish, what about Danish? We’ve got that covered too, with Sunday’s Danish Day 2010: Building Our Heritage, at the Danish American Center. It’s a full day’s worth of events with songs, stories, lunch, and a raffle for a round-trip plane ticket to Copenhagen. The Minneapolis Marathon will pass right by that morning, too.
Switching gears, Sunday is also the date of ZRS Fossils’s Exploring Wellness Expo. Lasting from 2 – 6, it’s an opportunity to discover & sample many wellness-related products and techniques, like massage, aroma therapy, natural skin care, and much more.
And lasting Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it’s St. Albert the Great’s annual rummage sale. Come look for your treasures at 29th St. and 32nd Avenue, enter behind the statue of St. Albert by way of an elevator to the Social hall on lower level. Larger items and furniture are available in the garages behind the church.
Theater
It’s a weekend of Dizzy Titillations at Bryant Lake Bowl. “Armed with a suitcase of Disney princesses- Scott Lyons creates a unique fusion of Burlesque, Cabaret, Dance, Puppetry, and Performance Art- that’s illegal in over 5 countries!” Showing once on Friday evening and twice on Saturday.
And Open Eye Figure Theatre’s Driveway Tour 2010 hits the Lake Street area on Sunday with a performance of The Adventures of Katie Tomatie at 27th & Portland at 4 PM. Hosted by the West Phillips Block Club.
Music and Art
On Friday, Sauce Spirits & Soundbar has a CD release for Hunting Club, with These Modern Socks, Speeds the Name, and Satellite Voices. Saturday it’s The Beatifics, with The van Gobots, We Became Actors, and Jose Ayerve of Spouse. And Sunday, it’s Future Antiques, with The Drive Back, Benson Wells, and Eve & The Apple.
But, that’s not all! On Saturday evening, Sauce will also feature its fourth gallery opening, featuring artists Kao Lee Thao, Louis LaPierre, and Kate Burgau. A large number of works will be displayed by each artist, all for sale to the public. The display will span both the music venue and dining lounge galleries and be highlighted by works of significant size and scale. The opening reception will be attended by the artists, and offer signature drink specials chosen by each artist, as well as an opportunity to sample Sauce’s family recipe Italian pizza and appetizers.
Also Saturday evening, Intermedia Arts has its opening reception for its new exhibition We Work Here, about art, economics, and community in the Twin Cities. 7 – 9 PM, and free to attend.
Outdoors
The Midtown Farmers’ Market just keeps getting better, with lots of fresh produce arriving on Saturday, like spinach, radishes, snap peas, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, and onions, along with all the other food and crafts you can count on to be there. It also features lots of special events. There’s live music at 9 and 11, a cooking demonstration at 10, a town hall forum with local state legislators at 10:30, and East Lake Library storytime at 10:45.
More oral history with Joyce Krook
May 19, 2010
The second part of our oral history interview with Joyce Krook is now live! Joyce, the longtime Community Relations Specialist at Abbott Northwestern, shares what it was like to live, shop, go to school, and go to the movies at Lake & Hennepin in the 1950s.
And be sure not to miss part 1, which focuses more on the Minneapolis Ice Arena, which was where the Uptown Rainbow Foods is now.
As we create more of this videos, we’ll create a section of our website devoted to them, to make finding and browsing them easier. Keep an eye out!
Weekend on Lake Street 5/14-5/16
May 14, 2010
We’re thrilled to see the sun again today, and even more happy it’s forecast to stick around through Sunday. And what better way to enjoy the weather than at the outdoor Lyn Lake Street Festival on Sunday? Things kick off in the morning with the Rides of Spring bike rally, and live music from local bands throughout the afternoon, with Har Mar Superstar headlining. While you’re there, look for the many Lake Street businesses that are sponsoring, like The Alt, Fuji Ya, Galactic Pizza, Smitten Kitten, and of course Top Shelf, one of the leading organizers of the event.
Also outdoors, on Saturday the Midtown Farmers’ Market is in full swing. They’ll have live music at 9 and 11 AM, and story time with East Lake Library at 10:45 AM. There’s a long list of produce and other food and goods to be found this week. On the list: strawberries, mushrooms, tomatoes, wild ramps, bread, eggs, meat, pickles, and jam, bedding plants, coffee, baked good, pottery, candles, crocheted hats and purses…you get the idea.
One more! In the late morning and early afternoon on Sunday, there’s a groundbreaking ceremony at the Danish American Center. The ceremony will happen right after the program “We Were All Danes”, which starts at 11 AM.
Theater
Patrick’s Cabaret presents Noche Hispana Seis on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoon. Music, dance and video come together again at Patrick’s Cabaret to show off the cultural diversity of the Twin Cities. Paulino brings together talented local artists for a weekend where the common thread is golden: la cultura hispana. Don’t miss it!
Jungle Theater continues its highly-acclaimed run of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. It’s got so much by now it’s hard to pick out any one article, but here’s the latest from the Star Tribune, profiling two of the lead actors.
At Bryant Lake Bowl, it’s the dark comedy Wormwood and stand up cabaret Last Laugh on Friday night. Saturday, it’s another dose of Wormwood, followed by Dragmanity: PAGEANT!!!, presented by Esme Rodriguez. And Sunday afternoon, it’s A Studio Cabaret, a variety show highlighting musical styles from Broadway to classical to pop to jazz and rock.
Music
Bryant Lake Bowl has indie-folk artist Ben Connelly, called “one of the best songwriters in the Midwest” by MPR, on Sunday night.
On Friday night, Pictures of Then headlines at Sauce Spirits & Soundbar, with Kill Me Kare Bare, The Sextons, and The 4 On The Floor. Saturday night, Sauce has Me And My Arrow, with Fort Wilson Riot, Leisure Birds, Obchod Na Korze, Jeremiah Nelson. And on Sunday night, Sauce plays host to the Lyn Lake Street Fest Afterparty, with F**k Knights, The Millionth Word, Communist Daughter, DJ Denver Dally, plus a secret guest.
