The Force of Blue
There’s a relatively new documentary that’s been released which you may want to check out. Force of Blue follows the North High boys Polar football team …
Wirth Lake had many names
I spent many a summer day in the 1950s and early 1960s heading west down Glenwood Ave from my home on Queen Ave to go to the beach on Glenwood Lake. When I was …
Looking back at a major teachers’ strike
I have written about our public schools in the past, but this month I thought I’d write about an event that took place 55 years ago and not only had an …
The many changes to Basset’s Creek
I grew up close to Bassett’s Creek, one block west and down Fruen’s hill. Even though my parents had forbidden me to go there unless it was frozen over, I …
Hats off to youth
On April 8 I attended the 4th Ward caucus night at Camden High School. When I walked into the auditorium I noticed a couple of things. First was that the place …
Forgotten lakes and ponds
Growing up in the lowest part of the Northside, I only knew of three local bodies of water other than the Mississippi River. There was Glenwood Lake (now named …
Celebrating 100 years of great community service
On April 11, 2025 the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center will host a gala to celebrate its centennial. Originally called the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House, …
Women shaping history
Being that March is Women’s History Month, I thought I’d write a bit about a few women from Minneapolis history that you may not have heard of before. …
Figuring out Presidents’ Day
I seem to remember as a kid going to elementary school in North Minneapolis in the 1950s, that some years we got a day off for President George Washington’s …
Decades of the local florist business
With the sudden passing away of my friend Phil Murphy, the last owner of the florist business and greenhouses on Humboldt and Dowling, I thought I’d write …