Sng Summer 2013 Profile Web

7/30/2019 Sng Summer 2013 Profile Web

1/8

Summer Quarterly 2013

Crafts Arts Dance Music Food Theatre Services Community

Out & About:

Here comes the Sun

Were HOT in Seward!

Discover the parks, shops, to-dosand all that makes our hood

the place to hang out for summer.

Abdi of SPOKES

Cam Gordonspeaks his mind

Riverside ReveriesGarden Tour

Get Biking

Read all about why

Seward is the place folks

talk about, visit and

check out to live!


2/8

The Seward Profile, a quarterly publication

of the Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG),strives to keep neighborhood residents,

businesses, property owners and organizations

informed of what's happening in Seward

and assist SNG in building and sustaining a

strong, diverse, and vibrant community.

As a typical Seward endeavor, the Profile

relies on volunteers to plan each issue,

create copy, sell ads, and prepare the

printed edition for mailing. We welcome

your suggestions and would welcome your

time and energy even more.

To get involved, contact us at

[email protected] or Seward Profile, 2323 E.

Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55406.

Upcoming Issues and Deadlines:

Fall Issue 2014 - Festivals and Frolic

Copy and Ad Deadline: August 9

In Homes and Businesses:

August 30-21

If you or someone you know would like a

written translation of the Profile Quarterly,

please contact [email protected] or

call 612-338-6205, ext 119.

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Editors: Diann, Bruce, Maddy, Trevor and Ryan

Design: Marne

e-mail:[email protected]

Printer: PrintCraft

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Seward Garden Tour:Our Annual Afternoon Delight!

Have you wished you could walk into your neighbors

beautiful backyard but didn't want to appear pushy?

Here's your chance to see some wonderful Seward

gardens to share garden ideas and meet neighbors

and talk about gardening all while being served snacks

and drinks. Enjoy a variety of beautiful Seward gardens

by joining the afternoon Seward Garden Tour from

1 to 5 p.m. on June 15th. There will be light refresh-

ments including Tea/Coffee and cookies or appetizers and sparkling waters or

wine at many of the gardens. Youll be invited into all different kinds of gardens

tranquil Japanese garden, native plantings, rain gardens, and venture into sec

gardens hidden away behind fences. You will even have the opportunity to spe

with a chicken farmer. Each garden you visit will give you a chance talk with

the gardener about plans and planning, techniques and trials. There may be a

professional gardener or two but most are just people who love to garden and

have created interesting landscapes. The Garden tour is a fundraiser for the

Seward Neighborhood Group. Tickets are $10 in advance ($15 on the day of

the event) from SNG at www/sng.org or 612-338-6205, ext 119. Tickets and

Maps will be available on June 15th at 2901 E. 22nd St. for $15/ticket.

Discover allthat is Seward at

www.sng.org

A Yummy Partnership Franklin Freeze and Pita King

Owner, Tabitha Obert of Franklin Freeze has two new partners

Louie Abukhdair and Fayez Almukrahi. Pita King specialties

such as falafel, gyros, sambussas, domadas, hummus are their

must-have, go-to Middle Eastern standards. Have a sweet tooth?

Try the delicious baklavas. And dont forget theres always the frozen delight

of soft-serve ice cream! Now open together at 328 East Franklin Street

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3/8

The Seward Profile was named after a refrigerator. Cheri and Karey

Getz were eight and nine year-olds who lived with their parents at

2514 30th Avenue South while attending Seward School a block

away. Their dad worked at the Moline plant in the neighborhood until

the company folded that facility. The Getz sisters found out about

a naming contest for the paper when one of their teachers handed

out the information about the contest in class. We all took a copy

home and eventually decided to enter, Cheri recalled. We (my sister

and I) were in the kitchen banding about names. I happened to look

at our refrigerator. Its brand name was Profile. We thought that

would be an appropriate name for the Seward paper. We had two

different versions.I wanted Seward Profile. My sister suggested

Profile of Seward. We chose Seward Profile with the understanding

that we would split the prize money between us. We were playing in

the front yard with some friends when my mother came to the door and

hollered you won. The following month, the contest winners were

announced in the newsletter and the Seward Profile was born. The

Getz sisters picked up their prize at the SNG office. Cheri put her half

in the bank while Karey spent hers. Ten bucks went a long way in

those days, Cheri said. I always saved my money. Interestingly,

Cheri ended up working for U.S. Bank at 2800 Lake Street, where she

has been for 33 years. Soon after the contest award, the Getz family

moved from its rented Seward home. Cheri bought a house in the

Longfellow neighborhood where she lives today while Karey moved

to St. Louis Park. Ive always been in this area, Sherri explained

either in Seward or Longfellow.As for the famous refrigerator, it was

left in the Seward apartment when the Getzs moved out. Its name-

sake, on the other hand, continues to bring news to the neighborhood.

Whats in a Name?by Burt Berlowe

Seward Neighborhood GroupHome Improvement Assistance

Are you thinking about making improvements to your

home, but not sure how to proceed? The Seward

Neighborhood Group's Housing Coordinator can help

with project planning, hiring contractors, obtaining

financing and advice during construction.

The SNG Revolving Loan Program can now be used for improvements to 1-4 unit ow

occupied and non-owner occupied rental properties. The loans are also available to

townhouses and condominiums. The Revolving Loan Program provides loans up to

$12,000 for exterior, energy, mechanical, electrical and code improvements at 2.5%

The SNG Interest Subsidy Grant Program reduces the interest rate on Community

Fix-up Fund loans from 5.75% to 2.5% on loans up to $20,000 for up to 15 years.

The Community Fix-up Fund is available to owner occupied 1-4 unit buildings and

townhouse and condominium owners. The loans can be used for most types of

home improvement projects including interior remodeling and additions.

The Emergency Deferred Loan Program provides deferred loans to owner-occupants

of properties in the Seward neighborhood who face emergency home repairs and a

unable to obtain funds to repair the problem. Loans will be made to cover the cost o

correcting the problem up to a maximum of $5,000. For home-owners unable to ma

monthly payments, the loans will be repaid when the house is sold. All of the loan pr

grams have an annual household income limit of $96,500 for the owner of the prope

For more information on the loan programs or general home improvement adv

contact Doug Wise, SNG's Housing Coordinator, at (612) 338-6205, ext. 102 or doug@sng.

SNG Home Improvement Loan Programs:

Low Interest Home Improvement Loans

for Owner Occupied and Rental Housing

by Doug


4/8

Discovethat is Sewar

www.sng

Riverside ReveriesA Dying Nurse; the Doctor Vanishes;

A Park Ravaged

This is an excerpt from a longer essay by Seward resident, historian, and novelist Bob Haddow.

n Seward the best place to experience a recreational walk in the old tradition, replete with

picturesque views, is along the Winchell Trail; or perhaps by making the loop around the Cappelin

and Lake St. Bridges. This loop has been a daily tradition for many residents over the last centuryand, along with the trails through Riverside Park, provided some of the inspiration for Riverside

Reveries, a series of letters compiled and published in 1928 by a young doctor named Otto

Schusslerwho liked to wander along the bluffs on his way to and from work at the Sivertson Clinic

and St. Marys Hospitalall of which became the sprawling FairviewAugsburgU. of MN complex

along Riverside Ave.

Riverside Park was once a cherished retreat from the bustling city and it was this aspect of the park,

destroyed pretty much entirely by the construction of I-94, that inspired Schusslers masterpiece.

His slim volume (rarer today than a view of the aurora borealis from the Capellen Memorial Bridge)

called Riverside Reveries, was written in the form of letters to a convalescing nurse. Were they love

etters? Was the unnamed paramour a victim of TB? It may even be possible that Riverside Reveries

was a Manti Teo style hoax ginned up to gain sympathy among wealthy patrons ... TB was prevalent

n the 1920s and Dr. Sivertson, Schusslers employer, was active in the fight against it. At the time

Schussler was writing his hear t-wrenching letters to the mysterious nurse confined to her home in

a neighboring state, Dr. Sivertson was moonlighting as the chairman of the Minnesota Boxing

Commission. Sivertson would eventually quit this position in disgust because too many promoters

efused to allocate 10 per cent of their receipts, as required by law, toward his anti-tuberculosis fund.

The young doctor, Otto Schussler, lived at various addresses around the park and worked for about

a decade at the Sivertson clinic on the corner of 24th Ave and 6th St. (the building was eventually

donated to Augsburg College). He was in the park almost daily, shuffling to work in the morning,

exploring after lunch, or taking notes in the evening. The Fairview Hospital School of Nursing, and

St. Marys Hospital were both near the park and Riversides beneficial atmosphere for both staff

and patients must have been considerable.

Schussler never seems rushed and at the spring, especially, he is able to calm his worries and

ocus on what is essential. Everyone, almost without exception, I take it, loves a brook. . . . Itgurgles and laughs and chatters and runs . . . holds for us so many of our numberless questions

and satisfies so much of the tantalizing curiosity with which we are bursting . . . . We see, too,

hat it is a very social creature, for does it not furnish a home for the minnows and frogs and a

hundred other darting, jumping, squirming things, a bath for the birds and a wading place for the

children?

Almost a century later, it is hard to find remnants of the half-wild park where Schussler sat in

meditation by his favorite springfollowing the myriad bubbles that float and dance along its devious

course, coming seemingly from nowhere and vanishing suddenly into nothingness . . . That park

was a place where overworked men and adventurous children could observe the myriad wild birds of

he Mississippi flyway and the acrobatic stunts and secretive habits of crafty varmints. It was a place

where you could forget for a moment or for a day about money-grubbing, about human suffering. It

was a quiet, mysterious place; the equivalent of that place inside each of us, that place we call the

soul that the world nibbles at as if it were a bit of cheese.

Neighborhood NoteWhats (Hip and)

Happening in Seward

Now open for business Capital Caf. A warming aroma of roasting coffee beans

fills the air and the attentive service is classically East African. Serving traditional

specialties such as Zedbebe, sambussa, habasha, injera and other treats,

its an ideal place to have spirited conversations or enjoy a quiet respite.

Owner, Tsegaye Sombo invites one and all to his place at 2417 East Franklin.

by Bob Haddow


5/8

Meet Abdiasis (Abdi) Hirsi of SPOKES Bike Walk

Center. You might expect the community outreach

coordinator of SPOKES Bike Walk Center to identify

as a long-time bicycle enthusiast. That Abdiasis Hirsi

does not, actually makes him a perfect fit for the job.

As a novice rider himself, he can easily relate to the core

population that SPOKES serves in Seward, Cedar-Riverside, and Phillips, manyof whom are East African immigrants and refugees.

Back home in Somalia, he says, walking was the most common way to get

around, followed by bus. Owning a car was too expensive for most people and

cities lacked infrastructure for bicycling. Those who biked tended to live in

farming communities. For them, he says, it was often the best way to get

from the farm into town.

Once in the U.S., African immigrants and refugees tend to drive everywhere

and want bigger cars or mini-vans that will accommodate large families,

observes Hirsi. As a result, a big part of his job is to educate adults about

health and other benefits of bicycling. He also teaches that bicycling is

a legitimate alternative form of transportation, not strictly something a

person does occasionally for recreation.

Younger people, he says, are already biking,

so the outreach he does is mainly to their

parents, who he calls the target group.

Helping a population unaccustomed to

Minnesotas climate get around safely

by foot during the cold, icy, snowy winter

months is another mission of SPOKES. To

that end, winter safe walking classes are

offered. A Seward Towers resident since

2007, and former board member, Hirsi

came to the United States from Nairobi,

Kenya in 2005. He and his family had fled

their native Somalia for Nairobi in 1991 dur-

ing its civil war.A University of Minnesota

graduate, Hirsi is also employed as an associate educator for Minneapolis

Adult Education.

To learn more about SPOKES, visit SPOKES website http://spokesconnect.org,

which features information about classes, open shop hours, and volunteer

nights, or stop by the shop at 1915 E. 22nd Street.You can also read excerpts

from an interview with Hirsi at http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/

2012/12/13/q-abdiasis-hirsi-sharing-newfound-passion-bicycling.

Hello Abdi of SPOKES!

bike-walk-connect

SPOKES

SPOKES

Basic

Sched

ule

by Bruce Johansen

The Hub @ SPOKES open

Saturdays 10 AM to 5 PM

Open Shop

Use our tools to fix your bike -- with

guidance from our mechanics

All you pay for is the parts you need

(new and used parts available)

Wednesdays 5 PM to 9 PM

Saturdays 1 PM to 5 PM

Youth Open Shop

For youth 9 to 18 years old

Fridays 3 PM to 6 PM

Grease Rag Open Shop

Women, Transgender and Femme on

Second and fourth Mondays,

7 PM to 9 PM

Volunteer Night

Fix bikes donated to SPOKES and

other tasks Earn credit you can apply to buying

used parts

Thursdays 5 to 9 PM

Classes

including Earn-a-Bike, Adult Learn-to-

Ride, Basic Bike Mechanics and mor

Community events and Community Rides

Check www.SpokesConnect.org or

www.fb.com/SpokesConnect for details


6/8

Get Out

& Meet Your NeighborsBlock parties sprout all over Seward on National Nig

Out on first Tuesday in August. And the parties are

diverse as the residents: potlucks, karaoke, traveling

musicians, visiting fire

trucks and police cars,

bicycle parades back

and forth on blocked

off streets, laughterand conversation into

the evening. Although

National Night Out is a

grass-roots event with

each block club planning its own celebration,

SNG provides support with suggestions, information

and solicitation of prizes from neighbhorhood

businesses to blocks who register their event by

contacting SNG's community organizer, Kerry Cashm

([email protected] or 612-338-6205 ext. 119)

Uncovering Storiesof One of Sewards Biggest

(and Most Forgotten) Employers

ou may have heard of Minneapolis Moline, Flour City, and the Milwaukee Rail

ards, all major employers in Seward back in the day. But what about Puffer-

ubbard Manufacturing Company? Historian Laura Weber has been researching

e company, housed at 2601 32nd Avenue South from 1910 to 1941. What

llows is a brief excerpt from her chapter of a forthcoming Seward neighborhood

story book.

uffer-Hubbard manufactured numerous products, evolving over the years from

griculture-related implements such as carts, wheelbarrows, silos, and coaster

agons to folding delivery boxes, tricycles, electric washers, and refrigeration

oducts such as laboratory freezers and hinged glass door refrigerators. Some

these products can be found for sale to this day on various websites.

1919 newspaper ad touted the Daylight Washing Machine, manufactured in the

eward plant, where air, water, and soap combined to clean clothes in one, two, or

ree tub contraptions, electric or power driven.

he company appeared to operate in the paternalistic manner of the time, bothr good and ill. Its clubroom, open every weeknight and Sunday afternoons,

ontained a Victrola, piano, and room for dancing and was furnished with

unging and smoking rooms and card tables. A branch of the public library

as also installed.

ubbard cited the need to provide wholesome recreation to workers stranded at

e remote Seward location, described as a long distance from downtown. The

en did not have a chance to enjoy the things at the disposal of workmen near

e center of the city. We felt that they should have a chance to see and have what

hers enjoy, Hubbard said.

o doubt this was an effort to keep employees out of the nearby bars and from the

nd of activity recalled by neighborhood lifer Aladsen. When Madsens father moved into the

eighborhood around the Hub of Hell in 1910, he

aid that kids roamed the city streets in gangs

ased upon ethnic origin or trade.

s the Great Depression began, however, Puffer-

ubbards way with workmen was losing its touch. During (one) strike at Puffer-

ubbard in 1939, the bank forced the company into receivership, then used their

ontrol over negotiations to demand a 10 percent wage cut and loss of seniority

ghts.

ty directories in 1931, 1939, and 1940 list Puffer-Hubbard as a manufacturer

boxes and carts, still located at 2601 32nd Avenue. In 1941 there is no listing

r 2601, indicating the building was vacant.Neighborhood Not

Whats (Hip and

Happening in Sewar

Live Life Strong! Thats the approach and mantra of this close-to-Seward gy

A gym that builds strong bodies and changes lives. Helping people to get strong

that they can stay active is their mission. Their Strong Body Program uses a uniq

total body strengthening system featuring MedX strengthening equipme

to provide you with the most advanced, efficient way to strengthen your musc

and improve the way you feel and perform. Who doesnt want to feel and be in t

best shape possible? Stop by and get a consultation at 3260 Minnehaha Aven

or call to discuss all the options, 612-767-02

by Laura Weber


7/8

Q& A with City Councilor Cam Gordon by Trevor Born

Cam Gordon has represented Seward on the Minneapolis City Council since 2006 and lived in the neighborhood since 1991. Prior to his career in city politics

Gordon had stints as co-president of the Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG), chair of the neighborhood group committee that managed Neighborhood

Revitalization Program (NRP) money, and editor of the West Bank Stories section of the Seward Profile. He spent 18 years as a pre-school and Montess

teacher.

As of this writing, Gordon, the council's only Green Party member, is running unopposed for his third term representing Ward 2. The city's regular redrawin

its Council boundaries this spring removed much of Seward's northwestern portion -- north of 24th Street and west of 30th Avenue -- from Gordon's ward.

The Profile turned the tables on its former writer and sat down with Gordon to reflect on his time as a City Council Member and Seward resident.

What brought you to Seward?

I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1977 and after that moved to the West Bank. A few years later I bought a house in Longfellow. In

1989 I moved to Seward and, af ter renting for a while, purchased my current house on Franklin Terrace in 1991.

Anything notable during your time as co-president of the neighborhood group?

Not all of this happened while I was president, but while I was closely involved with the group I

remember some important things happening. The group stabilized in an office and grew a little bit

because of NRP. The group was able to provide support for youth activities in the park and run an

active housing program that loaned funds for housing improvements.

We made improvements along Franklin Avenue and helped bring in the Northern Clay Center and

Welna Hardware. We helped demolish some of the boarded up bars at 26th and 26th [the "Hub

of Hell"]. Not that I deserve credit for all those things, but those were exciting things happening while

I was involved.

Describe some city council actions that have been important for Seward during your tenure.

The City helped with some of the development of Franklin Avenue. It had a lot of details to work out

with the most recent move of the Seward Co-Op. The city had to restructure the alley, figure out how to

manage stormwater, bought and tore down a house and did a little rezoning.

We worked with the County on adding bike lanes to Franklin Avenue and the full reconstruction of Riverside Area. We're working on improving

the bike path along the light rail, including better lighting and improving the crossing on 26th. We're working on realizing the hopes for the

Franklin light rail station. Theres a sense that the old industrial uses right near the station is not the vision we want. It would make more

sense to have more residential uses there. I think our urban agricultural initiatives have been popular in Seward. It allows commercial food

growing in Minneapolis and accommodates this new interest in urban farming. There is already a little farm project on the east edge of Seward.

What do you think of the results of this year's redistricting?

I wasn't supportive. I've appreciated representing all of Seward. The change took some of my oldest friends and supporters and neighbors out

my district. But I also realize, and it's a comfort for me to know, that it's all still the Seward neighborhood, and that I'll be able to care about it, hel

it, and support it, even if there is not a direct vote for me. If I step back further, I can see some benefit in having two Council Members represent

neighborhood. Back when I was president of the neighborho

group, we had two Council Members, and sometimes that m

it easier to be heard.

What keeps you living in the neighborhood?

I really like the sense of community and having neighb

who know and care about each other. I love the way it

connected to the urban wilderness, but yet you turn aro

and you're in the middle of the city. I like the variety of

neighborhood -- dense housing, a commercial main stre

industrial areas. I love that I can walk or bike and get j

about everything I need -- groceries, hardware, restaura

bowling, parks. When my son was born, my wife and I

walked to the hospital.

I also really appreciate the engagement of the residen

and the neighborhood organization. Since being on th

council I've had the chance to see how different neigh

hoods work. Folks who go to the Seward Neighborhoo

Group meetings really care about the community and

work really hard to make good decisions and involve

people in those decisions.

Leading up to the municipal election in November, Gord

is hosting a series of roundtable discussions to talk abou

priorities for his prospective next term.

Learn more at www.CamGordon.

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8/8

Calendar

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Minneapo

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Discover all

that is Seward at

www.sng.org

Keepupwithneighborhoodevents,

meetin

gs,

andissuesatTheForum.

Jointod

ayat:http://bit.ly/sewardforum

CheckoutSeward'sother"virtual"properti

esat:http://goo.gl/Xa6AR

Join

your

Neighbors

Online

at

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Seward

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Forum

!

Commuting by bike isnt hard! You dont have to wear Lycra or be a daredevil biker to learn

to love bike commuting. I am in my mid-forties and enjoy bike commuting to work meetings

and social events. I often wish I saw more gray-haired women like me on the bike path

enjoying all the benefits of bike riding. I appreciate being outdoors, the opportunity toincorporate exercise into my day instead of requiring a trip to the gym, and I like knowing

my transportation is almost free and doesnt pollute the environment.

GETTING STARTED

Set a goal for yourself. When I started, I decided to commute to work one day per week.

I scheduled the day in my calendar and planned out-of-office meetings or after work

errands that required a car, accordingly.

FIND A ROUTE

Consult an on-line map with a bike route option, e.g. Google Maps, to review recommended

routes and estimated ride times. Another good source is a friend or co-worker who bikes to work.

Spend some time on a weekend getting to know the bike routes nearyour home the Midtown Greenway, Hiawatha (LRT) bike trail, and

University of Minnesota Transitway are good places to start. You

will be surprised how far you can bike in Minneapolis on dedicated

bike routes!

GO DO IT!

You may be surprised what you find. The first time I biked from

Seward to a meeting near Loring Park, I was intimidated thinking

about how I could avoid Franklin Avenue or downtown. Going a

few blocks out of my way yielded a very pleasant ride the

Midtown Greenway to Bryant Avenue bike lane, then the bike

bridge over I94 (have you even noticed this despite hundreds

of trips under it in your car?!), then a bike lane that parallels

Lyndale/Hennepin. - five miles of biking and hardly a busy

road crossing. See you on the trails!

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Check out SPOKES Bike Walk Connect a new, innovative

community biking and walking resource in Seward for information

about adult Learn-to-Ride classes; Basic Bike Commuting classes;

the monthly Women, Transgender and Femme Free Open Repair

Shop, and Basic Maintenance classes.

http://www.SpokesConnect.org/

BIKING the day away by Michele Braley

Sng Summer 2013 Profile Web

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