SPV Dec 2010

Tim SpitzackEditor

With the last of the Thanksgiving left-

overs now gone and the madness of Black Friday behind us, the Christ-mas season is now in full swing, and St. Paul offers a vast number of events and activities that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. Some are free, some are going to set you back a few bucks, but all of these activities have become holiday tra-ditions for scores of area residents. So if you’re wondering what to do with the relatives this month, or if you’re sim-ply looking for a way to escape the frenetic gift-buying hunt, check out these events which will help you slow down and enjoy the season.

Visit Rice ParkA stroll through Rice

Park, located at West 5th and Market streets in Downtown St. Paul, is sure to get you in the hol-iday mood. The signature attraction is a towering Christmas tree that spar-kles with 30,000 lights around the clock dur-ing the holiday season. Nutcracker figures, angel statues and other holiday décor are also featured throughout the park.

Across the street is the Wells Fargo WinterSkate, an outdoor skating rink. Bring your own skates and skate for free, or rent skates for $2. A warm-

ing house, hot chocolate, snacks and a bonfire help make this winter experi-ence toasty warm. The rink is open through Feb. 6, 2011. Open skat-ing is offered 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat.; and 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. For more information, visit www.wellsfargowinter-skate.com or call 651-291-5608.

Holiday lights display

St. Paul’s Phalen Park, 1615 Phalen Dr. E., is transformed into a won-derland of lights 5:30-10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1, 2011. The park features more than 50 holiday sculptures and animated displays, including a 60-foot pirate ship, which is new this year. This event is sponsored by the In-

ternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and helps raise funds for local charities. Cost is $8 per vehicle Sun.-Thurs., and $10 per vehicle Fri. and Sat. and on the holidays. Proceeds support Sec-ond Harvest Heartland, a hunger-relief organiza-tion, the Union Gospel Mission, St. Paul Parks Conservancy and Under-Construction, a program that helps youth explore career opportunities in the construction field.

Enhance your expe-rience by purchasing “Home for the Holidays-A Minnesota Christmas CD Vol. 2.” This CD fea-tures holiday music per-formed by some of the finest musicians in the Twin Cities and is avail-able at all metro Target stores and at Phalen Park during the tour. Cost is $9.99, but a complimen-

Holiday Event GuideCatch the spirit of the season

tary $10 vehicle pass is enclosed with the CD. For more information on the tour, visit www.light-sinthepark.org.

Step back in timeIf the hectic pace of the

21st Century holiday sea-son has you longing for simpler times, visit the Alexander Ramsey House or the James J. Hill mansion in St. Paul. At the Alexander Ramsey House, 265 S. Exchange St., you can experience a Victorian Christmas by viewing the grand Christ-mas tree decorated with original 1870s family or-naments and the dining room table set for a lavish meal. Costumed guides provide hour-long tours that incorporate tidbits from family letters and

Holiday Event Guide /Page 9

This pirate ship is the newest addition to the holiday lights display at Phalen Park in St. Paul. The event features over 50 animated displays.

YMCA names newexecutive directorPage 8

Changes may be in storefor Baker Community CenterPage 4

Two women share West Sider of the Year honorPage 2

December 2010

Volume 44

Number 12

The St. Paul

Page 2 - St. Paul Voice - December 2010

The St. Paul Voice is published monthly and delivered to 16,500 homes and businesses in West St. Paul, the West Side, Mendota Heights, Lilydale & Sunfish Lake.

Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack Copy Editor: Leslie MartinReporter: Mary Diedrick Hansen Layout & Design: Mona ToftContributors: Susan Klemond, Bill KnightMasthead design by Nick GermanoAdvertising: Mario Polanco, Henry TorresHome Delivery: Independent Delivery Service Bulk Delivery: SC Distribution 651-285-1119

The St. Paul Voice assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by contributors and for the validity of claims or items reported. Copyright St. Paul Voice 2010. All rights reserved in compliance of Federal Copyright Act of 1978.

St. Paul Publishing Co.1643 So. Robert St., West St. Paul, MN 55118

Phone: (651) 457-1177 [email protected]

Mary Diedrick HansenStaff Writer

Two women who have a long history of im-

proving the quality of life on the West Side recently received a West Sider of the Year Award from the West Side Citizen’s Orga-nization (WSCO). Mau-reen Hark was recognized for her ability to enlist her neighbors and friends in community garden-ing projects, and Debbie Luna was honored for her skills in getting others in-volved in service projects.

Debbie LunaAmid cheers, applause

and camera flashes, Luna accepted her award, along with flowers from family and friends, at WSCO’s Nov. 10 annual meeting.From assisting with the Cinco de Mayo celebra-tion to delivering Holy Communion to home-bound church members,

Hark and Luna share West Sider of the Year honorLuna’s volunteer efforts are vast and varied.

“I hit the road run-ning when I moved to the West Side 27 years ago from Kansas,” said Luna, who is married to Don Luna, another well-known West Sider. Her volunteer involvement began with activities sur-rounding her four sons, including school, church and sports.

Luna served as presi-dent of the Parent Teach-er Organization at her sons’ elementary school, and at Humboldt Junior and Senior High. When her boys joined the West Side Boys and Girls Club, she got involved there, as well. As a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Cath-olic Church, Luna admits to being involved in just about every aspect of its operation, and for help-ing get others involved.

What’s her secret to en-listing help?

“When I ask people if they can help me at church, I tell them it’s not for me, it’s for God. They can’t say no to that, can they?” she said with a smile.

She distributes Holy Communion to home-bound members of the church and occasionally puts her registered nurs-ing skills to work by as-sisting parishioners with

some of their health care needs. She also picks up their medications and takes them shopping. In addition, Luna volun-teers at Casa Guadalu-pana, a home for Latina

women and their fami-lies who are temporarily homeless, in crisis or un-able to meet their basic human needs. As one of the founders of the orga-nization, she recalled ear-ly brainstorming sessions on how to assist families that needed help getting on their feet.

“Now they are pour-ing in,” said Luna, and it’s (Casa Guadalupana) grown bigger and bigger and better and better.”

Where does she get her energy?

“God gives it to me. I was born with it. I’m a lot like my dad, who was into everything,” she said. “I want to thank my boys Mario, Arman-do, Vicente and Carlos, and my husband, Don, for letting me do the things that I love. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for anybody.”

Debbie Luna, shown here with her husband Don and three of their four sons, was recognized for her community service projects.

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continued on page 3

St. Paul Voice - December 2010 - Page 3

Maureen HarkHark’s passion for

plants stems from her childhood in St. Cloud, Minn., and has been the impetus behind the cre-ation of many beautiful boulevards, backyards and community gardens throughout the West Side.

“I was very young and remember my mom, Lurene, offering to share our backyard garden with a Vietnamese family that our family and another family were sponsoring through church,” recalled Hark. “They were raising cabbages like we had nev-er seen before, rows and rows of them, and would come with their hoes and work and we would all watch them grow.”

That experience stuck with her and is a tradition she has continued at her own home on the West Side. About 12 years ago, Hark purchased a home on a large double lot and her creativity blossomed. She began experimenting

with flowers and plants, eventually filling the pe-rimeter of her yard.

“I must be a farmer at heart,” said Hark, who was also a board member of “Farm in the City.”

One of the objectives of that organization is to have neighbors buy a share in a large garden. In return, they get a box of vegetables each week.

After Hark lent her

own garden for growing sweet potatoes and garlic, her interest in vegetable gardening came alive. She became focused on growing and distributing excess produce to neigh-bors and friends, and to families in need at Casa Guadalupana. She has also organized gardening classes with Master Gard-ners as speakers and has helped establish 15 small raised-bed gardens in the neighborhood.

When Hark was ex-changing plants with a neighbor one day, it oc-curred to her that oth-ers in the neighborhood might like to do the same, thus the West Side Plant Exchange was born. This annual event takes place in mid-May in the parking lot at St. Mat-thew Catholic Church.

“People arrive, open their trunks, socialize, talk and learn, and we always have enough for everyone,” she said. “It’s gotten quite popular and fun. Last year we said we

Maureen Hark is joined by her mother Lurene Hark as she received her award. Hark is known throughout the West Side for helping organize community gardening projects.

continued from page 2 needed more vegetables. The Dodge Nature Cen-ter sent over flats of veg-gies that they wouldn’t be using.”

Hark is investigating the possibility of starting a program called “Beans on the Boulevard,” in which pole beans would be raised on welded structures that could be moved around the neigh-borhood. The produce would be shared among neighbors in the area. She also wants to use her yard and boulevard to start an urban garlic farm business.

“If it’s successful I might employ some neighborhood kids. Gar-

lic is a fun crop and easy to grow,” said Hark. “Gardening is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. I come alive with the growing and the sense of all the possibilities. I can spend hours out there solving problems in my head. The sharing of pro-duce — tomatoes, peas, all these small things — bring people together. When a bountiful harvest is shared with family and friends it translates into acts of kindness spread-ing and growing across the community.”

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Proposed plan stirs controversy with WSCO

Bill KnightContributing Writer

You likely won’t no-tice the changes right

away, but parks and rec centers on the West Side and throughout St. Paul will be taking on a new look if a proposed St. Paul Parks and Recre-ation plan is approved to consolidate facilities and staff in an effort to meet budget constraints and anticipated budget short-falls. The changes are a far reaching, system-wide series of proposals that focus on popular activi-ties that attract park us-ers, such as better athlet-ic fields, park trails and

access to nature areas.“It’s a way for us to

take inventory, to evalu-ate and then prioritize our assets, which mainly are our facilities,” said Robert Smith, the proj-ect leader who has been with St. Paul Parks and Recreation for 26 years. Now he and others from his office are taking a draft version of the plan to park users, asking for feedback. In January, the St. Paul City Council is expected to vote on the plan.

If Smith’s name sounds familiar to you, it should. For 10 years he was the director of the El Rio Vista Center at Neigh-borhood House.

On the West Side the proposed plan would bring changes to El Rio Vista, the Baker Com-

munity Center and, to a lesser extent, Cherokee Park.

The starting point for all of this came from a se-ries of five meetings the Parks and Recreation De-partment held this spring at rec centers throughout St. Paul.

“From May to early June the meetings were held to notify people what the plan is and how they can provide input, to prioritize what they like,” said Smith, adding that the meetings gave the department ideas on where to “invest and di-vest for the future.”

Following a May meet-ing at El Rio Vista, Smith said he talked with Ar-mando Camacho, direc-tor of Neighborhood House, about the need for improved fields there.

“The land that sur-rounds (the center), especially the athletic space, is poor to average at best,” he said. “One of the things in the plan calls for an improved athletic field at that loca-tion.”

In describing the plan Smith said recent patterns

of budget reductions and cuts in aid from various sources are all factors in an effort to make the park system better able to balance expenditures and revenues. Instead of try-ing to quickly react to a budget cut or a realloca-tion of funding, the de-partment will have a plan in place and be able to make decisions that have come, in large part, from citizen input.

“(That means) we are looking at our resources and how they can be sus-

tained,” he said. “Right now we have a larger system in place than we can sustain. Basically, we need to live within our means.”

The plan says that some rec. centers will be re-titled as community centers.

“The reason is that a group, seniors for exam-ple, may look at the term ‘rec. center’ and say that’s a place where only kids hang out,” Smith said. “It’s not really welcom-ing to some people. (A

center) is a public facility and should be a gather-ing spot for people of all ages.”

It’s people, not buildings

Smith said the plan is activity-based, not facil-ity based.

“We don’t have to have buildings to run our pro-grams,” he said. “We can go to a school, before the kids leave, or a library, and partner with them. We don’t always have to bring the kids to our

City plan could change the face of West Side parksYour community news and information sourceC ity Government

The Baker Community Center is one of several properties that would be affected under the proposed reorganization.

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Sunday, December 192:00 pm (non-Sacramental)

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Saturday, December 18, 4:00 pmSunday, December 19, 8:00 and 10:30 am

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facilities. We can go to where they are.”

The draft plan calls for some buildings to be taken over by other orga-nizations. For example, Smith said that for about 18 months there has been no full-time park and rec. staffing at Baker.

“But there has been more partner and com-munity influence, such as from Baker School.” he said, adding that in the future other West Side organizations that are looking for additional space could move into the Baker Community Center.

“We’re going to keep it as recreational space,” he said of the plans for Baker. “The only thing that could change is that there could be more of a community or school in-fluence there, within the building. They could oc-cupy more of the space that was rec. center space.”

Today, Baker and sev-eral of the fields on the West Side are in much the same condition as they were in the mid-1970s, said Doug Ruiz, who grew up on the West Side and started coach-ing football, baseball and hockey shortly after grad-uating from high school. Now a mentor at Hum-boldt High School, he is also involved with the West Side Boosters Club.

“We practiced at the Baker playground,” he said, humorously recall-ing the days when some 40 boys would come out for football and play on fields that were largely dirt. “When it rained we had mud holes, so we had to pick a place to prac-tice.”

He said today it’s hard to bring the youth back to the playground since there are so many other interests for them that

compete for park and playground activities.

“If you are going to make an improvement, bring a program with it,” he suggested.

Neighborhood concerns

WSCO staff said they have concerns about the plan and only recently learned about its impact on the West Side in early November. Lydia Nobel-lo from WSCO said Bak-er, which is connected to the Cherokee Heights School, has been de-scribed as “low quality” and could be one of the buildings removed from any type of city manage-ment. She said WSCO and the Baker Advisory Committee “feel like (we) just caught wind of this. It’s just a little bit scary for us.”

Nobello said WSCO

first learned of the plan on Nov. 2 and were un-aware of the meeting the Parks and Rec depart-ment held in May at El Rio Vista.

“We do not have any records at WSCO of any-one attending that (May) meeting,” she said, add-ing that her organization went through some major staffing changes at that time and that she was a part-time worker then.

Nobello did say that she was aware there were not any full-time city staffers at Baker, which is now being run by the Jane Adams School for Democracy from Augs-burg College. Also, some of the ideas put forth in the draft report – such as giving community or-ganizations an increased role in the management of a facility – would seem to be in step with WSCO.

“We’re in the plan-ning stages of creating a neighborhood learning campus, as directed by the mayor and the (St. Paul) superintendent of

schools,” she said. “Also, West Side Boys and Girls Club programming is slated to operate out of Baker as well.”

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Unique Cultural Holiday Markets on St. Paul’s West SideSaturday, December 4

Cherokee Park United Church and Neighborhood House at Wellstone Center invite you to enhance your holiday gift-giving experience by purchasing unique cultural gifts, crafts, books, art, and making gift donations in support of organizations that work to address critical human and environmental needs. Refreshments available.

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Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsHumboldt High School football players earn conference honors

Senior Julian Lus-ter was named Defen-sive Player of the Year and sophomore Michael Flowers was named Of-fensive Lineman of the Year for the St. Paul City Conference. Receiving All Conference awards were Luster, Flowers, se-nior Isaiah Johnson and juniors Chase Luster and Fabian Munos. Re-ceiving Honorable Men-tion awards were seniors Cortez Adams, Calvin Clark, Alex Rivera and Alec Verdeja, and juniors John Carlo Franco, Vic-tor Franco and Tadareo Weaver. Head coach An-thony Minus was named Coach of the Year for the conference.

Boy Scout Food Drive

Due to the Nov. 13 snowstorm, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were not able to collect food from some areas of West

St. Paul and Mendota Heights during their hol-iday food drive. Howev-er, Troop 248 will accept donations for the Neigh-bor’s Inc. food shelf at its Dec. 6 meeting, held 7-8:30 p.m. at St. Ste-phen’s Lutheran Church in West St. Paul. A Boy Scout will also pick up your food donation if you call 651-455-1894 to make arrangements.

Christmas trees at Cub Foods

Boy Scout Troops 95, 219 and 288 will be selling Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, swags and canes through Dec. 18 in the Cub Food parking lot, located near South Robert Street and Mendota Road in West St. Paul. Weekday hours are 4-9 p.m. and week-end hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Proceeds support Scouting programs.

Neighborhood House Toy Drive

Neighborhood House is collecting toys for its

annual toy drive through Dec. 13. Donations of toys that are appropriate for ages birth to 16 may be dropped at Jerabek’s New Bohemian, 63 W. Winifred, Joseph’s Grill, 140 Wabasha St. S., Wa-basha Deli, 32 Fillmore Ave E., and Neighbor-hood House, 179 Robie St. E.

Sibley Class of ’86 reunion

The Henry Sibley Class of 1986 reunion com-mittee is seeking contact information for its class-mates. If you are a 1986 Sibley graduate, or if you know of information on one of its graduate, email your information to [email protected].

St. Joseph’s earns State Champion Award for President’s Physical Fitness Challenge

St. Joseph’s School, 1138 Seminole Ave., West St. Paul, was re-cently named a State Champion School by

the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. St. Joseph’s, a Pre-K-8th grade Catholic School, was recognized as having the highest per-centage of Presidential Physical Fitness Award winners in the over 500 student category. For more information, call 651-457-8550.

Free workplace English classes

South Suburban Adult Basic Education (ABE) offers Workplace English classes to adults ages 18 and older who want to enter the workforce and wish to improve their English language and job search skills. The class-es are free and open to residents of ISD 197. To enroll or receive more in-formation, call 651-457-9441.

Free afterschool program at Baker Community Center

St. Paul Parks and Rec-reation is offering free afterschool activities 3-6

p.m., Monday-Friday at Baker Community Cen-ter, 209 W. Page St. The Rec Check program is for children in grades 1-6 and includes a vari-ety of supervised activi-ties, including homework help, art, reading, special events, physical activi-ties and healthy snacks. To reach the center, call 651-298-5701.

Community Calendar

• Optimist Club - The Optimist Club of West St. Paul meets 4:30-5:30 p.m., the first and third Thursday of the month, at the West St. Paul Ar-mory, 1346 South Robert St. The meeting is open to the public. The Opti-mist Club sponsors youth activities in West St. Paul. For more informa-tion, call 651-457-0917.

• Veterans’ meet-ings - The Riverview-West St. Paul VFW Post 4462 hosts monthly meetings at 7 p.m., the first Wednesday of each month, at the West St.

Paul Armory. For more information, call 651-437-4481. American Le-gion Post 521 also hosts monthly meetings at the Armory. Meeting times are 7 p.m., the fourth Tuesday of each month.

• Rotary Club - The West St. Paul/Mendota Heights Rotary Club hosts a weekly meeting at 7:30 a.m., Wednesdays, at Southview Country Club, 239 E. Mendota Road, West St. Paul. Each meeting features break-fast and a guest speaker. For more information, visit www.rotarywspmh.org.

• Kiwanis Club - The Kiwanis Club of West St. Paul hosts a weekly meet-ing at noon, Tuesdays, at Southview Country Club, 239 E. Mendota Road, West St. Paul. Each meeting features lunch and a guest speaker.

• Chamber of Com-merce - The Dakota County Regional Cham-ber of Commerce, which serves West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Eagan,

FOR SALE232 East Baker St.St. Paul• 4 Bedrooms• 1 1/2 baths• New Energy Star appliances• Newer furnace and hot water heater• 2nd floor laundry, washer and dryer included• Large eat-in kitchen• Off street parking

Neighborhood Development Alliance (NeDA) is currently taking applications for the Minnesota Urban & Rural Homesteading Program (MURL) program. Home must be owner-occupied and will be sold under a contract for deed, no down payment required, zero percent interest rate on the mortgage. 30% of homeowner's gross monthly income will cover taxes, insurance and monthly mortgage payments.

MURL Program Guidelines:1. Eligible homebuyer must be a “First Time Homebuyer” HUD defined, not have owned a home in the past three years.2. Eligible homebuyers must provide proof of income and that they are not able to qualify for a conventional loan.3. The eligible homebuyer must complete Home Stretch, a 9-hour Homebuyer Education workshop offered by NeDA.4. The eligible homebuyer's household gross annual income cannot exceed the following household size: 1 Person 2 Persons 3 Persons 4 Persons 5 Persons 6 Persons $45,100 $51,550 $58,000 $64,400 $69,600 $74,750

5. The long-term goal of the program is to work with families so they are able to secure a mortgage on their own.

Call NeDA today 651-292-0131 for more information or an application


Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsRosemount and Farm-ington, hosts a monthly meeting called “The Buzz,” at 7:30 a.m., the first Thursday of each month, at the North-ern Dakota County Ser-vice Center in West St. Paul. Each meeting fea-tures networking, a guest speaker and refreshments. For more information, call 651-452-9872 or vis-it www.dcrchamber.com.

Volunteer opportunities

• Ramsey County Community Human Services has volunteer opportunities for peo-ple age 18 and older. For more information, contact 651-266-4090 or [email protected].

• Minnesota Literacy Council - Volunteers are needed to tutor adult learners, assist in an adult classroom and teach basic English and GED classes. For more information, contact Allison at 651-645-2277, ext 219, or

[email protected].• St. Paul Public

Schools - Volunteers are needed to tutor elemen-tary students in the St. Paul Public schools in reading and math. Under the guidance of a class-room teacher, volunteers assist students one-on-one or in small groups. For more information, contact Connie at 612-617-7807 or e-mail [email protected]. Vol-unteers age 55 and older are eligible to receive free supplemental insur-ance, mileage reimburse-ment and other benefits through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Pro-gram (RSVP), sponsored by Volunteers of America of Minnesota.

• The Minnesota Reading Corps is seek-ing reading tutors for the 2010/2011 school year. The program pro-vides free, one-on-one tutoring to children age three through third grade. Minnesota Read-ing Corps members re-

ceive a living stipend, reimbursement for col-lege (up to $5,350) and health insurance (for full-time members). For more information or to apply online, visit www.Minne-sotaReadingCorps.org or call 1-866-859-2825.

• Neighbors, Inc., a social service agency serving Northern Dakota County, has a number of volunteer opportuni-ties to assist local resi-dents. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected] or call 651-306-2145.

• Volunteers of Amer-ica is looking for volun-teers age 55 and over to assist children who are struggling with home-work and reading. Time commitment ranges from 3-12 hours a week. To volunteer or receive more information, contact Gil Zamora at 651-470-7416.

• Vision Loss Resourc-es, located on the West Side, needs volunteers to assist visually impaired

people with tasks such as reading, errand shop-ping and recreational ac-tivities. To volunteer or learn more, contact 612-871‐2222 or [email protected], or visit www.vi-sionlossresources.org.

HHW collection Ramsey County’s

household hazardous waste collection site at Bay West, located near the State Capitol at 5 Empire Dr. in St. Paul, is open year-round. Drop-off is free for residents of Ramsey, Washington, Dakota, Hennepin, Ano-ka and Carver counties with a photo I.D. For hours of operation and more information, call the Ramsey County Re-cycling & Disposal Ho-tline at 651-633-EASY (3279) or visit www.co.ramsey.mn.us/ph.

CNH offers home improvement loans

Loans of up to $15,000 are available through West Side-based Com-

munity Neighborhood Housing Services for a variety of energy effi-cient home improvement projects, including in-sulation, windows, and furnace and water heater replacement. The proper-ty must be a single fami-ly, owner occupied home. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more infor-mation, contact Denise Gathman at 651-292-8710, ext. 214, or [email protected].

Neighborhood House acquiresEast Side Family Center program

The East Side Fam-ily Center program has outgrown its home at the East Side Neighborhood Development Company and plans to move to Neighborhood House, located on the West Side, in 2011. The Center, which has quadrupled in size since 2003, works with four schools on the East Side to provide

families with basic needs, such as food, clothing and health services.

“This $1 million pro-gram and its eleven staff members will move to a new home that’s large enough to sustain and grow the program over time,” said Renae Os-wald-Anderson of MAP for Nonprofits, a local nonprofit consulting or-ganization that worked with the Center to facili-tate the program transfer. “We needed a nonprofit organization whose mis-sion was aligned with the Family Center’s and whose capacity was sig-nificant enough to pro-vide for the Family Cen-ter Program’s accounting needs and its fundraising and development needs. Neighborhood House, a $5.3 million organiza-tion, meets those criteria and more.”

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John Jenkins, a young journalist, is marking off time at the small-town Marquette Messenger until he can get into the big-league newspapers. After all, nothing significant ever happens in a farming community, he thinks. Then one day Jenkins is given a routine, dull assignment—to write the obituary of an elderly local farmer, Alfred Gutzman. The remarkable untold story Jenkins uncovers through his investigation, happenstance en-counters with people who knew Gutzman, and covert visits to his farm, challenge everything the young reporter holds dear...

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Your community news and information sourceB usiness

Leslie MartinContributor

Bryan Sopert has a hundred reasons to

back his statement that the South Family YMCA is not just a “swim and gym.” It’s so much more, said the new executive director, who came on board in late October. His predecessor, Patty McGrath, is now the ex-ecutive director of the St. Croix Valley YMCA in Hudson and River Falls, Wisc.

Sopert arrived just as the remodeling of the Y was reaching completion. From an expanded park-ing lot with upgraded lighting to a completely overhauled fitness center to new family changing rooms, the Y has experi-enced quite a renovation.

“Now our members won’t have to think about sending their 9-year-

old into a locker room alone or having to decide whether to take a young girl into the men’s lock-er room to change with you,” said Sopert. The family changing rooms will have lockers and all the usual amenities. Wider doors will improve accessibility for members who use wheelchairs.

The Kidstuff area, which provides drop-in child care, has been com-pletely redesigned, with softer flooring, a new check-in area and a struc-ture of learning centers, instead of a general play area. The structured pro-gramming, Sopert said, means that there’s much more to the child care than “drop-in” may im-ply.

The most noticeable improvement is the fit-ness center. For starters, it has tripled in size. All the equipment is new

and state-of-the-art, and there’s more of it. The poured epoxy floor is a welcoming, soothing blue and is much easier to clean than the old mat-ting. Free weights, cycles — including wheelchair accessible bikes — and treadmills abound, but there is plenty of free mo-tion equipment, as well, which is the newest, most up-to-date direction for wellness centers, Sopert explained.

“Rather than develop-ing your bicep, it may instead help you in pick-ing up your child, or with gardening or work-ing around the house,” he said. “It’s more functional training that crosses over into everyday life, which may be more useful than a bicep curl.” In fact, the “fitness center” is thought of as a “wellness area,” with implications transcending fitness.

Of course, no renova-tion at the Y would be complete without appro-priate attention to the pool, which underwent a complete emptying and some spiffing up.

As for the Y’s new lead-er, Sopert is by no means new to the YMCA.

“I started with the Y as camp counselor at Camp Manitou in Eau Claire, Wisc., at age 16,” he said.

Sopert received his degree in vocational re-habilitation from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and worked for several years as a personal trainer at the Eau Claire Y in sports and wellness, including during his col-lege years. Upon gradua-tion, he was named exec-utive director of the Eau Claire Y.

Since then, he has criss-crossed the nation, working for YMCAs in Arizona, in Tennesse as a senior director and asso-ciate executive director, then at the Y in Alabama as vice president of mem-ber experience.

“I gave up the VP ti-tle to move back to the Midwest, for family, the schools, and a sense of community,” said Sopert, who is married and the father of two young chil-dren. “Growing up, we’d drive (from his native Eau Claire) to the Twin Cities and visit Como Park. I wanted to share that with my kids.” He is currently house-hunting

in the area while com-muting daily from Eau Claire.

He had the highest of compliments for the YMCAs in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and ex-pressed three topics as ones to focus on at the South Family Y: youth development, healthy living and social respon-sibility.

After seeing so many YMCAs, he likes to say, “If you’ve seen one Y, you’ve seen one Y.” They’re all different, he said, and he has spent the last 12 years working with new and old build-ings, veteran staff and new staff, and different membership demograph-ics.

“A lot of people think we’re a ‘swim and gym,’” he said. “But how many people know that we do a Youth in Govern-ment program? We have about 20 kids involved at this branch.” It’s part of the Y’s effort to pro-vide socially respon-sible programming for the community. Youth in Government puts 8th through 12th grad-ers through the paces of running the state govern-ment, from drafting a bill to serving on the Supreme Court. Other programs include the “Ph.D.” pro-gram focusing on “physi-cally healthy and driven” kids and families, and a Model United Nations program for students.

“I have the great luxury of coming into an expan-sion for healthy living,” said Sopert, although the Y will continually look for improvements, including making better use of the space avail-able for children’s and se-niors’ programs, such as the readers’ club, service projects and more.

As an example, on a November day the lobby was crowded with se-niors socializing after their morning workouts. Spending time with co-horts were John and Bessie Wasenda of West St. Paul. John has been a Y member since about 1945, and “used to swim a mile a day until my shoulder gave out,” he offered with a tinge of re-gret as well as acceptance. Now he uses all the other equipment, while Bes-sie partakes in the water aerobics classes.

“We get people to sing ‘YMCA’ in the classes,” she said. The two were very complimentary about their many years of experience as Y members.

With a grand re-open-ing date still to be set, Sopert summed up his passion and the Y’s mis-sion and direction most succinctly.

“We’re not selling treadmills,” he said. “If you’re doing it for the right reasons, you’ll have a successful Y.”

YMCA ends year with a new look and a new director

Bryan Sopert, the South Family YMCA’s new executive director, proudly shows off the newly renovated fitness center.

1400 S. Robert Street, West St. Paulwww.augustana.com

651-457-3373

Celebrate the Joy of Christmas December 19 - Music Sunday8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Festival Service

Advent and Christmas music presented by the Augustana choirs, handbells and Minnehaha Brass

9.45 a.m. Congregational Carol SingJoin us in the Fellowship Hall to sing your

favorite Christmas Carols and enjoy refreshments

December 24 - Christmas Eve11:00 a.m. Family Worship

2:30, 4:00, 5:30, 10:30 p.m. Candlelight WorshipHoly Communion celebrebrated at 10:30 p.m. service


Your community news and information sourceH oliday Event Guide

diaries. Listen to holiday music played on the 1875 Steinway piano and enjoy fresh-baked Christmas cookies and hot cider.

Tours are held 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wed.-Sat., and noon-3 p.m., Sun. Cost is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and college stu-dents, and $5 for ages 6-17. Reservations are re-quired. Tickets are avail-able at http://tickets.mnhs.org or by calling 651-296-8760.

Horse-drawn carriage tours around the his-toric Irvine Park district are offered noon-4 p.m., Sat., Dec. 18; rides leave every 15 minutes. Tickets are available at the Car-riage House gift shop and at http://tickets.mnhs.org. Reservations are rec-ommended. Cost is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and college students, and $8 for ages 3-17.

The James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Ave., bustles with excite-ment in December as

costumed actors portray servants making holi-day preparations at the mansion. Using a script based on letters and oral histories of Hill family servants, the one-hour tour moves through the elegant first floor spaces and then to the basement servant work areas. Tours are offered every 30 min-utes, from 1-3:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and stu-dents, and $6 for ages 6-17. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 651-297-2555.

On Dec. 19 and 26, at 6 p.m., costumed actors will present a reader’s theater performance of holiday stories, in-cluding works by Mark Twain and Willa Cather, and O. Henry’s “Gift of the Magi,” and selections from Dickens’ “A Christ-mas Carol.” Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $6 for ages 6-17. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call

651-297-2555.The Saint Paul Hotel,

which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, offers lunch and dinner performances of “It’s A Wonderful Life - A Live Radio Play.” Ac-tors present a 1946 radio broadcast in the famous Promenade Ballroom of the Saint Paul Hotel, lo-cated at 350 Market St. Matinee performances feature a three-course lunch, and the evening shows feature a three-course dinner. Cost is $55 per person for mati-nee performances and $75 per person for eve-ning performances. For more information, call 651-228-3860 or visit www.saintpaulhotel.com, search special events.

“Fezziwig’s Feast - A delightful telling of a Christmas Carol” is presented Thurs.-Sun. through Dec. 19 at the Harriet Island Pavillion. Travel back in time to 1843 to be the guest at one of London’s most famous Christmas par-

ties, hosted by Mister Fezziwig, a dear “friend” of Charles Dickens. The event features a perfor-mance of “A Christmas Carol” and a 5-course Victorian holiday feast. Tickets are $74.50 for adults and $34.50 for children age 12 and un-der. To order, visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-982-2787.

The sounds of the season

If the same 12 songs played over and over on the airwaves has you longing for something more, you’ll be happy to know that the Fitzgerald Theatre, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, is hosting a number of holiday con-certs.

The New Standards, a jazz trio, will present

a holiday concert at 8 p.m., Fri., Dec. 3 and Sat., Dec. 4, and 2 p.m., Sun., Dec. 5. Tickets are $20-$32.

A Heartland Holiday Concert with Peter Os-troushko is presented at 8 p.m., Sat., Dec. 11. Composer and instru-mentalist Peter Ostroush-

continued from page 1

Holiday Guide/Page 10

Horse-drawn carriage tours around the historic Irvine Park district are offered Sat., Dec. 18, noon-4 p.m. For details, call 651-296-8760.

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ko is accompanied by his full Heartland Holiday Ensemble. The concert will include ancient a cappella carols of Os-troushko’s Ukranian heri-tage to Brazilian choros. Tickets are $28-$32.

Holiday Cocktails with Maria Jette is pre-sented at 8 p.m., Sat., Dec. 18. This holiday party will be filled with seasonal tunes, humorous songs and witty banter. Soprano Maria Jette has performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Or-chestra, Houston Sym-phony Orchestra, New York Chamber Sympho-ny, St. Paul Chamber Or-chestra, Minnesota Or-chestra and many others. Tickets are $28-$32.

Augustana College will present Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers at 7:30 p.m., Tues., Dec. 21. This musical show-case features the talents of a 9-piece band playing Christmas classics and

contemporary new ar-rangements in the signa-ture lush, rhythmic and funky sounds of Jeremy Hegg, Jon Hegg, Noah Hoehn and friends. This two-hour show will fea-ture stories of the season, messages for the heart and music to lift the spir-its. Tickets are $25-$35.

The Minnesota Or-chestra will perform Handel’s Messiah at 7:30 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 9, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave. The first words heard in Han-del’s beloved oratorio, “Comfort Ye!,” help set the stage for an evening of magnificent music that can renew the soul. Tickets are $22-$55. For information or to order tickets, call the box office at 612-371-5642.

Other events

• Holiday Flower Show - The Marjorie McNeely Como Park Conservatory, located in Como Park, St. Paul, will feature hundreds of poin-

settias during its popular holiday flower show. A toasty stroll through the Conservatory is sure to help you shake the chill of winter and warm your heart. The show is pre-sented 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily Dec. 4-Jan. 23, 2011. Cost is free, but a donation is suggested.

• The Camel’s Back Radio Play – “Camel’s Back,” a romantic com-edy written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will be pre-sented radio-drama style Dec. 11-12 at the James J. Hill House. The story recounts the hilarious misadventures of a young socialite during the holi-day season revelry of 1919 St. Paul. Perfor-mances are held at 6 and 8 p.m., Sat., Dec. 11, and 6 p.m., Sun., Dec. 12. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students, and include a tour of the mansion fol-lowing the show. For res-ervations, call 651-297-2555.

• Old-Fashioned Hol-iday Bazaar - Landmark Center will host the 32nd Annual Landmark Cen-ter Old-Fashioned Holi-day Bazaar Dec. 2-4. The event features 78 booths of unique handcrafted gift items by the area’s fin-est artists, festive music and food. Items for sale

include jewelry, wreaths, paintings, woven and wearable art, handmade lotions, soaps and more. Hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 2-3 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Dec. 4. Cost is $3; children under age 12 are free. Landmark Center is located at 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul. For more infor-

mation, call 651-292-3225 or visit www.land-markcenter.org.

• St. Nicholas ex-hibit – A new travel-ing exhibit, “Who is St. Nicholas? Advent and Christmas Saint, Dis-covering the Truth about Santa Claus,” is on dis-play through Dec. 26 in


The Old Fashioned Holiday Bazaar at the Landmark Center.

Expires 12/30/10 Expires 12/30/10


Your community news and information sourceH oliday Event Guidethe north lobby of the Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul. Hours are noon-5 p.m., Mon.-Sun., and noon-8 p.m., Thurs. The exhibit was curated by Carol Myers, founder of the St. Nicho-las Center in Holland, Mich. It explores the life of Nicholas, born about AD 260 in Patara, Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey. He was Bishop of Myra until his death, Dec. 6, AD 342, which is celebrated as St. Nicholas Day in many parts of the world. Nicholas is the pa-tron saint of children and sailors and is closely asso-ciated with Greece, Italy, Russia and the Nether-lands. The exhibit looks at the stories and legends of St. Nicholas and his place within faith tradi-tions and international customs. It includes hands-on children’s activ-ities and a vast collection of art, icons, symbols, toys, statues and other

treasures from around the world. For information, visit www.landmarkcen-ter.org or view the online exhibit at www.stnicho-lascenter.org.

• Santa’s Train Shop - The Jackson Street Roundhouse, 193 Penn-sylvania Ave. E., St. Paul, will be transformed into Santa’s Train Shop 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dec. 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19. Partici-pants may visit Santa, do some holiday shopping, take a train ride, and view the decorated 100-year-old roundhouse. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for ages 5-15 and seniors, and $5 for ages 2-4. For more information call 651-228-0263.

• Riverview Baptist Church Christmas Con-cert - Riverview Baptist Church, 14 E. Moreland Ave., West St. Paul, is hosting a Christmas con-cert at 6 p.m., Sat., Dec. 4, featuring the “Joyful Bells” bell choir from

Joy Lutheran church in Prescott, Wisc. The con-cert, which is free and open to the public, will feature a sing-along of traditional Christmas carols, and refreshments following the concert. For more information, call 651-457-3831 or vis-it www.riverviewbaptist.net.

• Christmas Bake Sale and Breakfast with Santa - The Rosary So-ciety/Council of Catho-lic Women and the Boy Scout troop at the Church of St. Matthew are co-sponsoring a Christmas Bake Sale and Breakfast with Santa. The bake sale is held noon-5:30 p.m., Sat., Dec. 11 and 8 a.m.-noon, Sun., Dec. 12 in the social hall at the Church of St. Matthew, 500 Hall Ave., St. Paul. It will feature will a vari-ety of Christmas cookies,

sweet breads, caramels, fruitcake, candy, snack mixes and other holiday treats.

On Sun., Dec. 12, the Boy Scouts are sponsor-ing Breakfast with Santa, 9 a.m.-noon. Breakfast includes sausages, eggs, beverages, and all-you-can-eat pancakes. Cost is $7 for adults and $4 for children aged 11 and un-der. Photos with Santa will be available for $3. For more information, call 651-224-9793.

• Breakfast with San-ta - The Kiwanis Club of West St. Paul is host-ing Breakfast with Santa 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Sun., Dec. 5, at the South Family YMCA, 150 E. Thompson Ave., West St. Paul. The meal includes pancakes, sausage, milk, juice and coffee. Cost Holiday Event Guide /

Page 12

The Landmark Center is featuring a special St. Nicholas exhibit through Dec. 26.

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is $5 for adults and $2 for children under age 12. The event also in-cludes activities, games and the opportunity to have a photo taken with Santa.

• Holiday Boutique and Bake Sale – St. Mi-chael Church, 335 E. Hurley St., West St. Paul, is hosting a holiday bou-tique and bake sale 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat., Dec. 4, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Sun.,

Budgeting for the HolidaysIf the approaching holi-

day season fills you with dread over how it will affect your finances, you’ll want to review these money-saving strat-egies from Lou Scatigna, a financial planner, radio host and author of “The Financial Physician” (www.thefinancialphysi-cian.com).

“The holidays can ei-ther be the happiest time of the year or the most stressful time of the year,” said Scatigna. “The truth

is, it can be easier. We all have high expectations for ourselves when the holidays come around, but by simply taking a step back to look at our situations realistically, we can actually plan a joyous holiday without taking ourselves to the poor-house to do it.”

His tips on holiday budget planning are:

• Honestly evaluate your current financial situation and determine how much you can spend without going into sig-nificant debt.

• Decide the maximum amount of spending that will be done on credit

cards. • Discuss with your

children that during tough times, holiday spending will be lower than when times are good.

• Start shopping now. This will give you the time to search for sales and bargains. Also, great bargains can be found online so don’t overlook shopping on the Internet.

• Instead of buying 3 or 4 expensive gifts, buy a larger number of inex-pensive ones.

• Start a holiday club bank account so next year you will have the cash saved.


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• Children’s Christ-mas Party - The AM-VETS and VFW Ladies Auxiliary is hosting a children’s Christmas Par-ty 2-4 p.m., Sat., Dec. 11 at the VFW Post home, located at 1323 Sibley Memorial Hwy., Men-dota. The event features face painting, a visit from Santa, games, coloring and snacks.

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Tim SpitzackEditor

About this time each year, the last tow-

boat of the shipping sea-son quietly slips out of St. Paul, pushing the fi-nal barges of commodi-ties downriver. To most, it’s not at all a monu-mental event. However, to those who work in the shipping industry it’s a significant yearly mile-stone. It’s a time when river life downshifts to a much slower pace. In re-cent weeks, a whirlwind of activity has taken place on the river, which serves as a main transportation artery for the heartland region. Each year nearly nine million tons of grain, including corn, soybeans and wheat, is delivered to distant ports from St. Paul, with as many as 300 barges in the system each day during peak times in October.

Now the ever-present drone of the large diesel engines of the towboats is gone and the river is quiet, save for the out-board motors of a few hardy sportsmen who will troll the waters until they freeze over. After the barges are gone, the riv-er, made choppy by the gales of November, ap-pears restless, as if it feels guilty for clocking out and heading home. It’s a working river, a blue-collar river that is accus-tomed to hard work. But the biting northern winds of December help settle it down. The freezing tem-peratures of the coming weeks will remind the riv-er that it has completed a job well-done and that it is now okay to rest. And rest it will.

It’s a slow process of quieting the mighty Mis-sissippi. At first a thin sheet of ice will form near its banks, and with each

passing day and the fall-ing of temperature, the river will move a little slower, become a little calmer. Slowly but surely the crust of ice will ac-cumulate inward until it eventually wraps the river in a frozen blanket, secur-ing it for its long winter’s nap. During this time, the river will receive a welcome respite from the pressures we thrust upon it. No longer will diesel fuel and oil find their way into the river, nor will polluted storm water run-off from our lawns and industries, or trash left behind by unsym-pathetic recreationalists. Factors that work at erod-ing its banks also take a break during the winter months.

However, even as the river rests, it is still alive, ever moving. It traps oxy-gen under its icy blan-ket to support the fish and other aquatic life

that live within it, and it never stops roaming be-tween its shores. A few short months from now,

after it is well-rested, the river will throw back its blanket and proclaim, “I’m ready to work. I’m

ready to play.” And we’ll be glad it is.

Your community news and information sourceR iver Connections

Sleep well, Old Man RiverMississippi River receives welcomed rest after busy shipping season

One of the last barges of the season quietly slips out of St. Paul.

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New Senior Housing in South St. Paul

Opening Fall 2011

Apply now for Thompson Heights, an independent living senior (age 55+) housing development that will be located on Thompson Avenue between 13th and 15th Avenue North in South St. Paul. The building will be completely smoke-free and will feature: • Mix of one- and two-bedroom units • Underground Heated Parking Garage • Secured Entrances • Exercise Room • Laundry Facilities • Community Room with Kitchen • Exercise & Club Rooms • Elevator • Secured Entrances • Screened PorchThere will be 60 units, of which 54 will have affordable fixed rents, and six two-bedroom units will have market rate rents.Affordable Fixed-Rent Units: • Income Limits: One person: $45,100; Two people: $51,550 • Rent: 1 bedroom = $550; 2 bedroom = $673Market Rate Units: • No income limits • Rent: $895 (includes one underground parking space)Note: These are 2010 income limits and rents and they are subject to change.

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Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsRep. Hansen receives honor

Minnesota District 39A State Representa-tive Rick Hansen has been selected “Legislator of the Year” by the Min-nesota Deputy Registrar Association. The associa-tion represents the 174 Deputy Registrar offices throughout the state. Deputy Registrars is-sue vehicle license tabs, transfer vehicle titles and conduct Department of Natural Resources trans-actions for boats, snow-mobiles and all-terrain vehicles.

Humboldt soccer players earn All-State honors

Two players on the Humboldt High School soccer team received All-State honors in Class A Boys soccer. Junior Ju-lian Garcia-Delaney was named All-State and se-nior Yae Naing Tun was named All-State Honor-able Mention. The team finished the year with a 14-5-2 record and second

place in the St. Paul City Conference. It lost 2-1 in double overtime to St. Paul Central in the Sec-tion 4A tournament.

Home Tour nominations

The 2011 Minneapolis & St. Paul Home Tour is seeking homeowners and home improvement pro-fessionals to be featured on the tour, held April 30 and May 1, 2011. Nominations and appli-cations are due Sat., Jan. 15, 2011. Minneapolis Neighborhood Revital-ization Program manages the tour. For more infor-mation, contact Margo Ashmore at 612-867-4874 or [email protected]. The application can be downloaded from www.MSPHomeTour.com un-der “nominate.”

Baby Boomers may apply online for Medicare

This January marks a historic moment: our na-tion’s first baby boomers are turning 65. If you fall

into this category and would like to begin your Medicare coverage when you first become eligible, it’s important that you ap-ply within three months of reaching age 65. The application is available at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly and can be completed in as little as 10 minutes. People who started receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits before age 65 do not need to apply; they will be au-tomatically enrolled in Medicare. To learn more about Medicare benefits, visit www.Medicare.gov. To learn more about Medicare and the online application, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/medi-careonly.

Kwanzaa Workshop and Tasting

Cherokee Park United Church, 371 W. Baker St. St. Paul, will host a Kwanzaa Workshop and Tasting 6-7:30 p.m., Mon., Dec. 6. The work-shop will explain the es-

sential steps of celebrat-ing the African American cultural holiday of Kwan-zaa, including the Kwan-zaa symbols, principles and gift-giving guide-lines. In addition, it will explore the compatibility of Kwanzaa with Christi-anity. The workshop will end with a tasting of Af-rican and African-Amer-ican foods served during Kwanzaa. The workshop will be led by Cherokee Park United Church pas-toral intern and United Theological Seminary student Pamela Y. Cook, who has helped coordi-nate Kwanzaa celebra-tions in Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Child care is available by request by registering in advance. To register, contact Pastor Tim John-son at 651-227-4275 or [email protected]. For more information about the church, visit www.cherokeeparkunited.org.

Mendota Heights seeks applicants for commission openings

The city of Mendota Heights is seeking ap-plicants to fill three-year volunteer terms on the Airport Relations, Planning, and Parks and Recreation advisory com-missions. Advisory com-missions meet monthly and advise the City Council about ideas, projects, requests and concerns in their focus areas. Members must be of voting age and reside within Mendota Heights. To apply, submit a let-ter of interest to City Administrator David McKnight, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN, 55118. Application letters will be accepted through Fri., Dec. 10.

West Side Booster 14U football claims city title

Santino Franco, who is stepping down this year from a 15-year volunteer career of coaching the West Side Booster Club’s 14U football team, is go-ing out in style. In Octo-ber, his team claimed the Capital City Champion-ship. This is the third year in a row that the team has captured the title.

“We didn’t have any su-perstars, just a very good team,” said Franco of his team, which finished the year with a perfect 10-0 record. During his ten-ure, Franco has coached teams to victory in four Capital City Champion-ship games and one Twin Cities Championship game, which pits St. Paul clubs against Minneapo-lis clubs.

The Riverview Eco-nomic Development

Association recently un-veiled the restored “El Midwest Canto al Pueb-lo” mural, located on the West Side at 176 Cesar Chavez St. The mural was originally created by Pab-lo Basques and installed in 1979 to pay tribute to the national Chicano/La-tino arts movement. This summer, over 50 neigh-borhood youth from the Youth Farm and Market Project and community members from the West Side Citizens Organiza-tion assisted local artists Basques, Greta Mclain, Joshua Sarintitis and Kristin Rafferty in cut-ting the glass pieces that were used to restore the mural.

The project is part of a larger effort to restore and maintain public art on the West Side. Also nearing completion is the restoration of the “Hun-ger Has No Color” mural at 344 S Robert St. This black and white mural depicts a multicultural community struggling with the issue of hunger. It was created in 1985 by John Acosta, Richard

Schletty and Armando Gutierrez. The program has also restored the “Cesar Chavez” tribute sculpture in La Placita. Artist Curtis Ingvoldsted facilitated repairs to the wooden sculpture and applied a more colorful stain and protective var-nish. Financial support

for these projects came from the city of St. Paul’s Cultural STAR program, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Neighbor-hood Partnership Initia-tive, COMPAS, Captain Ken’s Foods, and in-kind support from artists, in-cluding Craig David and Curtis Ingvoldsted.

Restored mural unveiled

The restored “El Midwest Canto al Pueblo” mural, located at 176 Cesar Chavez St.

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Your community news and information sourceL etters to the EditorA thanks to the voters of Mendota Heights

I am writing to ex-press my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the people who helped with my bid for mayor of Mendota Heights, and to those who voted for me. Your trust in my ability to lead the future direc-tion of our city and to represent the commu-nity is truly humbling. My greatest pleasure was meeting and getting to know so many of you and

visiting all of our beauti-ful neighborhoods. I am confident that the city will do well with its new leadership and I will re-main active in local and regional activities.

Jill Smith2010 candidate

Mendota Heights candidate offersher gratitude

Thank you for the priv-ilege of running for City Council. Walking every Mendota Heights neigh-borhood, listening to

your concerns and hear-ing your opinions has been a wonderful experi-ence. To the woman who gave me a ride to my car when I knocked on her door during a rainstorm and to the many residents who offered me a glass of water, thank you. To the neighbors who invited me into their homes so we could talk about is-sues, your views were heard. I encourage you to remain involved. At-tend city council, county and school meetings, vol-

unteer to serve on our Parks, Planning or Air-ports Commission, read the latest news articles about local activities, and talk with friends about issues that impact us all.

My sincere thanks to the many residents and new friends who called and emailed asking how to support my campaign. Your willingness to do-nate your time, host a lawn sign and talk to your neighbors about my can-didacy is greatly appreci-ated. My commitment

to fiscal discipline, open and accessible govern-ment, and enhancing our quality of life remains firm. I am humbled by the trust you placed in me and your belief in my leadership and decision -making ability.

I am deeply grateful to the many residents who voted for me. Thank you for your vote. I will con-tinue to work with city officials and residents to ensure that we preserve Mendota Heights’ repu-tation as a safe, finan-

cially strong, high quality first-ring suburb. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance to you.

Sally Lorberbaum2010 candidate

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Your community news and information sourceC ommunity Column

We are thrilled to announce that

Neighborhood House is growing by adopting the programming of East Side Family Center. East Side Family Center works with families to keep them strong and stable, providing assistance with basic needs like food, clothing, medical in-

surance, mental health services, housing issues, rental issues, utility pay-ments, homelessness, violence prevention and life skills.

The combination of East Side Family Cen-ter and Neighborhood House will benefit the West Side and Neighbor-hood House by expand-ing the services we offer on the West Side, espe-

cially in work with the homeless, people with housing issues and early childhood education. East Side Family Center is an ideal fit with Neigh-borhood House’s mis-sion, strategy and servic-es: both provide services that offer a comprehen-sive approach to breaking the cycle of poverty.

The addition of East Side Family Center pro-grams expands our po-tential funding base to include supporters who traditionally concen-trate their giving on the East Side of St. Paul. It increases the Neighbor-hood House operating budget by about 17 per-cent. It also means that Neighborhood House

will be in nearly all ar-eas of St. Paul – West Side, East Side and West End. The increase in geo-graphic scope, overall size and visibility puts Neighborhood House in a better position to at-tract support from indi-viduals, foundations and government.

Finally, it strengthens a key partnership with St. Paul Public Schools. All East Side programs are housed in St. Paul Public School buildings. This if the first time that Neighborhood House programs will be based in school buildings and will provide opportunities to deepen the partnership between the schools and Neighborhood House.

I hope you will join us for one or more of these following events:

• Sat., Dec. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. - Neighborhood House will hold our first annual Unique Cultural Boutique. It’s a perfect opportunity to browse the offerings of this area’s talented artists and pick up some special holiday gifts.

• Thurs., Dec. 16, 6 p.m. - Join us for the St. Paul Optimists Club/Neighborhood House Holiday dinner. In con-junction with the din-ner, we will also offer our popular free toy distribu-tion. Space is limited so make sure you register by stopping by Neighbor-hood House, 179 Robie St. E. Residents of zip code 55107 and Neigh-borhood House partici-pants are eligible.

• Ongoing: volunteer-ing and giving. With un-employment still high, the number of people seeking assistance from our food shelf, job seek-

ers improving their pros-pects in our Adult Basic Education program and children in our Youth Leadership program con-tinues to grow. You can help support these efforts by donating at www.neighb.org or by calling Lisa Lane at 651-789-2502. You can also pitch in by volunteering in the food shelf, classroom or Youth Center. Call Adam Thompson at 651-789-2503 for more informa-tion.

Finally, a special thanks to all who joined us at our first annual Revel with a Cause event, ben-efiting Neighborhood House. This unique, fun event, held at El Barrio in Lowertown, drew over 230 people. We show-cased Neighborhood House’s successful efforts to reduce gang activity and found a receptive au-dience. Over $130,000 gross was raised.

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Your community news and information sourceC ommunity Column

By Lydia Nobello

We would like to thank all the West

Siders and friends who attended, contributed to and volunteered at our annual meeting, held Wed., Nov. 10 at Neigh-borhood House. We would like to especially thank Captain Ken’s Firehouse Chili, Jera-bek’s Bakery and Neigh-borhood House for their very generous support.

The evening included the award ceremony for West Sider of the Year 2010. We had a tie this year. Maureen Hark and Debbie Luna were both honored for their com-munity work and dedi-cation to improving the quality of life on the West Side. Congratula-

tions Maureen and Deb-bie! Thanks for all the wonderful work you do on the West Side.

WSCO’s new executive director, Elena Gaarder, outlined our recently completed Strategic Plan, which will guide WSCO’s work for the next 3 years. Program goals include in-creasing civic participa-tion of our residents, en-suring a safe and healthy environment, and influ-encing the built infra-structure to match com-munity values.

Some of the strate-gies to achieve WSCO’s goals include working as a primary connector on the West Side by recruit-ing, training and engag-ing residents through workshops, committee participation, board par-

ticipation and volunteer activities, as well as voter registration. Strategies to ensure a safe and healthy West Side include work-ing to increase neighbor-hood resources, creating a community asset map, developing a West Side communication system, and promoting sustain-ability of West Side An-nual Clean Up, energy conservation programs and community gardens.

Another important fo-cus for WSCO will be working to influence the built infrastructure on the West Side. WSCO will continue to influence zoning decisions, serve on planning and visioning committees and forums, initiate local area plans and advocate on behalf of the neighborhood to the City. Currently, the West Side must consider future access to two of its most valuable assets: Baker Recreation Center and Cherokee Heights Pool. A vital part of West Side infrastructure, Bak-er Recreation Center is

home to the Jane Addams School for Democracy, All Around the Neigh-borhood, Teatro del Pueblo, Head Start, West Side Safe Neighborhood Council, Youth Farm and Market Project, Baker Mondays!, Jason DeLaO Karate School and Youth Apprenticeship project. In addition, Baker houses a community computer lab and a community kitchen and also serves as a West Side polling site. With Baker at risk of clo-sure due to major fund-ing cuts, WSCO encour-ages concerned residents to contact WSCO to

connect with West Sid-ers working on a plan to keep the doors of Baker and Cherokee pool open to our community.

Community members met at WSCO recently to discuss concerns about the intersection of Ohio/Winifred/Alice Court. A traffic study conducted by the city of St. Paul concluded that traf-fic speeds are consistent with posted limits. How-ever, visibility for both pedestrians and drivers to safely cross the inter-section continues to be a challenge. Residents were presented with lim-

ited options to increase safety in the area, but we will continue to work toward resolving the is-sue. As a primary gate-way to the West Side, this issue is important to residents who want to increase safety, calm traffic and help beautify the intersection. Anyone interested in working to improve the intersection is encouraged to contact WSCO.

For more information, contact us at 651-293-1708, visit our office at 127 W. Winifred St., or view us at www.wsco.org and on facebook.

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Your community news and information sourceS ample, St. Paul

Photo courtesy of 5th Avenue Theatre “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is presented Dec. 7-Jan. 2, 2011 at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.

Ordway Center for Performing Arts

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is presented Dec. 7-Jan. 2, 2011. This Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice produc-tion tells the story of Jo-seph, his jealous broth-ers and one very colorful garment. American Idol finalist Anthony Fedo-rov is slated to appear as Joseph. Joining the performers onstage will be 40 Twin Cities-area school children. The Or-dway Center is located at 345 Washington St., St. Paul. For more informa-tion, call 651-224-4222 or visit www.ordway.org.

Xcel Energy CenterTrans-Siberian Or-

chestra (TSO) will per-form at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Mon., Dec. 27 at the Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. TSO presents a dra-matic audio-visual per-formance, complete with lasers, pyrotechnics and state-of-the-art lighting.

Tickets are $27-$58. “Disney On Ice -

Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey” is pre-sented Dec. 9-12. Tickets are $12-$67. For more information, call 651-726-8240 or visit www.xcelenergycenter.com.

Children’s Museum“Living in Space” is

presented through Jan.

2, 2011. This interactive exhibit is inspired by the International Space Sta-tion, the largest interna-tional aerospace project ever, and teaches partici-pants about the everyday activities of astronauts.

“Japan and Nature: Spirits of the Seasons” is presented through Jan. 23, 2011. This exhibit shows the similarities and

differences of each season of the year in Japan and Minnesota. Tickets are $8.95. The museum is located at 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul. For more in-formation, call 651-225-6000.

History Center“Chocolate: The Ex-

hibition” is presented through Jan. 2, 2011. From rainforest treasure to luscious treat — im-merse yourself in the sto-ry of chocolate. Explore the plant, the products and the culture of choco-late through the lenses of science, history and pop-ular culture. The exhibit features experiments and hands-on activities, as well as Mayan, Aztec and 17th-century European artifacts, including items to find, make and sell this tasty treat.

“Minnesota’s Greatest Generation: The De-pression, The War, The Boom” - This exhibit features more than 6,000 square feet of artifacts, interactive displays and innovative multimedia experiences that reveal the lives and stories of the men and women who came of age during the Depression and World War II, and who went on to create the phe-nomenal postwar boom. The exhibition features first-person narratives in recorded interviews, im-ages, film and audio.

“MN 150” - Meet 150 people, places, events and things that sparked significant change within Minnesota and beyond.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students, and $5 for children ages 6-17. The center offers free ad-mission on Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. For more informa-tion, call 651-259-3000 or visit www.mnhs.org.

History Theatre“The Christmas

Schooner,” a holiday musical, is presented through Dec. 19. Heart-felt storytelling and mu-sic bring to life the story of a shipping captain who delivered Christ-mas trees to immigrant families in Chicago. The story is a warm and won-derful tale of celebrating the importance of shar-ing traditions between generations and between neighbors. Tickets are $28-$32 for adults and $25-$30 for seniors.

Sample Night Live, a sampling of local pro-ductions, is featured at the History Theatre at 7 p.m. the first Wednes-day of each month, ex-cept February. The for-mat features 12 acts per night, including theater, film, dance, improv, vi-sual arts, folk and opera. The next performance is Dec. 1. Tickets are $20. The History Theatre is located at 30 E. Tenth St., St. Paul. For more information, call the box office at 651-292-4323.

Science Museum“Geometry Play-

ground” is presented through Jan. 9, 2011. This exhibit will have participants climbing, building, drawing and playing to teach the ways in which mathematical principles affect how we move, see and fit things together in the world around us.

“Hubble” is featured through Feb. 17, 2011 in the Omnitheater. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, “Hubble” of-fers a tour of the uni-verse through 20 years

of astounding images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. The film also shows what it’s like to repair and up-grade Hubble as the At-lantis STS-125 crew per-forms some of the most difficult spacewalks ever attempted at 17,500 mph and 350 miles above the Earth. The 45-minute film is rated G.

Museum tickets are $11 for adults and $8.50 for children ages 4-12 and seniors age 60 and older, or $17 and $14.50 respectively with admis-sion to the Omnithe-ater. Omnitheater tickets alone are $8/$7. The Sci-ence Museum is located at 120 W. Kellogg Blvd. For more information, visit www.smm.org, or call 651-221-9444.

Park Square Theatre“2 Pianos, 4 Hands”

is featured Dec. 7-Jan. 2, 2011. Ted and Richard are piano whiz kids with stars in their eyes. Work-ing toward their dream, they begin to realize the difference between “very good” and “great.” Two very talented men fill the stage with everyone from pushy parents to eccentric teachers. And yes, they do play those pianos – everything from Bach to Jerry Lee Lewis. Tickets are $20-$60. A $5 discount is offered for people age 62 and older. Tickets for ages 30 and under are $15. The the-ater is located in the His-toric Hamm Building, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul. For more information, call 651-291-7005.

Artists’ QuarterThe Artists’ Quarter,

located in the Historic Hamm Building at Sev-enth Place and St. Peter in downtown St. Paul, offers live entertainment throughout the month, including jazz bands, po-etry nights and the popu-lar B-3 organ night, held at 9 p.m. every Tuesday. For a complete schedule of events, call 651-292-1359 or visit www.artist-squarter.com.

On Your Doorstep.Online.

www.stpaulpublishing.com


Robert and MarieWest St. Paul

Southview Square • 651-455-1249

40% OFFAny One Fabric Cut

Limit one coupon per customer. Excludes sale items. Not valid on gift cards, special orders, prior purchases or with other coupons or discounts. Expires 12/31/10.

Southview Square

1885 South Robert StreetWest St. Paul

651-451-1910

FREE ESTIMATESMon 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.Tues-Fri 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.Sun Closed (Family Day)

One room or your entire home, plus FREE PADSee sales consultants for details. Some restrictions apply. Expires 12/31/10.

$39 Carpet Installation1871 Robert Street, West St. Paul Open Every Day

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Take out, Dine inand Delivery!

651-455-1251

Cannot be combined w/other offer.

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SPECIAL OFFER:2 Order

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Cannot be combined w/other offer.

SPECIAL OFFER:2 Egg Rolls

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Lg. Sweet & Sour ChickenLg. Chicken Lo MeinChicken Fried Rice

only $31.99

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A Family Tradition since 1926

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www.reginascandies.com

Register Today! Classes in

Tap Hip Hop Jazz All Boys Hip Hop Lyrical Music & Movement Ballet Dance Team Pointe Yoga

Still enrolling for the 2010-2011

dance season!

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651.554.1142

Celebrate St. Nicholas Day Dec. 6

SOME GIFTS ARE ENJOYED FOR DAYS.

OURS FOR GENERATIONS.

More than jewelry...we’re the people you trust.1901 Robert St. S. • West Saint Paul, MN 55118

vandrakejewelers.com • 651-457-4407

Chocolate Advent calendars

St. Nicks & Gold Coins

Handmade Chocolates

Salted Nuts & Sugar-free Candy

A studio for dancers age 2 and up!

Jodi Endahl’s

This year, give the gift of. . .

Confidence

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Respect

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and more!

Legacy American Martial Arts 1891 Robert Street S. West St. Paul

Holiday Special:

8 weeks

for $88


946 S. Robert St.West St. Paul

(4 blocks north of Butler)

651-457-1196

1918 Beam Ave.Maplewood

(across from Maplewood Mall)

651-731-3603

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After $200 Frigidaire Visa PrePaid CardMail-In Rebate . Offer Good 9-30 / 1-2

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Frigidaire® StainlessSteel Gas Range

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Frigidaire® Gallery Tall Tub DishwasherQuietest Dishwasher in its Class**,

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Store Exclusive PairRebate by mail

Good 12-9 /12-24

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Regular Price $1699

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The merchandise in this advertisement was selected far in advance of publication.Therefore, if an item is out of stock, and a replacement is unavailable, we will offer a comparable value to you. We appreciate your understanding and your business. Any typographic, photographic, or production errors are subject to correction in pricing and description. All models shown may not be on display in all stores but are available from our warehouse stock.

$15994 Pc. Stainless Steel

Kitchen Package

Frigidaire® 26 cu. ft. Side-By-Side Refrigerator#FFUS2613LS

Frigidaire® Built-In Dishwasher #FFBD2407LS / #FFBD2409LS

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Frigidaire® 1.6 cu. ft. Over-the-RangeMicrowave Oven #FFMV164LS

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Frigidaire® 26 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator

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Frigidaire® StainlessSteel DishwasherFits-More™ Capacity, Delay Start,Quiet Dishwasher#FFBD2407LS

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Frigidaire Gallery®26 cu. ft. Side-By-SideStainless Steel, 3 Glass SpillSafeShelves #FGUS2642LF

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means lower priceseveryday on theproducts and brandsyou’re shopping for!

+ $75 Installation Allowance by mail. Offer Good 12-9 / 12-24

Stainless Steel$449#FGHD2433KF

After $100 Store ExclusiveMail-In Rebate.

Good thru 12-24

SAVE$100!

Reg.Pair Price $1398

FOR THE PAIR

$1298

*

NMG BDBP Dec9-24 ROP FRIGIDAIRE_Layout 1 11/17/10 8:27 AM Page 1


$100$100

SAVE UP TO $200!


+


#FFU21F5HW$549

21 Cu. Ft.

$44917 Cu. Ft.








SAVE$200!





Good 12-9 /12-24



Good 12-9 /12-24

Regular Price $1699

$1499













Kitchen Package





Save $777!



$1099$349



ONLY6 PERSTORE!


$249


$1099


$799

HOTBUY!

$200Up To





Good thru 12-24

SAVE$100!


FOR THE PAIR

$1298

*



$100$100

SAVE UP TO $200!


+


#FFU21F5HW$549

21 Cu. Ft.

$44917 Cu. Ft.








SAVE$200!





Good 12-9 /12-24



Good 12-9 /12-24

Regular Price $1699

$1499













Kitchen Package





Save $777!



$1099$349



ONLY6 PERSTORE!


$249


$1099


$799

HOTBUY!

$200Up To





Good thru 12-24

SAVE$100!


FOR THE PAIR

$1298

*


Documents

SPV Dec 2010