BY STEPHANIE FOX A few years ago, Roosevelt High School teacher Ben Rengstrof noticed that while classes offered by the Minneapolis School District focused primarily on getting students into college, programs in basic life skills were lacking. He had an interest in cooking—at the time, just a hobby—but decided that…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Tennis on Selby 1599 Selby 651-340-3998 There is little shop on Selby Avenue devoted to tennis and enthusiastic tennis players. Owner Deb Irvine was once a lawyer. She didn’t even start playing tennis until she was an adult, she says, but she became a passionate player and…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Highlights of a Minneapolis summer are the Open Streets festivals, held all over the city over the course of the season. The city temporarily closes blocks and blocks of main streets to traffic, allowing pedestrians, bike riders, skaters and skateboarders to roam freely, visiting booths from nonprofits,…
BY STEPHANIE FOX While Bloomington Avenue in South Minneapolis is mostly single-family and duplex homes, there are small stretches of unique and colorful businesses. Lots of street corners offer super places to eat, shop and visit. Hot Plate 5204 Bloomington Ave. 612-824-4794 The restaurant Hot Plate, a local institution, is…
BY STEPHANIE FOX From Minnehaha Parkway all the way to the West Bank, Cedar Avenue offers a number of great places to eat and drink. You can elect plain old burgers, pizza and pasta or the more exotic foods of the Twin Cities’ culinary tapestry. There are places for wetting…
BY STEPHANIE FOX At the corner of Bloomington and Lake Street is Mercado Central, recognizable by the bright blue awning above the doors and the always-crowded parking lot. The stores, restaurants and other businesses reflect a vibrant, flourishing marketplace. If you come to the Mercado on weekends you will have…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Everyone in Minneapolis recognizes the large, elegant neoclassical building facing Hennepin Avenue near 23rd Street. Temple Israel, housing Minnesota’s oldest Jewish community and the state’s largest Jewish congregation, is more than an architectural landmark. It is a cultural and religious one as well. Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman leads…
BY STEPHANIE FOX In December, Christmas takes over everything. Christmas music is everywhere, dozens of TV specials and shows have Christmas themes, decorations with Christmas themes fill homes, stores and the streets. Anything winter related becomes a symbol of Christmas, from toy soldiers to snowflakes to bells to stars to…
BY STEPHANIE FOX While stuffing might be the starchy star of many Thanksgiving tables, there’s no reason to neglect the lowly spud. With a little creativity, potatoes can add something innovative to your holiday meal. Don’t be surprised if your guests ask for seconds, or even if one of these…
BY STEPHANIE FOX It started with the railroad, or at least that’s what some historians claim. The small four-block commercial section of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood called Dinkytown may have gotten its name from the railroad tracks that ran through the area. Or maybe, not. Photographer and Minneapolis historian Steve Bergerson…
BY STEPHANIE FOX When the Midtown Global Market opened in 2006, rising like a Phoenix from the shell of what had once been an abandoned 1920s era flagship Sears Roebuck, hopes were high. Sitting at the busy corner of Chicago Avenue and Lake Street, the redone market cost $16 million,…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Kids are never too young to learn about science. It was that idea that motived Bonnie Everts to expand SELF, International, a nonprofit that once focused on public health in the African country of Ghana, and move it closer to home. The new mission, Everts said, is…
BY STEPHANIE FOX A trip to the farmers market usually doesn’t include a chance to meet birds of prey, but on Aug. 2, visitors to the Nokomis Wednesday Farmers Market could come and see, up close, three Minnesota raptors. The birds, an 18-year-old bald eagle, a 2-year-old red-tailed hawk and…
BY STEPHANIE FOX A camping box, made out of a wooden file drawer, has just arrived at the Repair Lair and owner Nancy Ford is checking each item. One piece catches her interest. “It’s a massive cook set with a one-burner stove,” she says. She turns the stove over in…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Auto repair shop Action Auto, at 24th Avenue and 38th Street, has been part of the local South Minneapolis Bancroft and Corcoran communities for 42 years, serving loyal customers from the surrounding neighborhoods. About four years ago, owner Kurt Spohn decided it was time to give back…
