The park still has openings in our 2016 Fall PreSchool Kindertots program.  The program is held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am-3pm for ages: 3-5 (must be able to go to the bathroom independently). The program runs through December 15^th, 2016. Take advantage of this time for your little one to make new friends while playing and learning new social skills. Each day your child will enjoy music, storytelling, and creating artwork. Parents, pack your child's favorite food for lunchtime each day at the park. You won't want to miss out on this opportunity for your little one. ***No Class November 8th, 23rd, and 24th.

Rec+ also has opening for the after school care. The care is open daily from 2pm-6pm. Youth are dropped off at the park, enjoy a snack, play structured games and activities, and have supervised fun time.  Please come in for more information and to sign up.

There’s nothing better than warm soup on a brisk evening in November – except, of course, gathering together with friends and neighbors for the annual Corcoran Soup Cookoff!

• Mark your calendar for Wednesday, November 16^th from 6-8pm at the CNO office (3451 Cedar Avenue South) and plan to bring the whole family! Bread, beverages, and desserts will be provided.
• Bowls and utensils will be available, but we encourage you to bring your own mug or bowl for soup.
• There will be plenty of space to mingle and eat, along with childcare activities.
• If you are interested in entering a soup or chili please contact Heidi Johnson McAllister: 612-724-7457 / [email protected]
• Let us know you are coming! RSVP (not required) at our Facebook Eventhttps://www.facebook.com/events/1282060005186999/

Any and all are encouraged to enter! If possible, all entries need to bring their soup in slow-cooker to stay warm and with proper serving utensils.

Susan Peterson's 9th grade science class from S. High study, observe, and collect pollinators. The front gardens of the corners of 34th and 19th are the perfect labs!

On September 17th, over 100 people gathered at DuNord Craft Spirits for a lively and entertaining evening of festive music, mouthwatering food, and delicious drinks to support the Midtown Farmers Market. The event brought in roughly $7400 in donations, silent auction bids, and ticket sales. We want to thank the following partners and contributors, their generous donations made for a fantastic evening: 

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” Corrie ten Boom

“No one has the right to be an obstacle to another human being getting well.”  The Incomplete Skeptic

“Never get into a pissing contest with a skunk.”  Mary Jo R.

“First God throws a pebble, and then He throws a brick.”  Oprah

“Surrender Hugs” & “Set it up”.  Tricia Ireland

If you love someone, you will not hurt them.”  The Incomplete Skeptic

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”1 John 4 8

On Sept. 17, CNO, Sierra Club, and Council Member Alondra Cano hosted new Minneapolis Public Works director Robin Hutcheson, County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, and other key decision makers at the Midtown Farmers Market to discuss plans to "Humanize" the Hiawatha and Lake intersection for everybody who uses the area. The event concluded with a walking tour where residents were able to show Hutcheson specific details of what isn't working at Hiawatha and Lake. Join the effort by attending a meeting of CNO's Land Use & Housing committee on the 1st Thursday of each month at 6:00pm at CNO, 3451 Cedar Ave S. You can also learn more by finding the Hi-Lake Interchange Study and the Humanize Hi-Lake Facebook page. Find links to both and more at www.corcoranneighborhood.org

It’s that time of year again when we are starting to prepare to hunker down for winter and cozy up inside our homes. In contemplating hibernating for the winter, I started to turn my eyes inward to search for home projects to spruce up our living areas. After a summer spent fixing and tidying up the outside, I was ready to start tackling the outdated ceiling tiles, circa 1962,
in our home. We called on Brother’s Electric, a Corcoran neighborhood business, to come and wire in a vintage chandelier. They asked me more than once if I understood that they were going to need to tear up my ceiling, and I assured them that I was ready to see these outdated ceilings go! I was actually quite happy about this because it forced us to re-do the ceilings quickly! And my hubs couldn’t say no to me adding to the honey-do list! So, they went to town wiring in my vintage chandelier…and putting two big gaping holes in the ceilings to run the wiring through.

This month the Watch covers pet ownership, specifically dog ownership. Dogs are valued members of our various families. But living within the City there are special ordinances required to be followed for dog ownership. Firstly all dogs must be licensed with the City of Minneapolis (http://www.minneapolismn.gov/animals/index.htm). This is so if the animal is lost, when it is found it can be returned to its home. Secondly all dogs must be kept in a fully fenced yard, or on a leash at all times (http://www.minneapolismn.gov/animals/pets/index.htm). From the Minneapolis Animal Care and Control website:

Keep Pets from Running-at-Large

Pets running at large can face many dangers and become a nuisance to others. Secure and supervise your pet is the best prevention.

• Dogs may be restrained to private property by leash, fence, or tether. A dog may only be loose in fenced, private property authorized by the property owner. Be sure the fence height is of adequate height, construction, and condition to prevent escape.

Have y’all seen the plastic orange fencing popping up around neighborhood yards in the past month or so?

I was on my way to the South High track when I first came across an orange “Men Working” sign on 21^st avenue. (The sign did not lie: Fifty yards later I saw four men working in a yard.)

“What’s the project?” I casually asked the group, part of an engineering team based on the truck logo.

“Errr…yard clean up,” came the reply.

If you aren’t familiar, years ago, wind blew arsenic contamination from a pesticide plant into Corcoran and other neighborhoods, and much of it settled into the soil. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted soil tests and remediated a number of properties in the community between 2009 and 2011.  

When I arrived for the interview, Phillip O'Toole, a 2007 transplant to Corcoran, invited me into his house on 22nd via the kitchen where he was making coffee. He lives alone now.  His youngest has flown the coop to a college in Portland, Oregon.  He misses her, but enjoys getting reports, like the recent one about the chickens left at her new house by previous tenants:  "Birds are everywhere Dad!  In the alley, the windows, between the houses," Phil chuckled.

He shook his head as we ventured out back reflecting on a scary incident that nearly took the life of one of his own birds.  According to a neighbor, what looked like a falcon actually swooped down and tried to make lunch of his poultry.  The breed he keeps are bantams which are smaller than their counterparts, making them more susceptible to such attacks.