In the aftermath of the police killing of Philando Castile on July 6, local artists found a way to capture and reflect in a public way the anger and grief being felt by many.  A team of artists - primarily people of color - collectively planned a mural design that responds with successive visual panels to the question, “What Do We Tell Our Children? When (Education, Compliance, Age, Handcuffs, Your Guilt or Innocence, Protest/Our Outrage, or Straight-Up Evidence) Didn't Matter?  The Truth is Our Lives Matter!”  The mural conveys that even such things as being a 4 year old child can't keep you safe from police violence. 

Coming to Corcoran Park for the school year of fall 2016 is REC+, which is after school child care for school aged kids. It will be M-F from 2-6 pm. There are part time sign ups, structured daily programs, and more staff for the building as a whole.  Registration is going now, and there are registration packets at the park.  We are very excited about this at Corcoran, with the potential to have 25-30 after school youth in the park every day from the community. If your children are in a REC+ program already, they can transfer their child(ren) to Corcoran as long as the school bus will transport them here.  The Schools that bus here are: Andersen, Bancroft, Dowling, Folwell, Seward, Fair, Emerson Spanish Immersion, and Windom Spanish Immersion. Questions? Concerns? Ideas? Contact the Corcoran Park staff at 612-370- 4919 or [email protected].

As summer rolls on and vacations wind down, we are slowly reminded that back to school is around the corner.   All the more reason to enjoy what’s left of summer at the Midtown Farmers Market. Come and enjoy some of the great programming we have this month. On August 6^th the Market will host additional food trucks for a second, more accessible iteration of our Food Truck Fest. On August 13^th we ask you all to show your support of the market and #FeedtheCarrot. The Market is always looking for volunteers to help with fundraising effort.  If you’re interested in pitching in, email our Assistant Manager, Mallory, at [email protected]. Then on August 20^th we will celebrate the Latino Community in South Minneapolis with our 3^rd Annual Festival del Maíz. The day will include music from Alma Andina and Javier Trejo, dance with Ketzalcoatlicue, a seed art activity with local artist Tammy Ortegón, a Midtown Flavors cooking demo, a special guest vendor Ricardo Levins Morales, and we will continue with the 4^th installment of our Summer Poetry Series featuring local poet Teresa Ortiz, thanks to Wellington Management. Be sure to check it out! Midtown will also host our third and final blood drive with Memorial Blood Centers on August 27^th.

The last handful of weeks have been filled with tension in our community regarding the deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana, Philando Castille right here in the Twin Cities and five police officers in Dallas.  There seems to be a divide and an unspoken expectation that people must choose “a side”.  This division has personally impacted by family, altered relationships, and in general put a veil of sadness over us.  So, I was very excited to hear about a neighbor’s amazing idea to pull all of us back together!  Morgan Koth introduced me to her idea, “Good Neighbor Lemonade”, which is essentially an initiative to bring people together, grassroots style, to get neighbors to meet each other, start a conversation, and help build empathy in this trying time.  And who doesn’t want free lemonade and a sweet treat? 

WIFE IN THE CITIES: What is "Good Neighbor Lemonade"? 

MORGAN:  Good Neighbor Lemonade is a free lemonade stand with the intent to build the community around it. Come by for a free glass of lemonade and a cookie, meet your neighbors, and stay for the conversation and the art.

Plan or attend an event on your block; CNO can help

National Night Out is an annual nationwide event that encourages residents to get out in their community, hold a block or apartment party, and get to know other neighbors. Will your block or apartment gather for National Night Out? There’s still time to plan a simple event. It can be as simple as inviting neighbors to enjoy a potluck meal in someone’s front yard.

Help Available. Do you need help planning an event, making simple flyers, connecting with others on your block, or knocking on doors? Contact Brettina Davis ([email protected]) or Edain Altamirano ([email protected]) by e-mail or at 612-724-7457. The CNO office also offers free photocopies for block meeting flyers any time of the year.

To find an event near you and other resources, go to www.corcoranneighborhood.org/NNO.

Don’t forget to stop at the Midtown Farmers Market on the way home to pick up fresh veggies or flowers for your National Night Out Party! They are open from 3-7pm at 2225 East Lake Street.

If you are a block leader, stop by CNO on August 1^st or 2^nd during the day and pick up business coupons and information for your block!

Let’s get gardening! We had some great weather for our first days and much was accomplished. It was fun see the gardeners from last year as well as meet our newest gardeners. Happy Summer!

Pam Morgan, a gardener at Milly's Peace Garden for over five years, tends to her garlic plants. She planted them last fall and they will be ready for harvest in July. Other gardeners at Milly's have already planted potatoes, kale, beans, and peas; the peas have grown to 6 inches tall and can be seen in the photo behind the garlic plants. Milly's is located at 38th Street and 21st Avenue; it is actually in the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood. Come by and visit our garden!

On Wednesday, June 15th residents came together to mingle with neighbors, share homemade dishes, and listen to the upbeat melody of the fast paced Zumba class happening at the park. There were discussions about Neighborhood safety amongst the groups as well as how children can get more involved with the parks and neighborhood. Many new faces to the neighborhood made their introductions and got to learn from the community. The Corcoran Park was a great experience for neighbors as well as for our staff. We were delighted to have conversations around different topics with all of you as well as get to know you. The Corcoran Park Potluck will be a regular thing. The next date is TBD for August. Thank you again to Ryan Flanders and Corcoran Park for the space! Thank you all for coming out!

Thanks to all who participated with either a sale or being a customer in the Corcoran, Standish, and Ericsson Garage Sale the weekend of June 9,10, and 11. We had over 125 sales on the hot and sticky day with no rain. The sale over the last 14 years has brought in over $500,000 in sales.

Hope you found treasures!

Have you been by Imbue Yoga on 35^th Street in the past few weeks? If you have, you’ll notice a freshly painted and revitalized storefront, funded in part by a matching grant from Corcoran for businesses that want to make small physical improvements. This grant is just one piece of a new committee focused on laying the groundwork for businesses to plant, seed, and grow in the neighborhood. I’m on the committee that’s helping with this effort. (And you should be too.) Here’s what we’re up to.

The group has developed a series of five strategies to carry out over the next two years. These are: Build relationships (community development corporations, business associations, stakeholders), recruit retail businesses for the new development rising on the corner of Lake and Hiawatha, solidify relationships with businesses already in Corcoran, increase community engagement and support of neighborhood businesses, and cultivate business success on the 23^rd Avenue and 35^th street node.