Remember, to know what is happening on the entire avenue visit the online map here
Beginning at 42nd Street, Curran’s will be providing pulled pork and sweet potato fries, and beer in their front yard on Nicollet and down the street at Four Gates you can work off that lunch with kettle balls and hula hoops from noon to 2:30! Or take a break from the action and get directions and schedules for the day’s event at the Odds and Ends Streetside Reading Room.
The reading room contains the KFNA Info Station and also a literary corner, which highlights local authors reading from their books, a word-focused button making project, and a Little Free Library book collection and giveaway. At the info Station, KFNA will also be conducting a uber-local scavenger hunt and completed entries will be entered into a drawing for a free Little Free Library to call your very own; funds raised from this project will go towards buying permits for local Little Libraries that aren’t registered yet. As an added bonus, the founder of the nonprofit Little Free Library, Tod Bol, will be at Nicollet Open Streets from noon-1!
Authors Line-up Includes:
- 12:00Â Â Â Â Todd Bol and Margret Aldrich: Do you love Little Free Libraries? Todd Bol is the creator and executive director of Little Free Library, the nonprofit based in Hudson, Wisconsin. Kingfielder Margret Aldrich is the author of the upcoming Little Free Library Book, available April 2015 from Coffee House Press.
- 1:00       Erin Soderberg: Local children’s book author of several popular chapter-book series, including The Quirks and the forthcoming Puppy Pirates.
- 2:00       Sabra Waldfogel: Her first book, Slave and Sister, was published earlier this year. It is the story of a Jewish woman and her slave half-sister who are transformed by the Civil War—from mistress and slave to true sisters.
- 3:00       Douglas Owens-Pike: A landscape expert and author of Beautifully Sustainable, a quick reference guide for beginners and pros on best practices for ecological gardening—filled with useful tips, ideas, planning lists, and professional insights.
- 4:00Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jay Walljasper: Award-winning writer and community thinker Jay Walljasper gathers insights from around the world that point us toward a more sustainable and enjoyable future. Author of All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons and The Great Neighborhood Book, Walljasper also serves as the editor of OnTheCommons.org.
Just across the street, The Lowbrow will be celebrating “Where Beer Comes Fromâ€, a public art instillation by local designers Jonathan Schuster and Meredith Stuart. Come enjoy a beer brat and a cold pint with your ice-cream sandwich and pick up a cool new tee shirt to show the neighborhood your support both public art and beer!
When you are done at The Lowbrow, stroll south to the Colorwheel Gypsy Bazaar where you will find face painting, henna tatoos, and of course: handthrow pottery, handknit goods, handmade art, and a bizarre collection of bazaar items for sale! In true Colorwheel style, artist and owner Tammy Ortegon will have an eclectic mix of artwork and artists sharing her space on the street.
Also at this corner Fun Sister and Restyle are partnering on putting on public fashion shows down the avenue at 1, 2, and 3 PM. Grab a chair along the runway and see if you spot a neighbor modeling or if you get inspired to try a new style! Shows run for 15 minutes each.
In this spirit of cooperation and teamwork, the new kid on the block, Bull Run, will be serving up coffee and our very own Kingfield ice-cream flavors designed and made by our own Sebastian Joe’s: “The Flavor Formerly Know as Nicollet Pothole” and their newest “Open Streets Cycle-delic”! Grab and cup of joe and a scoop of Joe’s before moving out to hear the mini-rock festival at Roadrunner Records who is offering a full line-up of live music including:
- 12:30pm: Ye Ye Pow (’60s French Pop)
- 1:30pm: Runes Av Vaskeri (Scandinavian Beat)
- 2:30pm: Kinda Kinky – Kinks tribute band, Minneapolis & St. Paul
- 3:30pm: Rank Strangers (Mpls legends!)
Healthfair 11’s Q-munity Vehicle will be across the street. Stop in and pick up some healthy-living tips and get a check-up!  then visit the extended FrameUps Handmade Market as well as the extended Kingfield Farmers Market. Each will feature many of the same great vendors you see each week, but extra special events are also being added including:
- Bike checkups with Tangletown Bike Shop, 10am – 2pm
- Bike decorating, 11am – 4pm
- Veggie tasting, 12pm – 4pm
- Sampling fresh, local veggies from the market
- Market button making & tattoos, 1:00pm – 4:30pm
- Cookie decorating with Sun Street Breads
At the intersection of 44th and Nicollet, MPLS Taps will have free water flowing, and Leonardo’s Basement will have the bikes rolling, up and down, and up again over their own handmade bike ramps. Come try them out!
Then learn about solar opportunities and benefits from both Applied Energy Innovations, and MN Community Solar. Two Kingfield neighbors that just installed solar arrays will be on hand to talk to folks about their projects plus the Tiny Solar House will be open for touring.
Car2Go will also be there to talk about their car-sharing network and the Nicollet East Harriet Business Association would love to chat with Minneapolis neighbors about the great amenities our businesses provide educate folks about the issues facing local businesses and how you can help. In particular they will be discussing “Vote Yes†on 2 in November to move 70 of your favorite neighborhood restaurants from the Charter and into the Ordinance so they can participate in the newly written, soon to be approved, regulations on Minneapolis restaurants.
Down the road in front of Driftwoods the music will also be flowing all day, along with the beer! The grill will be cooking salmon and burgers and the band line-up is as follows:
- NOON- Tramps Like Us
- 1 P.M.- Gipsy Bastards
- 2 P.M.- The Beavers
- 3 P.M.- James Loney/Lolo’s Ghost
- 4 P.M.- The Drug Budget
- Then at 5:00 the party moves back indoors with Bog Doctors & Shotgun Ragtime Band
At 45th and Nicollet you will find the new home of Corner Table, anchoring the end of the event with a good old-fashioned pig roast! Grab a pint and a pork leg and enjoy the stage across the street, which features the talented congregants of Solomon’s Porch. Poets, storytellers, and authors take the stage from noon to 2 PM and folk music by Ben and Heatherlyn will fill the air from 2-5 PM. Yoga Sanctuary will have a session of fun and interactive yoga in the street from 2-3 PM.
Remember, schedules are subject to change so be sure to load the online map on your smart phone!