Kingfield Neighborhood Association

Signs of the south Nicollet Pollinator Pathway!

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Signs of Pollinator Pathway will be popping up through the neighborhood in early June so keep your eyes peeled for the happy bee signs!

We are planting over 50 garden stops for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee through the Lyndale, Kingfield, and Tangletown neighborhoods! Bees will know where to stop because each garden will have similar flowers blooming at the same time and these tiny native bees feed on “constancy” (kind of like a picky toddler who will only eat plain noodles for an entire two weeks, who then hates them and will only eat hotdogs!)

Thank you neighbors for sharing in this work with us to create a tasty neighborhood for pollinators!

MLK Park: A Survey About Adding New Features

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Rank the projects!

The MLK Park Master Plan was finalized by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation board in 2019. A master plan for a park includes a 20-30 year plan for the parks in the area, including existing features and proposed design features. MLK Park is ranked #62 of 152 parks so any improvements or additions to this park will be at least six years out. However, there is a way to get new park features added sooner! Features that are included in the Master Plan for a park are easier to get approved by the Park Board.

Additionally, the Kingfield Neighborhood has $316,442 available in Park Dedication fees. Park Dedication fees are dollars paid by housing developers to the Minneapolis Park Board for new amenities to serve the new neighborhood residents. The price paid is roughly $1700 per unit of market rate housing and the money must be spent within the neighborhood where the housing was constructed. Park dedication fee expenditures are ultimately determined by the Park Board, but the neighborhood organization can make recommendations.

The Kingfield Neighborhood Association (KFNA) has determined it is beneficial to use this Park Dedication money sooner rather than waiting for inclusion of the park in a larger planning process, as the value of the funds are declining with inflation. KFNA has further identified a minimum of $42,000 additional dollars of Kingfield NRP funding and restricted dollars held by KFNA that could be used toward a park project resulting in an investment of at least $358,500. Thus, KFNA has evaluated the Master Plan for projects that fit the criteria for using Park Dedication funding. This criteria includes:

  • it is a new feature
  • it is included in the Master Plan
  • it could be implemented using a combination of Park Dedication fees and KFNA NRP dollars.

KFNA requests that neighbors rank the following three projects as to their preference for securing a dedicated Park Board Planner for detailed planning of the select element(s) in 2024 and implementation in 2025. There is limited detail in the master plan, so there is room for minor changes (such as moving an amenity), provided it does not conflict with other elements of the plan without then identifying where the other feature would be placed. A recommendation from the neighborhood organization will help to prioritize the project for which a detailed plan will be developed.

Link to the survey here: https://bit.ly/MLKParkSurvey2023

Bee Part of the Solution!

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Pollinator Pathway Plant Sale Fundraiser

We are creating a path for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee through the Tangletown, Kingfield and Lyndale neighborhoods and your home can be a stop on this little native bee’s journey!

Be a part of this project by buying a pre-selected package of 18 native flowers favored by this pollinator to plant in your garden. Both the full sun and the partial shade packs contain 3.5-inch pots of 4 different varieties of native plants, at a cost of $125 per flat:

Full Sun 18-pack:
Giant Hyssop (qty. 4)
Purple Prairie Clover (qty. 6)
Azure Aster (qty. 4)
Golden Alexander (qty. 4)

Partial Shade 18-pack:
Red Columbine (qty. 6)
Turtlehead (qty. 4)
Wild Bergamot (qty. 4)
Culvers Root (qty. 4)

Your purchase supports our native bees and your neighborhood association at the same time! Learn more about the Nicollet Avenue Pollinator Pathway Project.

Buy now at: https://tangletown.org/pollinator-pathway-project-plant-sale/

Kingfield PorchFest: A Single Night of Music, Performed on Various Stages throughout the Neighborhood

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For anyone new to the neighborhood or has been asleep the past nine years and is wondering, “What the heck is PorchFest?” PorchFest is an evening of community all wrapped up in the sounds of summer. On this single summer evening, Kingfield musicians will perform acoustic music outdoors at their respective homes, or at neighbor’s porch or yard, while others stroll through the neighborhood, enjoying the sounds. This event regularly features over 50 musical performances dozens of Kingfield stages.

As usual, PorchFest relies on the good will and donated time of musicians, amateur and professional, and host-porches. If you are willing to perform music, provide a porch, or both, register at https://bit.ly/Porchfest2023. Registering is vital to being part of Kingfield PorchFest as it helps us pair musicians with porches, make sure the music from each group does not overlap, and promote the event. Preferred registration is May 1st. Registering is NOT a confirmation of participating.

Based upon feedback from hosts, musicians, and participants last year, we are 1) looking for a variety of musical genres; 2) limiting the number of sites; and 3) looking for volunteers to help with planning and to volunteer during the event itself. We will have two or three planning meetings in May and the June 15th event. Please contact KFNA at if you want to be part of the PorchFest Planning Team.

Kingfield Pancake Breakfast!

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Saturday March 25, 9-11 AM

Tickets Available Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kingfield-pancake-breakfast-sap-boil-2nd-annual-tickets-565640595247

As a celebration of our Community Sap Tapping program, KFNA is hosting the 2nd annual pancake breakfast fundraiser! Come to the north end of the park building to watch the sap boil and talk to the sap harvesters and cooks to learn how the process works outside.  Then sample some of our very own Kingfield-made syrup while you and enjoy a pancake breakfast. Breakfast will include pancakes, fruit, pork sausage, juice and coffee.

Breakfast is a donation of $10 per adult and $30 per family. This fundraiser will benefit both KFNA and MLK Park, and support this, and similar programs, that both groups organize in the neighborhood!