Comments for Saint Paul Almanac

Comment on The Uptown by Jim Landwehr

Jim Landwehr — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:06:14 +0000

A great old theatre and my first exposure to the big screen experience. I remember seeing many movies there, including True Grit and Paddle to the Sea. I believe Sunday matinees were .75 cents at the time. I had forgotten that it was torn down in favor of a parking lot, which is a bit of a travesty. All in the name of progress and development.

Comment on Share Your Memories of Deb Torraine by Saint Paul Almanac

Saint Paul Almanac — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:15:10 +0000

In the course of switching domain names from dot com to dot org, we lost a Facebook comment that used to be attached to this page. Here is a repost of the comment:

Jean Foster · Warrensburg, Missouri
Deb attended a spiritual conference here in Warrensburg, MO, and later she came to two spiritual Gatherings. She brought that honest, vibrant spirit of hers and entertained us in meaningful ways. She is now back in her home environment where she can pursue marvelous creative projects which she can one day share with all of us. I love her and did when I first met her.

Comment on Share Your Memories of Deb Torraine by Mary Beth

Mary Beth — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:39:38 +0000

I have known Deb for many years. We first met at a spiritual conference in Missouri hosted by my mother, Jean Foster, author of the God Mind books. The last time I saw Deb, she came to my parents' home for another smaller gathering of like-minded people. I only today learned of her passing. Not that it matters given that there is no death, I'm still curious if Deb had been ill. I knew she'd had some health issues in the past, but was unaware of any recently (at least not long before she died.) Deb loved it there in Saint Paul. I know she had good friends there, and I'm sorry for all of us losing such a shining star. Her light, however, continues to brighten our days. For that, we can be thankful.

Comment on Share Your Memories of Deb Torraine by skye

skye — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:46:56 +0000

It was 1995 and I was 35, newly divorced, and writing poetry seriously for the first time. I'd written a collection of about 10 short poems called "I'm Leaving You, Therefore I Must Be Crazy: Variations on a Theme and Postcards from Hell," that expressed the pain, anger, and disillusionment I had been experiencing. I showed up for an open poetry reading that Deborah hosted, never having read in public before. I wanted to read the whole thing. I *had* to read the whole thing. Compassionately, and probably not quite knowing how long this would take, she agreed. There I stood, my hands visably shaking the papers I was holding as I read. When I was finished, she looked straight at me and I'll never forget the words she said: "Commit to your work. Commit to your work."

Comment on Share Your Memories of Deb Torraine by Diane Dodge

Diane Dodge — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:33:24 +0000

My sense of time and history is so ephemeral...Deb morphed into my life sometime in the last ten years, but it seems that she has always been a part of it. Our coming together had to do with our passion for social justice as it relates to food, water and the environment and I suspect that the first time we connected was at an event that reflected our mutual passions. We also shared the strong belief that in order for our passions to be realized, it had to be through connecting with youth.

In 2008 we shared a plot at the Green Spirit Community Garden and grew tomatoes and sweet potatoes (the picture of Deb in the MGS garden was taken (8/1/08) and in late May of this year, she asked me to "apprentice" her to help with the beekeeping at Green Spirit. She got to work with the bees only once before she passed...and she was a perfect beekeeping partner, gently anticipating what the bees needed in concert with what I was doing. The day she left us in material form, we had a beekeeping date in the afternoon that she couldn't keep...♥

Comment on August Wilson's Early Days in Saint Paul by Louis Alemayehu

Louis Alemayehu — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:08:51 +0000

Did you try COMPAS? If he is not still there they should know where to track him down.

When I worked at COMPAS as director of The Community Art Fund often I would see August either coming or going to what is now the Holiday Inn 7th & Kellogg where I think he did a lot of his writing during his time here. Seems odd that all that time here and all the friends we had in common, I never met him in person.

Comment on The Uptown by Kenny Frichette

Kenny Frichette — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:37:27 +0000

My Aunt was Billie Frichette, the girlfriend to John Dillinger, and in November of 1933 my aunt and Jimmy (as she told me his name was) went to this theater. Today, I"m retired and moved from the Indian reservation in Wisconson to Edina, MN many years ago and I'll be 91 years old this December and I had fond memories of my beloved aunt and the 2 vacations my mom and I spent with my aunt and Jimmy, who treated me with total love—hugs, candy and everything else. I remember they were going to get married but he was a wanted man who could never ever go straight because of what he did. I remember this theater and I remember Dillinger saying that he used to frequent it twice a week.

Comment on July 5th, 2010: Melvin Giles presents "Nurturing the Soil of the Soul" by uncle melvin « sackett street

uncle melvin « sackett street — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:28:38 +0000

[...] highlight for me this time around is meeting Melvin, a peacemaker and beautiful person living in St. Paul, MN. Some people in the movement know him as [...]

Comment on The East Side—A Story of Tradition and Change by Nancy Infelise Growe

Nancy Infelise Growe — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:08:03 +0000

Tony Andrea's story on the East Side is absolutely wonderful! I grew up there and the East Side will always be a part of me. We lived 1/2 block away from Margaret Playground and that was my home away from home. Thanks, Tony for bringing back so many wonderful memories. We have a saying around our family "you can take the kid off the East Side, but you can't take the East Side out of the kid."

Comment on Revolt at the Midway Discount Shopping Mall by Coach Online Outlet

Coach Online Outlet — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:43:53 +0000

What a great shopping mall!

Comment on Avian Celebrities on Como Lake by Laurie Hertzel

Laurie Hertzel — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:01:58 +0000

the loons were back on Como Lake a couple of weeks ago, but are gone now. they usually don't stay long, unless the lakes are still frozen up north. then we get to listen to their aaaaoooooo ooooooooooo for days. i love it.

Comment on August Wilson's Early Days in Saint Paul by Chistopher Rawson

Chistopher Rawson — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:37:44 +0000

As August Wilson said, going to St. Paul helped free him to hear all the voices he had absorbed during his first 33 years in Pittsburgh. It's not just that "many of his famous plays" are set in Pittsburgh's Hill District: of the 10 plays that made him famous, 9 are. The only reason "Ma Rainey" isn't set in the Hill, he said, is it was his first play to go national, and, being from Pittsburgh, he didn't think it was important enough (a typical Pittsburgh attitude for everything except the Steelers). That's why August's 10 plays are appropriately called The Pittsburgh Cycle. But St. Paul played as essential role. (Can someone put me in touch with Daniel Gabriel?)

Comment on 25 Random Things About Me And Saint Paul by st paul spot

st paul spot — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:16:40 +0000

Wow, this brings back some memories. Lynn Lohr was my boss too - at COMPAS/Ceta she managed a cadre of community artists - most of whom are still around and have made names for themselves in St. Paul.
And Paul Wellstone - I went to a fund raiser for him at a neighbor's house in Lex-Hamm. Feel lucky to have been in his presence.
Here's a Grand Avenue story - was hitchhiking down Grand Avenue one day with a classical guitar, on my to accompany a friend for her recital at Mac - and was picked up by Dennis Russell Davie's wife.
It's fun to remember St. Paul in one sentence segments.

Comment on Donate by Tweets that mention Donate | Saint Paul Almanac - St. Paul, Minnesota's Events, Shows, Festivals, Restaurants, Bars and more! -- Topsy.com

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:08:58 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dana, Tilsner Artists Coop. Tilsner Artists Coop said: Support local artists and writers. Donate to the Saint Paul Almanac: http://bit.ly/iixBPd [...]

Comment on Letter From United by Tracy kirkpatrick

Tracy kirkpatrick — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:03:52 +0000

Much more snow and many flakes to come . It's been a great journey uphill big sister!

Comment on Saint Paul Curling Club—A Primer by St. Paul Curling Club takes over Biff Adams Arena — Secrets of the City — Minneapolis + St. Paul

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 06:04:10 +0000

[...] The Biff is on the northern edge of Frogtown. Shuttered by the county earlier this year (it’s use as a high school sporting arena had seen increasingly diminished use as city schools’ participation dropped and newer facilities were built in the suburbs), it is now being used by the St. Paul Curling Club as an auxiliary facility; enabling the club to add as many as 300 new members and making it, by far, the nation’s largest curling club. If you’ve ever wanted to go to the Olympics and can’t ski, or skate, and luging downhill on your fanny doesn’t grab your fancy, here’s your chance! [...]

Comment on Saint Paul Hotel by st paul spot

st paul spot — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 23:27:04 +0000

The lobby bar is the best place to sit and watch the world go by. Outside, bundled up hockey fans stream past and inside someone is always celebrating a life changing moment in skimpy clothing in a crowd of people
romantically oblivious to the chill.

Comment on Streetcars of Saint Paul by Dot Drake

Dot Drake — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:47:26 +0000

The above article is a wonderful description of the downtown area and city streetcars. I lived on Louis and Iglehart in the Rondo District (which is no more), and had my choice of taking either the Rondo-Stryker or Selby-Lake streetcar. Both were just a few blocks walk. The Selby-Lake was more fun because of the route it took -- through the dark tunnel to the busiest part of downtown.
My mother worked at the Emporium in the grocery department. When there was more than one bag of groceries for my mom to carry home, it was up to me to help out.
Seventh Street was was an exciting street. Photographers would randomly snap pictures and offer them to the person for 25cents. There were the beautiful theaters, the dime stores and small shops with women and girl's clothing. A teenager could spend all day window shopping, but I've got to get going to pick up the groceries.

Comment on W. A. Frost by Dot Drake

Dot Drake — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:47:59 +0000

When I was a teenager, and for many years after, Selby and Western was THE corner for my friends and me. It looked quite different then. W A Frost was a drugstore -- not the beautiful place it is now. The Wong Cafe was across the street on Selby, as was Henry's Meat Market. Laska Drugs and The Beaux Arts Theater were kitty-corner, with the Chatterbox Bar next door. The Angus Hotel (Blair House) was empty and boarded up.
Paul Paulos was our cop-on-the-beat. He was never in his vehicle -- if he had one, but a reassuring presence on the street.
Selby and Western is still my corner.

Comment on Clues to lost royal complex unearthed by LRT excavation crew by Black Dog Cafe’s Funny Bones — Secrets of the City — Minneapolis + St. Paul

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:23:10 +0000

[...] idea for a publicity stunt has now ended up starting rumors and going as far as being the basis for fake stories about the discovery of the “long lost royal [...]

Comment on Clues to lost royal complex unearthed by LRT excavation crew by Mark Erickson

Mark Erickson — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:05:49 +0000

I found this article through the TC Daily Planet, which is included in Google News - that means thousands of people are seeing this headline on their homepages and search results. Now, I'll all for fun and games, and loved the text of the "article", but putting a fake scientist in a picture at the top of the piece is going too far. Plus, very many people will believe the unbelievable skeleton "find" in the second picture. Science education is poor enough already, we don't need to make it worse. Finally, if this stayed on the St. Paul Almanac site, then it's all good. But posting to TC Daily Planet requires actual journalism standards. Again, I liked the article, and love the Onion style, but the Onion articles are always known to come from the Onion.

Comment on Gloria Contreras Edin: A New Hope for Latino Immigrants by Robert Zuniga

Robert Zuniga — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:36:35 +0000

Great story! It really is about taking opportunity and committing yourself to excel.

Bravo!

-Robert Zuniga

Comment on Poem: Fall Linens by Marianne

Marianne — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:15:07 +0000

So many wonderful images in this poem! I love "sulking and cold" sheets and "regrettable
rough edges yield like petals." Spectacular!

Comment on Our first blog entry: Welcome to the Pig’s Eye Post! by Diego Vázquez, Jr.

Diego Vázquez, Jr. — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:19:44 +0000

This is a wonderful add on to the already wonderful Saint Paul Almanac. I am happy to see another First in the storied history of Kimberly and her big project. to be continued...

Comment on September 16th: Arcata Press to celebrate release of 2011 Saint Paul Almanac by September 16: Saint Paul Almanac Release Party! « 2speakease's Blog

September 16: Saint Paul Almanac Release Party! « 2speakease's Blog — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:34:58 +0000

[...] *all quotes come from the Saint Paul Almanac’s Website and release. [...]