Rachel’s Trees
2011
One of my favorite places in Saint Paul is Rachel’s Trees. Rachel’s Trees is a memorial to my sister who passed away a few days after birth. The trees are a small part of Como Park, but they are beautiful. They bloom white buds in the spring. They are only about five feet tall, but they are very important to me. Usually my mom, dad, and I go down to see the trees on my birthday.
High Water
2011
A grizzled old towboat mate of twenty-six named Steamboat Bill explained the dangers of working in high water to me in very simple, very direct terms. “Rule number-one is: Don’t fall in! If you fall in, you’re dead. It’s that simple. The current will drag you under and you’ll drown!” He told me this from the deck of a barge moored in South Saint Paul in the spring of 1975, when the Mississippi River was rising fast. Years later I watched as another young deckhand learned this lesson.
May 9th Lowertown Reading Jam: Desdamona presents “Silence and the Sound”
2011
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. The May 9th presentation of the eclectic series, curated by Desdamona, features readings by four spoken word performers living in Minnesota. The "Silence and the Sound" Lowertown Reading Jam will be presented on Monday, May 9th, 2011 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, 308 Prince Street in Saint Paul.
Seventh Place: Saint Paul’s Window on The World
2011
Downtown Saint Paul is rarely accused of being exotic. But hidden right in its midst is a thriving, bustling microcosm of the great wide world. I’m talking about Seventh Place. Only one block long, Seventh Place is Saint Paul’s answer to European pedestrian-only city centers. From the golden entry archway facing St. Peter Street to the frequent bustle of the Wabasha pedestrian crossing, the patterned brick underfoot lifts its denizens out of the workaday world and transports them to an old city square in Nordic Europe, or on days when the farmers’ market is in session, to Southeast Asia.
The Farmers’ Market
2011
Buying vegetables, Sniffing flowers sweet as honey, Begging for donuts. Near glass jars of jam, My feet hit the ground in front of Bright red strawberries...
Benediction
2011
The sweet smell of lilacs drifts over the city like a blessing. Yesterday was winter, today blooms radiant spring. Cafe tables unfurl up and down Selby Avenue, an old man shares a croissant with his dog, joggers and tubs of pansies claim the sidewalk...
Porky’s serves its last burger; The Almanac’s Carol Connolly receives 2011 Kay Sexton Award; Mark your calendars for the Spring Saint Paul Art Crawl
2011
Since 1953, Porky's has been the Twin Cities' classic drive-in restaurant, the arena for more than a few mating rituals of members of the Saint Paul species. The restaurant served its last burger on Sunday, April 3rd, 2011. The red-and-white checkered building that houses the drive-in restaurant and two of its signs are being moved from University Avenue, by new owner Steve Bauer, to his historic tourist village near Hastings, MN, the Little Log House Pioneer Village. The Almanac's Carol Connolly received the Kay Sexton Award at the 23rd annual Minnesota Book Awards. Mark your calendars for the Spring Saint Paul Art Crawl! April 29th – Friday evening, 6-10 pm; April 30th – Saturday afternoon, noon-8 pm; May 1st – Sunday, noon-5 pm.
Apr 11th, 2011 Lowertown Reading Jam: Marcie R. Rendon presents Anishinabe and Lakota Poets
2011
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. The April presentation of the eclectic series, curated by Marcie R. Rendon, features readings by three native poets and performers living in Minnesota. The Anishinabi Reading Jam will be presented on Monday, April 11th, 2011 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar.
New faces at the Almanac; Flooding in Saint Paul… then and now; New writing from Patricia Cummings, Tim Nolan, Marianne McNamara and Wendy Brown-Báez
2011
New faces and organizational growth for Arcata Press, publishers of the Saint Paul Almanac Arcata Press, publisher of the Saint Paul Almanac, is pleased to announce the recent hiring of
New faces and organizational growth for Arcata Press, publishers of the Saint Paul Almanac
2011
The nonprofit publisher welcomes new staffers and expands program outreach despite the continuing economic challenges facing many organizations. Arcata Press, publisher of the Saint Paul Almanac, is pleased to announce the recent hiring of three new staff members to assist in community engagement, fundraising and sponsorship development. David Unowsky, founder and former owner of the nationally recognized independent bookstore, Ruminator Books, Robert Smaller, Jr., with more than twenty years of management experience and award-winning performance in sales, and community organizer Deborah Torraine.
World War II—The Home Front in Highland Park
2011
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, I was three years old. Two years later, my silver-haired father, Verne Cummings, was drafted into the Army. He was thirty-five and the father of two. After basic training, Dad was assigned to Special Troops, Headquarters Company, 8th Infantry Division, and spent the next two years in Europe. Dad always said he was assigned to Special Troops because he knew how to run a movie projector. Even though he had never finished high school, Dad was quickly promoted. After the German surrender, Sergeant Cummings led his squad to liberate one of the concentration camps.
Cold Night
2011
My feet are cold—the car is cold—the car sounds like a bucket of bolts Rolling down a hill— it’s so cold that my breath falls like ice from the roof...