News
May 1, 2022 | COVID-19 News, Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News, Lowertown.info Announcements, News, Podcasts
Lowertown.info was launched in 2014 as an online visitor’s guide, news magazine, and community information portal serving the arts neighborhood of Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The site also served as a place of record of the changes Lowertown went through in the last decade. The site created special archives relating to the gentrification of the neighborhood—the JAX Wake, Domination Corporation, interviews with Lowertown pioneers, the pandemic on top of the existing struggles of an artistic community—for those interested in what happened to Lowertown. This project and its associated Twitter feeds will be wrapping up by 1 May 2022. I can’t thank enough the people who supported this project over the years—artists, individual community members, galleries, and local performing collectives…. Thank you so much.
March 16, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—Irishman & photographer Mike Hazard offers images and memories of Saint Patrick’s Days past and an introduction to some of Saint Paul’s Irish alumni, with links to full-length documentaries about members of the local Irish community that Mike has produced. Saint Paul’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade returns on Thursday, March 17th, 2022 after a two year plague-related break. This year’s route is reversed, with the parade beginning Downtown at Rice Park at noon and proceeding down East Fifth Street to finish at Mears Park in Lowertown. Feature edited by Nigel Parry.
March 11, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—After a two-year break during the pandemic, Saint Paul’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade is set to return on Thursday, March 17th, 2022. This year’s route is reversed, with the parade beginning at Rice Park at noon and proceeding down East Fifth Street to finish at Mears Park in Lowertown, with the day’s celebrations concluding at CHS Field, home of the minor baseball team, the Saint Paul Saints.
March 3, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Lowertown.info—Star Newman lived in Lowertown for many years while working on props and stage management at the Park Square Theater in Downtown Saint Paul, delighting crowds with her pop-up street magic at art crawls, and working as an event magician though her business Pretty Magical. In February, Star announced that she would be appearing on “Fool Us”, magicians Penn Jillette & Teller’s show on The CW Network, which has aspiring magicians perform their best tricks to try and fool the world-famous team. Watch live on March 4th, 2022!
February 25, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Wet Paint Artists’ Materials & Framing—Welcome Spring and awaken your senses with color, the smell of beeswax, the light of a candle and quiet sounds of kitsky on eggshell. Pysanky are Ukrainian Easter Eggs, decorated using beeswax and dyes that are applied in layers. Ukrainian Easter Egg Decorating has been handed down through generations of the Ukrainian people. They are famous the world over for their colorful Easter Eggs (Pysanky). If you have long admired the beautiful Ukrainian eggs at Justin Terlecki’s perennial demo here at Wet Paint, it’s time for you to give it try yourself! Decorate a Goose Egg with a beautiful traditional Ukrainian Cross and Wheat design (a beginner level pattern) on March 19th, 2022 or take another beginner class on April 9th, 2022.
February 18, 2022 | COVID-19 News, Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News, Podcasts
Welcome to the second episode of “This Is #Lowertown”, a podcast created by Lowertown.info—an online visitor’s guide, news magazine, and community information portal serving the arts neighborhood of Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hosted by the editor of Lowertown.info, Nigel Parry, this show was recorded on 18th February, 2022. This podcast has been relaunched with a music focus to support Lowertown’s performing artists, which has the added bonus of also making it easier to produce regular episodes. Our main news feature looks at the closing of the Black Dog Café and music from Lowertown musicians and bands, including Eric Carranza and Jest, Steve Kenny, Goodnight Ritual, Jerry Kosak, and Pocket of Resistance.
February 2, 2022 | Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Saint Paul Farmers’ Market—The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market in Lowertown will host its annual “Super Bowl Saturday” celebration on Saturday, February 12 from 9am-1pm with a “Super Chili Sampler” and vendors with local foods and all the fixings for a festive Game Day celebration at home. The day’s activities will include a food drive for Neighborhood House in which shoppers are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate.
January 16, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—“The Black Dog Café was the biomagnetic center of the universe that is or was Lowertown.” Filmmaker, poet, and photographer Mike Hazard remembers the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar, one of the last community hubs in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN.
January 14, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—At the beginning of the year, the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar in Lowertown posted a simple notice on its front doors announcing that the Lowertown, Saint Paul hub was closing permanently. The poster added a date for the cafe’s final goodbye to the neighborhood—on Saturday, January 15th—the last night of Steve Kenny’s popular “Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog” series at the 23-year-old community venue. Come down and say goodbye to the end of an era.
January 3, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—On January 2nd, 2022, the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar in Lowertown posted a simple notice on its front doors announcing that the Lowertown, Saint Paul hub was closing permanently. It is hard to overstate the importance of the venue to artists, musicians, and the community over the last 20 years.
December 2, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Union Depot—On Saturday, Dec. 4, the annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony will light up the night at Union Depot. The North Plaza will transform with the flick of a switch, lighting thousands of lights on a 60-foot-tall tree. This year’s tree was donated by Shoreview residents, the Miller Family. The festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Waiting Room with the exciting reveal of the 2022 Saint Paul Winter Carnival button with the entire Saint Paul Winter Carnival Royal Family. Following the announcement, guests can enjoy a live holiday performance from the Mistletones, participate in crafts and selfie stations and then head outside at 6:30 p.m. for the official holiday tree lighting ceremony with a short fireworks display.
November 7, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
European Christmas Market—The European Christmas Market in St. Paul is the most authentic traditional holiday market of its kind in Minnesota, offering a unique shopping experience, family-friendly entertainment & intercultural activities. Shop for handmade European crafts or unique gifts from local vendors, drink Glühwein (spiced mulled wine), and taste European inspired delicacies during four weekends in November and December. Opening Day: Black Friday, November 26, 2021, runs until Sunday, December 19, 2021.
October 13, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market will host two weekends of fun, free Halloween happenings for kids. On October 23 and 24 from 9am-12pm, the downtown Lowertown market will host its annual Pumpkin Decorating Station. The following weekend, October 30-31 from 9am-1pm, all Saint Paul Farmers’ Market locations will host Trick-or-Treating festivities for kids. The markets are brimming with pumpkins, gourds, seasonal produce, autumn flowers and plants, honey, meats, cheese, eggs, baked goods, and more. The Lowertown market location also has live music each weekend and free coffee until 9am, and hungry shoppers will find numerous cooked foods available for purchase from market favorites Chef Earls’ BBQ, Golden’s Bagels, Natasha’s Pierogis, and Minnebun’s steamed Bao buns, as well as delicious donuts.
September 23, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
The Saint Paul Art Crawl showcases the diversity of art that Saint Paul has to offer. By nurturing a vibrant arts community, the Art Crawl inspires artistic growth and fosters a creative exchange of ideas. Recognized for its tremendous success, the Saint Paul Art Crawl has become a model arts event that is emulated in cities across the country. To the artists and residents of Saint Paul, the event means much more, though. The Art Crawl has evolved from a fun weekend art event twice a year in April and October, to a framework for creating and fostering important, interdependent relationships between the arts community and the city itself.
March 5, 2021 | Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—Alicia Hinze of Lowertown’s cafe, bakery and breakfast spot The Buttered Tin is one of 20 women in the restaurant industry featured in the James Beard Foundation’s new cookbook, A Place at the Table, published in collaboration with Audi and released at the beginning of Women’s History Month. The digital cookbook—free for download on James Beard’s site!—features twenty recipes from the foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. Hinze’s recipe is for “The Perfect Vanilla Cake with Swiss Meringue Cream”.
February 8, 2021 | Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Though we’ve been put through the ringer… we can’t be kept down for long! We are so thrilled to share our next step with you. We scrounged our cash together and bought a food truck! Well, right now it’s sort of just a truck. That’s where you come in. We have called upon your kindness before and are asking once again for your support during this next phase. We’ll be bringing a few just/us menu favorites back, in addition to lots of new items with a street food flair. We’re working towards partnering with breweries, local events, and business parks to park & serve at all around the Twin Cities and maybe even beyond.
December 29, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Minnesota Department of Health—Today, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) began accepting January 2021 appointments at its community testing sites across the state. Each site offers safe, no-barrier COVID-19 testing at no cost to participants. Appointments are strongly encouraged, but not required. In order to help prevent further spread of the virus, the Minnesota Department of Health has set up over 20 semi-permanent community testing sites statewide. These sites allow Minnesotans to get tested near where they live so they can make informed decisions to protect their families and communities.
December 27, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Lifeline Tablets—We’ve all seen the heartbreaking stories about how families are not able to say goodbye to their isolated relatives, dying of COVID-19 in the hospitals, and how healthcare workers have been holding up their own phones so that families can say goodbye one last time. Addressing the problem of patients’ isolation is not cost-prohibitive. Amazon Fire tablets can be purchased for $50 a piece. Paired with a gooseneck stand and headphones with a mic, a kit costs just $100.
November 23, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market in Lowertown announced Friday that it will hold its Winter Market entirely outdoors from December until April, featuring 15-20 vendors each weekend. Downtown Winter Market: December 5th-April 17th (Saturdays from 9am-1pm): The Winter Market will remain outdoors throughout the winter, until April when the outdoor growing season market begins.
November 18, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—According to Yelp data from the end of August 2020, permanent restaurant closures have reached 97,966, representing 60% of closed businesses that will never reopen. The double-whammy, of course, is that many members of the Lowertown community rely on these businesses for income, both as employees but also as artists and musicians who rely on physical spaces to host their public shows and performances.
September 29, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—When COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Spring Art Crawl, the St. Paul Art Collective—the hard-working, mostly volunteer-run organization that has produced the Capital City’s art crawls since 1977—immediately began exploring new options to assist artists in promoting their work. Now that the in-person Fall Art Crawl is not happening either, the Collective and others are ramping up their efforts to help local artists, who need more help now than ever.
September 26, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Lowertown.info—At 7pm tonight, local cafe and bakery The Buttered Tin posted an announcement that “We are temporarily closing” on its website and social media after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member had become aware of exposure to a positive room mate, and had self-quarantined from work during this last week while awaiting their test result. A few hours after finding out the positive result, the Buttered Tin informed staff it would be closing and made the public announcement:
At The Buttered Tin, our highest priority if the health and safety of our customers and employees. We are reaching out to inform you that today, we learned that a member of our TBT team tested positive COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution, The Buttered Tin will temporarily close beginning Sunday, Sept. 27th….”
August 14, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Uncertainty, displacement and questions of affordability have dogged the Lowertown artist community for most of the last decade, primarily the result of an explosion of new residential development. Artists Barbara Evan, Tom McGregor and CeCeile Hartleib each were negatively affected yet have found a new home to continue to practice their craft.
May 20, 2020 | Features, Lowertown News
This special section offers key local, national, and international COVID-19 informational and preparedness resources, together with Lowertown-specific COVID-19 updates.
May 19, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—The Minnesota Department of Health’s changes to counting positive COVID-19 cases by date of sample—not by date of reporting—revealed that between March and May 2020 we had a profound blind spot in case awareness, sometimes resulting in a daily discrepancy of thousands between the number of reported and actual cases—all as the state was working around the clock to formulate policy informed by the best possible scientific advice.
May 16, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—Last week, Ramsey County launched a COVID-19 tracking dashboard, and the Minnesota Department of Health relaunched its positive cases tracker with a major change to how the date of cases is reported.
May 1, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—The cancellation of this year’s St. Paul Art Crawl was a blow to local artists who rely on the event to promote and sell their work. Now, the organizer of the event, the St. Paul Art Collective, is encouraging the public to support artists as much as possible and is exploring options to help artists promote their work throughout the year.
May 1, 2020 | Lowertown News, Lowertown.info Announcements
Lowertown.info—Following KARE-11’s firing of weatherman Sven Sundgaard after a viciously homophobic & antisemitic campaign by right wing extremists, Lowertown.info & its related Twitter feeds @lowertownlive & @lowertowninfo will no longer be reposting any material from the news station.
April 15, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. This series, tracking the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the 4×4 block square area of just one neighborhood in Saint Paul—Lowertown—was begun on March 6th, the date that Minnesota saw its first official positive test result for COVID-19. At the end of week three of this series, the openings and closings of local hospitality industry businesses, and the news of event cancellations had mostly stabilized, so the series was paused. Today, April 15th, I went back through these last three weeks of social media postings by local businesses, and local news reports, to find developments worth adding to the documentary record.
April 14, 2020 | Lowertown Food & Drink News
The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance has launched a Bingo card featuring local businesses that remain open for takeaway, delivery—or simply have gift cards to sell—as a way of supporting local Downtown and Lowertown businesses during the shutdown resulting from the Coronavirus ‘Stay at Home order’ in Minnesota.
April 14, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Features, Lowertown News, Podcasts
Welcome to the first episode of “This Is #Lowertown”, a podcast created by Lowertown.info—an online visitor’s guide, news magazine, and community information portal serving the arts neighborhood of Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hosted by Lowertown.info editor Nigel Parry, this show was recorded on the Easter weekend of 12th and 13th of April, 2020. Our main news feature explores how the cancellation of the Saint Paul Art Crawl due to the Coronavirus Crisis has impacted local artists • Hear music from Lowertown musicians Eric Carranza and Jerry Kosak from our GREEN LINE TRACKS playlist • Desdamona presents THE LAST INKLING—Spoken Word In The Time Of COVID, to keep your brain occupied and inspire you to create • Learn more about one of Lowertown’s art hubs—THE SHOW GALLERY • Saint Paul’s Queen of Jazz, Pippi Ardennia takes the stress out of songs-stress in a segment called DROP DEM PEARLS • Pick up some new dog care and training tips from local ‘dog-spert’ Tessa Anderson in her segment, PICK IT UP! • And we’ll hear more about news & events in the Lowertown neighborhood…
April 9, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Third edition of the series in which artists are asked seven questions about how they are dealing with the coronavirus crisis. This “Art Crawl Cancellation Edition” features interviews with Cecilia Henle, Eric Carranza, JobyLynn Sassily-James, Josephine Geiger, Lisa Mathieson, and Roger Nielsen.—Nigel Parry
March 30, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Tom Dunn is one of many artists affected by the cancellation of the Spring Art Crawl. A photographer and former St. Paul Art Collective president, Dunn know firsthand how important events like this are to local artists. He has participated in the Crawl for the past two decades and has many stories to tell.
March 26, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Wednesday’s big news, of course, was Minnesota governor Tim Walz today signing “Executive Order 20-20 directing Minnesotans to stay at home and limit movements outside of their home beyond essential needs. This order takes effect at 11:59pm on Friday, March 27 and ends at 5:00pm on Friday, April 10.” Among other activities listed, permitted reasons to live your home include for “health and safety activities, such as obtaining emergency services or medical supplies; outdoor activities, such as walking, hiking, running, biking, hunting, or fishing; necessary supplies and services, such as getting groceries, gasoline, or carry-out; and care of others, such as caring for a family member, friend, or pet in another household.” These graphics explain the basics of the Stay At Home order.
March 25, 2020 | COVID-19 News
I had the opportunity to interview a local healthcare worker and Lowertown resident, who was the first known patient in the neighborhood who tested positive for COVID-19. In this interview “Susan” (name changed for privacy), talks about the symptoms and experience of the disease, the difficulty of quarantining family members living together, the wider Coronavirus crisis, and how you can support your local healthcare workers.—Nigel Parry
March 23, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in just one neighborhood in Saint Paul, MN, Lowertown.
March 19, 2020 | COVID-19 News
On March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, Lowertown photographer Tom Dunn went on a walkabout around Lowertown and Downtown to capture signs of the Coronavirus Crisis’ impact on the neighborhood.
March 19, 2020 | COVID-19 News
As we’ve all been trying to get a handle on the Coronavirus Crisis, how it’s likely to impact our lives, and what we should be doing—the process of trying to understand the bigger picture has back-burnered the personal stories of our neighbors. This Lowertown Community Temperature Check features interviews with Brigette Anderson, Dianne Southard, Lisa Mathieson, Meredith Gear, Pam Krank, and Ta-coumba Aiken.
March 17, 2020 | COVID-19 News
The last 10 days have been a whirlwind, in which many of us have been trying to get a handle on the Coronavirus Crisis, how it’s likely to impact our lives, and what we should be doing—as individuals, families, groups of friends, and local businesses. In the process of trying to understand the bigger picture, the personal stories of our neighbors have been back-burnered. We all need to hear from each other to understand how those around us are thinking, acting and planning during this very personal, community threat. On March 16, Lowertown.info asked members of the community to answer several questions to get a ‘community temperature check’. Please note that several of the responses came before Gov. Walz announced the closures of all restaurants, bars, and cafes in Minnesota. This Lowertown Community Temperature Check features interviews with Chris Beckstrom, Desdamona, Holly Green, Julie Kelly, Tara Weatherly, and Tom Dunn.
March 16, 2020 | COVID-19 News
This report begins ten days after the first reported Minnesotan case of COVID-19, by which time the number of detected infected has risen to 54. Restaurants, bars, and cafes have been remarkably slow to even comment publicly, considering both the local, state, and federal government have been strongly recommending to shut down gatherings.
March 13, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. This report begins one week after the first reported Minnesotan case of COVID-19, by which time the number of detected infected had risen to fourteen. Following the shutdowns of the major sports leagues, large and small museums and galleries in and near Lowertown began announcing closures, the 54-year-old Saint Patrick Day Parade was cancelled, and restaurants, bars, and cafes began sporadically posting information to reassure Coronavirus concerns.
March 13, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. From the first reported Minnesotan case through the first week, when the number had risen to 14.
February 10, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—When Lisa Mathieson moved to Lowertown a dozen years ago, she quickly became involved in the arts community and has since made her presence known. She has served as a community arts organizer and St. Paul Art Crawl liaison for the Tilsner Artists’ Cooperative, a board member of the St. Paul Art Collective, and co-organizer of the Lowertown Drawing Circle, now approaching the end of its first decade of weekly Sunday meetings.
February 6, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
SPAC releases—The 2020 Winter Members Show, running from February 6th-28th, is a juried Saint Paul Art Collective (SPAC) exhibition that showcases its member’s artwork to the community, gallery owners, and businesses who support SPAC. The overall winner will grace the cover of the 2020 SPAC Artist Directory. The opening reception and awards takes place on Friday, February 7th from 6-9pm, at the Show Gallery at 346 N. Sibley Street in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN 55101.
January 26, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Even if you’ve never met Ta-coumba Aiken, you’ve most likely seen his artwork around the Twin Cities. He’s the creator behind the iconic 117-by-33-foot-high Lowertown “Be Nice!” mural that greets those stepping off the light rail at Union Depot, as well as the beautifully decorated fireplace on the fourth floor of the George Latimer Central Library and the ceramic tile mural on the parking ramp at 7th and Robert. It seems his work is everywhere. I had been a patron at Wells Fargo bank in Downtown for two decades before it dawned on me that the 80-by-21-foot mural behind the teller station was his handiwork.
January 22, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry—The Lowertown Drawing Circle was founded around 10 years ago after a Sunday afternoon coffee bar conversation between Lowertown artists Ta-coumba Aiken and Lisa Mathieson. The good news is that, after a hiatus, the Lowertown Drawing Circle is back—at least through the end of February—meeting every Sunday from 1-3pm at Just/Us eatery and events, across from the Farmers’ Market in Lowertown.
January 8, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Just/Us—It’s been a long, grueling road to get this place up and running. But we finally made it, y’all! Now it’s time to celebrate. We’re throwing a WEEKEND LONG PARTY from Friday, January 10th – Sunday, January 12th and you and your mom and her weird boyfriend Donnie are all invited. Seriously though, bring the whole crew and hang out with us. So many of you were integral to helping us get this place open – whether it be physically, emotionally, digitally, or all of those things. This is your celebration too!
December 31, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—In recent years, internationally acclaimed artist and Lowertown resident Desdamona has been working to inspire the next generation of poets and hip-hop and spoken-word artists by sharing her artform in a variety of settings, from schools to prisons. “I do a lot of teaching,” said Desdamona, who is a vocal promoter of her neighborhood. “I work with a couple of organizations that bring artists into community situations.”
December 15, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown SantaCon—On Saturday, December 14th, the twelfth annual Lowertown SantaCon took place, a festival of surrealness and comedy…with some drinking. Sponsored by SantaLawyer.com, the Dark Horse Bar & Eatery, Just/Us Eatery & Events, Lowertown Wine & Spirits, and nigelparry.net, the event included members of the Macalester College Pipe Band and the Minnesota Krampus society. Talented Lowertown photographer Tom Dunn kindly documented the event.
November 18, 2019 | Lowertown News
Mike Hazard—Barbara Friberg was my good neighbor at Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative. Her smile was, will always be a blessing. She passed away on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 after a long struggle with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
November 17, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
lowertownsantacon.info—Lowertown SantaCon XII is “Putting the Elf Back in TwELFth” this year on Saturday, December 14th 2019! The party starts at 7pm at the Dark Horse Bar&Eatery, heads through the streets via Mears Park, and ends at Just/Us until bar close. Lowertown SantaCon features a costumed cast of hundreds. Come as Santa, come as an elf or reindeer or get creative and come as a Santasaurus, a Hanukkah Chicken, a Kwanza Ham…you get the picture! The Minnesota Krampus society, Santa Lawyer, and the Macalester Pipe Band are scheduled to make appearances.
October 30, 2019 | Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—After opening in downtown at the end of 2017, Just/Us took the St. Paul restaurant scene by storm with a rolling series of creatively themed prix fixe tasting menus. Following the sale of the building they were located in, the team of Lowertowners are reopening in the former Golden’s space this November.
October 21, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
By Nigel Parry—As Halloween approached in 2003, I called a friend in the Tilsner who held the best Halloween party in town, and asked him if I could set up a portrait booth in a spare room to photograph guests in costume. Looking at the final 166 frames, some clearly offered themselves for further digital manipulation into various cinematic and artistic styles, with some interesting results.
October 19, 2019 | Lowertown.info Announcements
lowertown.info—Longtime Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative resident and Lowertown community member Allison Hoogervorst passed away in an apparent accident in the first week of October at her home in Desert Hot Springs, California, on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park, where she had been living for the last several years. No memorial event has been announced yet. A group of Allison’s family members, friends, and neighbors are collecting written recollections and photos of Allison through the years. Please submit your memories.
October 9, 2019 | Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—Tonight in Lowertown, Saint Paul, Second Lady Karen Pence, and Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, are hosting a “Women for Trump” event in the Union Depot. “Women for Trump” was formed by TV producer and Trump daughter-in-law/re-election campaign senior adviser, Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump. It is unclear whether Vice President Mike Pence will be in attendance. Starting at 6pm, according to the Trump Pence 2020 website, the event takes place in the Union Depot’s Red Cap Room (Suite 300) and requires pre-registration.
October 7, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—When photographer Jeff Schad and his wife Linsey moved into the Tilsner Artists Cooperative in Lowertown in Spring 2017, “specifically to be a part of the artist community”, he really didn’t know a lot about the neighborhood. “I wanted to be able to participate in the Art Crawls and to have a live/work studio space for portrait work.” Jeff’s work focus includes wedding and engagements, family and senior portraits, events, real estate and product photography. Clients have included the Minnesota Historical Society, Metro Transit, the Union Depot, WCCO, Visit Saint Paul, and others. Read more and browse a special gallery, “If Lowertown took selfies…”
October 5, 2019 | Lowertown Food & Drink News
Beginning October 17th, the Saint Paul Farmers Market is coming to Union Depot! The Market and Depot have teamed up to host an indoor work-week farmers market every Thursday from 10am–1:30pm. Stop by Union Depot to shop locally-grown produce, baked goods, jams and jellies, honey, eggs, chocolates, sauces, and more! The Market will be setup in the historic Head House just a few steps from Union Depot Bar & Grill and Java Express.
October 4, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Twice a year artists open their studios and work spaces to showcase their artwork to thousands of visitors across the city. It is a great time to explore the many artists and artistic mediums that are found within St. Paul. In the art crawl’s ten art districts you can find 21 venues and over 300 participating artists who are waiting to talk with you! Hop the Green Line light rail to Downtown and Lowertown. Light rail rides are free with a pass you can download from the Saint Paul Art Crawl website. Saint Paul Art Crawl Catalog and Lowertown-specific map available here.
October 4, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown Ethos | ART LIVES HERE is a community art event celebrating the creative residents of St.Paul’s storied art district produced by the St. Paul Saints Art Program and sponsored by local businesses. The three day event features a fine art exhibit, live music and dance performances, screen printing demonstrations, and an interactive art game. Where: St Paul Farmers Market, located between East 4th and 5th streets, and Wall and Broadway streets. When: Fall St. Paul Art Crawl | Oct 11-13, 2019 | Friday 6-10pm, Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 8am-5pm.
October 3, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice —Roger Nielsen has spent well over half a century avoiding being a jack-of-all-trades so he could be a master of one. At 79, he is known internationally for professional grade restoration of antique art, and for creating frames that grace the Minnesota State Capitol, Presidential libraries, and masterpieces by some of history’s most noted artists that hang in museums and galleries around the world. As well as providing affordable housing for artists in the 262 building on East Fourth Street for many years, Nielsen served as a member of the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation for more than three decades, advocating for the artists’ community that had been one of the inspirations for investment in the neighborhood.
August 14, 2019 | Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—In July, Verizon launched a new hotspot that makes one gigabit (125MB per second) mobile hotspot connections available in Lowertown, Saint Paul. With an outright purchase of the Verizon 5G MiFi® M1000 Hotspot together with a 2-year data plan, customers will pay $111 a month for 24 months. After that, continuing the monthly data plan costs $90. For local organizations and artists who have attempted to livestream events or incorporate video conferencing in events, this news opens up a host of new possibilities.
August 7, 2019 | Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
KSTP—Downtown St. Paul is growing, but one neighborhood is facing some growing pains. The population of downtown has doubled over the last decade. Even with more people moving into the Lowertown neighborhood, several bars and restaurants have closed over the last year. World of Beer, a pub near Mears Park, shut down last month. The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance expects the population to double downtown over the next decade. KSTP’s Joe Mazan reports.
July 19, 2019 | Lowertown News
Richard “Dick” Kelly, owner of the now-shuttered Kelly’s Depot Bar for almost 30 years, passed away on July 12, 2019 at his home at the age of 76. In this feature, we remember Dick, and enclose an article written about him and his wife Jean in 2017, as well as copies of the memorial booklet and program from the visitation and mass that took place on July 19, 2019, at the Church of St. Joseph, in West St. Paul, Minnesota.
April 24, 2019 | Lowertown Food & Drink News
Love fresh fruits and veggies? The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market’s downtown outdoor market in Lowertown opens for the season on Saturday, April 27, 2019. The popular market will be open weekends through Nov. 24. Hours are 7am-1pm on Saturdays and 8am-1pm on Sundays. Video by KARE 11. (3:09 mins)
March 25, 2019 | Lowertown News
KSTP—The Mississippi River reached major flood stage Monday morning in St. Paul, and the water is expected to keep rising this week. Flooding is already impacting nearby roads and parks. The pavilion at Harriet Island Park is sandbagged and surrounded in water. About half-a-dozen roads in the city are closed because of high water, including stretches of Jackson, Warner and Shepard. Several popular parks and boat launches are also shut down. City leaders said they have a “deliberate flood action plan” in place, and they have started building a temporary levee in Lowertown. KSTP’s Joe Mazan reports.
January 9, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Vlogger (“video blogger”) Tommy of the “Tommy Travels the 2nd” vlog visits Lowertown’s Northern Warehouse Artists’ Cooperative, and stops in for interviews with Nathan from Leather Works Minnesota and Michael Bahl from The Museum of Paleo-Osteological Interpretation. A super informative watch and a fantastic use of YouTube to explore and share the talent and craziness found in Lowertown, Saint Paul. (18:33 mins)
September 6, 2018 | Lowertown News
As vice president of community partnerships and customer service for the St. Paul Saints, Annie Huidekoper’s crowning achievement was helping to get Lowertown’s gorgeous CHS Field built. These days, she’s a volunteer and free agent. From Visit Saint Paul. (3:23 mins)
April 18, 2018 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
April 27, 28, 29, 2018 • Friday 6–10 PM, Saturday 12–8 PM, Sunday 12–5 PM. Recognized for its tremendous success, the Saint Paul Art Crawl has become a model arts event that is emulated in cities across the country. To the artists and residents of Saint Paul, the event means much more. The Art Crawl has evolved from a fun weekend art event to a framework for creating and fostering important, interdependent relationships between the arts community and the city of St. Paul.
August 28, 2017 | Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Northern Spark’s third annual all-night arts festival took place on June 10th, 2017 a locations in the vicinity of Metro Transit’s Green Line light rail stations, between Saint Paul and Minneapolis, including in Lowertown, home to the Union Depot light rail stop. This year’s festival featured an interactive installation created by the Lowertown community, titled “Domination Corporation: Proudly Homogenizing America since 1984”, to create a conversation about gentrification. Archive created by Nigel Parry.
June 1, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice —“I want people to understand the history of this place and respect the people that came before,” she said. “When I came here the first thing I did was learn about what this neighborhood is, what it was, what it turned into, and who was responsible for it. It was very important for me to give props to the elders who came before me, who did all this groundwork, so that I can do what I want to do here in this space.”
May 1, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—St. Paul native Rachel Wacker is a figure artist who exhibits under the name Dolan Cyr. After receiving a bachelor of arts in studio art from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 she wasted no time establishing a studio practice and has spent the last 18 years developing an extensive resume as both a curator and community art facilitator. She has lived in Lowertown for the last seven years, first in the 262 Building and today in the Northern Warehouse Artist Cooperative.
April 1, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Chicago native Pippi Ardennia has been crooning since age 13. She cut her teeth while performing in Chicago’s celebrated jazz clubs, including the Burning Spear, Mr. Kelly’s, Rosebud on Rush, the Green Dolphin, and larger venues such as the Chicago Symphony Center and Taste of Chicago. She has delivered her lush, sultry vocals before such notables as President Bill Clinton, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli, and has performed with Freddie Hubbard, George Freeman, Billy Branch and other respected jazz musicians.
January 24, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Following an involuntary exodus from the JAX building, after it was purchased for market rate rentals as part of the ongoing gentrification of Lowertown, artists from the community poster-tagged the building in the dead of night. Tom Dunn sent these photos to lowertown.info. Tom Dunn Photography specializes in commercial, business and fine art photography. The readers of Woodbury Magazine voted TDP Best Photographer. Located at 308 Prince St., Studio 242 in the Northern Warehouse, Tom Dunn Photography is part of the vibrant Lowertown Arts District of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
May 11, 2016 | Features, Lowertown News
THE JAX, 39, of Lowertown Saint Paul passed away on April 30, 2016 after being fatally purchased for redevelopment. With great sadness, the St. Paul art community mourns the passing of a beloved art space that played an integral role in the Lowertown art scene for 39 years. Located at 253 E 4th Street in the historic warehouse that once housed Michaud Wholesale Grocers and The Jane Garrott Candy Company, The Jax provided affordable studios to artists and micro-businesses from 1977 until her passing.
May 11, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
ROBERTA AVIDOR writes, “I’m an illustrator who’s lived in Lowertown for almost three years now. One of my specialties is creating illustrated maps, one of which is the Downtown and City of Saint Paul map for the Saint Paul Almanac. Working on that map and being involved with the Almanac was one of the factors that made it desirable to make the move from Minneapolis to Saint Paul. My husband, Ken, and I appreciate all the interesting events and people around here and strive to capture that vitality in our artwork.”
May 10, 2016 | Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
A short documentary film by Dave Bellmont of Kinostadt Films chronicling the redevelopment of the Arts district in Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The sale of a key art studio building causes the sudden displacement of more than eighty career artists. After calling the JAX building their home for almost forty years, the community mourns the loss and wonders about the artists’ place in the changing neighborhood. (13 minute version)
May 10, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Rachel Wacker (a.k.a. Dolan Cyr) graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 with a B. A. in studio art and a concentration in philosophy and literature. Rachel now resides in the Lowertown Arts District where she is a full time artist, community art event designer, and emerging curator. She is an active member of the Saint Paul Art Collective, a coordinator for the Lowertown First Fridays Committee and the resident curator for 262 Studios’ public galleries.
May 10, 2016 | Lowertown News
Photos of the JAX Wake from Lowertown photographer Glen Jones.
May 7, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
I found my place in Lowertown a dozen years ago. I found a place where my art and ideas and expressions were supported and appreciated, and this allowed me to feel known and understood in a way I have never been before. Even those closest to me got to know me better through my art, because I’m not the best at words and therefore painting is my best form of communication. I found a place where people take the time to ask curious questions, and who really listen, even if they don’t fully agree with everything I’m saying. Open-mindedness, that’s the word. Inclusiveness. Support.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Two weeks ago I participated in my 33rd consecutive and final St Paul Art Crawl in Jax studio 306. Now, all of the artists have vacated the premises. It will be gutted and turned into upscale lofts as will the 262 Building across the street. I’m grateful for the 16 years I got to spend in that studio, the artist community I was able to be part of and the conversations I had with the homeless of Lowertown. My life is richer for it. Oh how I loved standing in the big north windows looking into the alley, but the view has changed.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
All because our view included the JAX – all of your faces – your art – your hearts – your inspiration – your courage and spirit! Just by existing in the space around us and holding tight and fast to a passion for art and for humanity, you have made this community thrive for all – all of the artists here and for all of the people who visit and love what we create. Seeing the JAX artists go is devastating to me. Seeing this view change is heartbreaking and it puts a cloud over the future.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown News
Photography has always been important to Vaughan, particularly the potential for a good image to lift the human spirit. Landscapes and flowers are particularly good for uplifting the psyche and calming the soul in this way… think of it as ‘umami for the eyes’.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Postcard advertising the JAX Wake, and the program handed out at the wake.
September 10, 2015 | Lowertown Food & Drink News
WCCO’s Jason DeRusha Eats at Saint Dinette where a fine dining chef is becoming known for a cheeseburger. First broadcast on WCCO’s show This Morning, on September 10th, 2015. Jason co-anchors WCCO This Morning weekdays from 4:30am-7am, WCCO Mid-Morning from 9-10am, and WCCO 4 News At Noon. He is also the station’s food reporter, producing “DeRusha Eats”.
March 16, 2013 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Lowertown.info—Photographer James Ramsay—jamesramsayphotography.com—loaded a GoPro on a monopod and walked down the entire length of the Saint Paul, Minnesota St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Lowertown and Downtown. The adventures of Java the Mutt, the symbol of the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar—blackdogstpaul.com—in Lowertown, Saint Paul were then fabulously chronicled. Every interaction with kids, cops, parade goers, and real dogs was captured in a series of 5 raw video clips totalling about 30 minutes.
March 10, 2011 | Features, Lowertown News
Twin Cities PBS’s documentary about the development of Lowertown. It was the birthplace of St. Paul and the focal point of the railroad industry built by the like of James J. Hill that made Saint Paul and Minnesota a key hub in America’s rail system. Then it fell into decay and abandonment. How did Lowertown return to vibrancy in the last few decades of the twentieth century? (56 minutes, 40 seconds)
