In the newly remodeled offices of Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA). you will find Sarah Lopez, PPNA’s Community Organizer. She was hired on August 1 this year and has immersed herself in meeting and greeting people in the neighborhood. Her grassroots approach and friendly manner have already brought people together. Becky Timm, PPNA Executive Director, says of Sarah, “I think she’s been a great hire, and there’s been very positive feedback from the neighborhood. She’s already met a number of people who work in different organizations that PPNA hasn’t been involved with before, and now we are. So we expect big things from her!” Besides working with ongoing PPNA programs and projects, like Powderhorn365, Powderhorn Empty Bowls, and the Powderhorn Art Fair, Sarah has several new projects in the works.

A current one is the Powderhorn Podcast Audio Tour, created and narrated by community members. Sarah writes, “Thanks to a partnership with the Minnesota History Center, the Pillsbury House, PPNA, and the Park Board, you as a neighbor will have an opportunity to share with us stories you think people should hear about the park and identify storytellers.” There will be five recorded vignettes describing experiences in Powderhorn Park. Youth from Pillsbury House will interview storytellers and write the script with the help of Masanari Kawahara. A professional sound engineer will assemble the stories that will be recorded and used for audio tours in the park. There have been two community meetings, and there is one last meeting to hear and discuss which stories to use and which storytellers should participate. This Wednesday, December 5th, at 6:30 p.m., people will gather at the Powderhorn Park Community Center, 3400 15th Avenue South (and there will be doughnuts). The meeting is open to the public. If you want to observe or participate, come and meet Sarah and others. She believes this intergenerational conversation will help build community, develop pride in the diverse roots in our city, and explore the history of our neighborhood.

Sarah was raised in Uruapan, Mexico, where her family resides today. She majored in history at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. Recently, she was Outreach Coordinator at the Latino Economic Development Center. Visit the office and meet Sarah and learn about PPNA and their projects or you may read or buy our Powderhorn365 books. You’ll probably see her at many events around Powderhorn, so introduce yourself. You won’t regret a moment of her energetic and generous spirit. A belated big welcome from the neighborhood to Sarah! Additional photos can be viewed in our photostream.

PPNA office is at 821 East 35th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407, 612-722-4817. Click link on top right of this website for information.

Today is the opening of a new cafe in Powderhorn neighborhood, now serving coffee, tea, and other beverages, along with baked goods. Breakfast and lunch selections will be added in the future. Hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days a week. Photo left to right: Flo Razowsky, Anna Meyer, Roxanne Anderson, and Wilda Miller. Anna and Roxanne are the owners, and Flo and Wilda are employees. Flo was a weekly photographer in 2010 for Powderhorn365.

The cafe is also available for meetings or other events after 7 p.m. or for exhibits. For pricing and information, contact info.cafesouthside@gmail.com. The cafe’s Facebook page is www.facebook.com/CafeSouthside. The current photo exhibit is from the Rainbow Health Initiative’s annual photo contest (see www.rainbowhealth.org/photocontest). For information about Rare Productions, Inc., which promotes artists of color, see www.rareproductionsmpls.com.

Today's search for a photo for this website turned out to be a brief, but fun, adventure. I was planning to drive around and see what was happening in Powderhorn. I drove down our alley and, only a few houses from mine, found these folks having a yard sale. The weather was great, but they didn't have a lot of shoppers. I found out they have lived here for six years and I've never met them before. A great and friendly crew, from left to right: Molly, Kira, Aviella, Monique, and Amy. Meeting our neighbors is part of the beauty of the Powderhorn365 project. And today the extra benefit was that I found some items to buy. In fact, I'm walking back down there right after posting this so I can see what else they have and to tell them they are on this site.

All of a sudden the irises are out in full bloom, calling me to take their photo.

Friends and family gathered to celebrate the forty years since the formation of a housing collective in Minneapolis known as Bread & Roses. A group of students from Experimental College at the University of Minnesota bought a house in Whittier neighborhood and shared expenses and labor in maintaining and improving the property, which freed many of us from working full-time jobs and allowed us to be active in progressive organizations, the food co-ops, and the arts. I joined the household in 1972. It was thanks to one of my housemates (Eleanor) that I started using a 35mm camera (half-frame) lent to me by her, and I learned to use a darkroom in the basement of the house. It was the beginning of my passion for this art medium. I took many photos of people and events. I lived there for eight years until it ended and we moved to Powderhorn. We had many gatherings, including a big party at our house for the community to join our celebration. This group gathered at Barb and David Tilsen's Powderhorn home today and includes some of the residents from those years, as well as friends and family. (Left to right, front row, David Tilsen, Barb Tilsen, Jed Proujansky, Will Owens, middle row, Kathi Mullin, Eleanor Johnson, Chris Ellis, back row, Gayla Ellis, Jim Mullin, Michael Mullin, Marilyn Lindstrom, Francis Yellow, Kurt Meyers, Judy Sayad, Michael Doyle.) Note: See more on photostream.