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Annual Meeting

Our annual meeting of the membership is open to all Union Park residents and business owners. This year, it will be held on Thursday, October 12, 2017 in Otto Hall of Episcopal Homes (1860 University Ave.).

We’ll start with a social hour from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. with appetizers and desserts. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. with City Councilmembers Russ Stark and Dai Thao, and will feature a panel of business owners from our community. The evening will also include a presentation of our board's slate of candidates, and information about our work over the past year. You're welcome to join us! Contact julie@unionparkdc.org with questions. 

Midway in Motion

Please join Union Park District Council for a fun-filled block party at Shields and Roy Streets on Saturday, September 9, 2017 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Enjoy free food, music, and children’s activities. We’ll be transforming part of the street into a pedestrian-focused gathering place, and you’ll have a chance to provide valuable input on how to improve the pedestrian safety and walkability of the area during this event.

We’re collaborating with the Central Baptist and Bethlehem Lutheran Churches to host this party, and funding for this project is provided by the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

Ice Cream, Peanut Butter, and Jam

On Saturday, September 16th, 2017 from noon to 4 p.m. come by Merriam Park to celebrate Ice Cream, Peanut Butter, and Jam in St. Paul with a free, family-friendly party on. Join us for our fifth annual party featuring free Izzy’s ice cream, peanut butter for the food shelf, and jamming to local music by Rainbolt Mountain Project, H. Rose & the Nomads, and Jake Larson.  

This year we will also feature various kids activities, soccer, adventure play, businesses and organizations, food trucks, and more. Come connect with neighbors, enjoy the beauty of Merriam Park, and don’t forget your peanut butter donation.

Party in the Park at Griggs

We're throwing a community party for the future Park at Griggs (at 421 North Griggs St.) on July 31, 2017 from 4 - 7 p.m. Enjoy live entertainment, food, and games. Learn information about the property. Engage in park naming activities. And celebrate that a new park is coming! 

This event will be cohosted by the Union Park District Council and the Lexington-Hamline Community Council with funding from the Trust for Public Land. Contact michael@unionparkdc.org if you have questions or would like more information. 

Stadium Site Community Meeting

The trucks are moving dirt at the Major League Soccer stadium site at Snelling and I-94. Join us for an informational meeting on Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Midpointe Event Center (415 N Pascal) to learn about the construction plans. 

We’ve invited representatives from the Port Authority, Mortenson Construction, MN United, and the City of St. Paul to speak about construction timelines, neighborhood impacts, and short-term plans for the site.

Bastille Day Block Party

 

Please join us for this annual fun-filled street fair on Sunday, July 16th from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm on Selby Avenue between Snelling and Fry.

This family-friendly, free neighborhood tradition will feature discounts and sales at local businesses and a number of activities with a French flair for the whole family including:

 


  • A Parisian-style flea market featuring finds from neighborhood shops.
  • Street performers and musicians including Brazilian Jazz music by Mira & Tom Kehoe.
  • Food trucks serving french crepes, British pasties, ice cream and more!
  • Activities for kids including games, art making, and a bounce house.

Call for Artists

Union Park District Council, in partnership with Forecast Public Art, and with funding from the Knight Foundation, invites artists or artist teams from the Union Park District to participate in DARTS [District Arts Partnership] during the summer of 2017.

The DARTS project will focus on the heavily trafficked University/Snelling intersection, which is a multi-modal hub for cars, pedestrians, light-rail transit, and buses, making it the busiest intersection in the Union Park District. With a soccer stadium and major redevelopment planned nearby, this area will see even more traffic and congestion in the near future. An artist or artist team will produce projects at or near the intersection that:

  • activate public spaces for people rather than vehicles
  • inspire improvements to the pedestrian experience
  • encourage the use of transportation other than cars

Selected artist/artist teams will produce a series of temporary, pop-up, tactical urbanism, public life interventions which will have an impact on the people who interact with them and the space in which they are located. Other goals include:

  • disrupt the everyday workings of the University/Snelling intersection
  • create “what if” scenarios that help the people in the community imagine the potential of their neighborhood
  • take an inventory of the change in the intersection due to the artist created projects

HOW TO APPLY
Please answer the following questions [300 word max for each]:

  • Contact information for all team members – name, phone number, email address, and a website if you have one – and your connection to Union Park.
  • Why are you the perfect person/team to work on this project.
  • What are your experiences with the University/Snelling intersection?
  • What is your vision for this project? How will your experiences with the University/Snelling intersection inform your work on this project?

Please do not write a full proposal at this time; we just want to get an idea of what materials and approach you may use.
 
Please submit responses in a Word Document or PDF via email to JenK@ForecastPublicArt.org
 
All materials must be received by 4:30 p.m. CST June 14, 2017. No letters of interest will be accepted after this time.
 
Budget: The total budget for this project is $6000, which must cover all design, installation, artist fees, materials, and other related expenses. Depending upon the number and quality of submissions, this amount may be divided among several artists/teams.
 
Timeline:
June 14 - submission deadline
June 16 - artists/teams selected and notified
Middle of June - artist site tour with District Council members
July/August/September - implementation of artist projects
October/November - evaluation and reflection
 
Questions? Email JenK@ForecastPublicArt.org

Paint the Aldine Bridge Community Mural

We are looking for volunteers to help us complete a mural on the surface of the Aldine pedestrian bridge over I-94. No previous painting or art experience is required!


Mark your calendars for the community paint days on Friday, June 2nd and Saturday, June 3rd from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Email michael@unionparkdc.org if you have interest in volunteering.

Music & Movement Classes

Union Park is teaming up with Playing With Music to offer mixed-age (birth-kindergarten) music & movement classes in our neighborhood! To kick off the new season, the first class is FREE for new families. Join us at 161 N Snelling Ave. on Fridays at 9:30a.m. for a fun 45-minutes of song and dance that fosters music appreciation and develops basic beat and pitch competency. Email marksorvari@gmail.com to register.

About Mark Sorvari and Music & Movement
Mark Sorvari, who specializes in Music & Movement for Early Childhood and has worked with infants through kindergarteners at a Reggio Emilia inspired school, offers mixed age (birth to kindergarten) music and movement classes. Certified in Orff Schulwerk, trained in Music Together, Mark offers music that catches a child’s imagination and that inspires participation, play, and learning through active music making. Children will “play with” musical materials in the same way that they learn art by “playing with” pencils, crayons, and paints or learn language by “playing with” sounds, words, and ideas. Parents/caregivers act as role models, and their participation (regardless of musical ability) is essential to the child’s musical growth. In class, we sing, dance, play instruments, laugh, and explore music & movement in a relaxed yet focused setting.

Parent testimonials
"My daughter (4.5 mo.) is captivated by the other students, the music and movement. She has started standing and swaying during songs. She babbles when we copy rhythms. We sing the "Hello Song" at home every morning and she never fails to break into a huge smile when it begins. The children are learning not only about music, but how to make friends, how to share, how to negotiate a large room, how to express themselves through dance and song in a space that is safe. This is because of a repeated and open community that the class is fostering" - (Longfellow Resident)

"Playing with Music" is a unique offering amongst infant/preschool music experiences. My 3.5 year old has been enrolled in various music and dance classes from 6 months, and this is the first one I've felt truly engaged with as a parent. "Playing with Music" is exactly what it claims to be -- play -- which is refreshing in a world of overcommitted and over scheduled children" - (St. Paul Resident)

 

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