This Weekend…Celebrate 100 Years of Great Music

December 1st, 2011 by Ross Currier

St. Olaf College’s Christmas Festival is one of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States.  Started in 1912 by St. Olaf Music Department founder F. Melius Christiansen, the Festival is celebrating 100 years of incredible music by student artists.  The shows are all sold out, but you can enjoy the tribute to the Christmas Festival at the Nortfield Historical Society, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

…and, as always, there’s a lot of other great live music available in Downtown Northfield, MN. Read the rest of this entry »

Be Local…Be Downtown Northfield, MN (Weekend Update)

November 24th, 2011 by Ross Currier

Sure, as usual, there will be a whole lot of entertainment going on in downtown Northfield this weekend.  The Contented Cow, the Tavern Lounge, the Rueb’N'Stein, and the 620 Grill all have live music…and great food and beverages…for your enjoyment.  But this weekend is also the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.  So let’s talk about the retailers. Read the rest of this entry »

Zillionaires’ Triumphant Return (Weekend Update)

November 17th, 2011 by Ross Currier

The Zillionaires have been so busy on their world tour (which included Dundas) that they haven’t had much time lately to perform in town.  That major artistic hole in the local music calendar gets filled this Saturday night when they’ll be at the 620 Grill in downtown Northfield, MN. Read the rest of this entry »

Great, Good Meeting Places in Downtown Northfield, MN

November 13th, 2011 by Ross Currier

Knowledge-workers, the “creative class”, innovative entrepreneurs…whatever you call them, they’ve been attracted to downtown Northfield for many decades.  Dozens of businesses have been started in, or relocated to, the downtown, making substantive contributions to the Northfield economy.

They play a big role in the national economy too; these jobs, categorized by the Standard Occupational Classification System, add up to approximately a third of the U. S. workforce.  Scientists, engineers, educators, computer programmers, artists, designers, medical professionals, healthcare workers, lawyers, and financiers…what brings them to Downtown Northfield, MN? Read the rest of this entry »

Gateway Projects or Corridor Areas: Whatever They’re Called, Offer Your Input

November 11th, 2011 by Ross Currier

Remember my post on TIF District #4, the Streetscape Task Force, and Downtown Parking?  Yeah, it was rather long and dense.  Just for the moment, focus on the Streetscape Task Force.

One of the two dozen or so projects that the Task Force has recommended to the City Council is the so-called “Gateways(s)” Project.  Although the actual project areas encompass substantial corridors related to these so-called gateways, the focus, at least initially, was on potential improvements at key locations along the city’s main roadway entrances. Read the rest of this entry »