Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

This Thursday, July 26th, is that once a year event…Crazy Daze…

…the day that Division Street is closed to vehicular traffic, the sidewalks are filled with tempting merchandise, and there are Bargains Galore!

In addition, there’s a Costume Contest at Just Food Co-op, a “Nuts & Bolts” Challenge at Ace Hardware, a Dance Performance at Dance-N-Fitness, Free Range Chicken Bingo at Just Food Co-op, Face Painting at Just Food Co-op, a Kids Carnival by the Moravian Church, Break Dancing by the Union of Youth, a Skateboard Demonstration by the Northfield Skateboard Coalition, 4-H Grass Heads in Bridge Square, a Newspaper Throwing Contest by the Northfield News (I’m rooting for Renee), a Water Balloon Toss by Kids on Division, a Hula Hoop Contest by Rare Pair (go Krin!), a Waiters’ Race along Division Street, Classic Cars “south of 5th” on Division, Pie on the Square by the Northfield News on Bridge Square, a Dance Performance by the Northfield Academy on Bridge Square, ’50s and ’60s Music by KRDS on Division Street between 5th and 6th, and Songs of Hope, co-sponsored by the Northfield Public Schools, the Northfield Rotary Club, and the Northfield News on Bridge Square.

And, of course, Alaskan Doughnuts.

After taking down street barricades ’round midnight on Thursday and Friday, way past my Ben Franklin bedtime, I’m running a little behind on my blog posting.

Here is an image of Potter Mania. Between two-thirds and three-fourths of the 400 block of Division Street was filled with chairs, couches, bikes, and pedestrians, as people were enjoying the perfect night and watching the first Harry Potter movie. It was pretty darn cool.

In fact, there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Nothfield youth in Downtown on Friday…a good portion of the student body of the Northfield public schools…playing chess, drinking cream soda, watching the movie, and standing in line waiting for a book.

It’s a far cry from the descriptions of our town and our youth that the media has presented lately. I think that the image presented with this blog posting is more accurate.

It was so much fun, organizers and participants are already brainstorming concepts for similar events in the future.

For more pictures, see the website Locally Grown or the blog post by The Raven.

I think it was success.

The Second Annual Taste of Northfield, that is…

I was so busy and there were so many people and there was so much going on that I didn’t have time to take many pictures, much less try to quantify the results.

When Dan Bergeson, Dale Finger, Joe Grundhoefer and I “debriefed”, a little after ten o’clock last night, it seemed like, based on vender sales, we had about three times as many people as last year, and that wasn’t including the girls scouts.

While the papers scream out about a town allegedly sinking under chemical and political chaos, the citizens and the merchants of Northfield steadily move forward…

…and occasionally have a heck of time together.

Others will probably comment more thoroughly and cleverly than me about the event, so I’ll just thank those who made it possible.

In addition to our Corporate Partners, College City Beverage and Malt-O-Meal, over sixty businesses contributed to the event. Then there were the approximately one hundred volunteers, who did everything from pick up trash to organize the silent auction. Although the NDDC provided the brains, 1st National Bank and The Key provided the brawn.

After the party is over, there is the clean-up. Here are Kellen Kirchberg of the Key (you can barely see the top of his head), Rick Estenson of the 1st National Bank (you could hardly see the sun around his big back), Dave Shumway of the 1st National Bank (all that shoveling and sweeping paid off last night), and Eric Emmons of The Key (cautioning Rick about not hurting himself), loading the picnic tables on a trailer for their return to the City Shop.

To everyone that supported the event, “Thanks, we needed that…”.

You may have heard that I am no amateur when it comes to eating Alaskan Doughnuts. No, it’s none of that stuffing one’s face with hotdogs against a clock for me. Instead, I take as much time as necessary to work through more than one of these giant delicacies. It’s more of an art form than an athletic competition.

However, such prowess doesn’t just happen. Rather, I work long and hard to sharpen my skills, hone my moves, and perfect my technique. And one must start early to sufficiently train for this once a year event.

Here I am, slowly but steadily increasing my capacity…getting ready for next Thursday’s Crazy Daze (and Quality Bakery’s Alaskan Doughnuts).

Crazy Daze and Alaskan Doughnuts come only once a year. It’s next Thursday, July 26th, from 7 am to 8 pm, in Downtown Northfield. So come on down, sip the coffee, taste the doughnuts, join in the fun, and take advantage of all the bargains.

The first annual Taste of Northfield was widely considered to be one of the most fun events of 2006. We’re doing it again this year, with a few more twists.

For our sophomore effort (see PDF of the poster), it will be bigger and better. There will be even more local food vendors, College City Beverage and the Northfield Municipal Liquor Store are arranging beverage tastings, and the Showmobile will host live music and a live auction, featuring contributions from the wonderful retailers of downtown.

Gather with family, friends and neighbors in the heart of Northfield, Bridge Square, on Thursday, July 19th, from 5 to 9 pm, and taste some of the fine offerings of local businesses, enjoy some of the excellent live entertainment, and celebrate the community of which you are an important part.