Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

In about 48 hours, or Thursday, June 19th, at 5 pm, the Third Annual Taste of Northfield will be underway.

It’s about Food, Fun and Friends. In my last post, I focused on the Food. This time, let’s talk Fun.

The Northfield Community Band plays at 6 pm.

The James-Younger Gang does their Re-enactment at 7:15 pm.

The Live Auction is at 7:30 pm (Silent Auction from 5 to 8 pm).

The Street Dance with The Over and Back Band is from 8:30 to 10:30 pm.

Of course, there’s Food from 5 to 9 pm, Beer on the Bridge from 5 to 11 pm, and your Friends…

…for hours, in Downtown Northfield.

Thanks to NDDC Board Member Anastasia Balfany for the Taste-y Banner in Ames Park!

…in Downtown Northfield.

Thursday, June 12th, there’s an Exhibit Preview and ChARTdonnay Thursday, 5-8 pm, at ArtOnWater Gallery, Tom Franek performs at the Upstairs Rueb, the Northfield Community Band celebrates the music of the WWII Era, 7 pm in Bridge Square, and Mark Mraz is at the Tavern Lounge.

Friday, the Over and Back Band celebrates the release of its first recording, 7 pm, at the Northfield High School Auditorium, John Wills and Trace Remington are at The Contented Cow, and Norwegian Cowboy is at the Tavern Lounge.

Saturday, it’s the Carleton Commencement, 9:30 am, on the College Campus, the Forcefield Community Cabaret, 7:30 pm, at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater, (my personal recommendation) Blue Moon, say 8 pm, at The Contented Cow, and Kevin Stanke at the Tavern Lounge.

The Third Annual Taste of Northfield is rapidly approaching. Next Thursday, June 19th, from 5 to 11 pm, it’ll all be happening right in the center of Downtown, the heart of our community, on Bridge Square.

Hopefully, you’ve been hearing some of the buzz about it. Our local media outlets, the Northfield News and KYMN Radio, have been supporting the event with their generous access to their audiences.

Last Friday, some of the “Taste Team” appeared on Paula Granquist’s “Art Zany” Show. Some of us consider food to be an art form, but at the very least, I’m sure we were quite zany on the broadcast.

There are more vendors than ever this year, including J GRUNDY’S RUEB-N-STEIN, CHAPATI, THE CONTENTED COW, TINY’S DOGS ALL DAY, PERKIN’S RESTAURANT, THE QUARTERBACK CLUB, THE NORTHFIELD GOLF CLUB, THE HIDEAWAY, JAMES GANG COFFEEHOUSE, FROGGY BOTTOMS, JUST FOODS, SWEET LOU’S WAFFLE BAR, SWEET PEAS LOFT, THE FIELDHOUSE, THE OLE CAFÉ, ERBERTS AND GERBERTS, and DOMINO’S PIZZA.

If you want to get right into the tasting, you can purchase food tickets ahead of time. They are available at J. Grundy’s Rueb-N-Stein, Present Perfect, and the Contented Cow.

So come on down(town), and enjoy all the food and fun, next Thursday, from 5 to 11 pm.

Members of the NDDC’s E R Team traveled to St. Paul once again to meet with legislators on the property tax issue. After years of meetings, it really feels like we’re finally making some progress.

Representative David Bly set up a meeting for us with Representative Paul Marquart (House District 09B). Representative Marquart is Chair of the Property Tax Relief Committee. We didn’t even know such a committee existed but you can imagine our excitement when we arrived at an office decorated with slogans critical of ever-rising property taxes.

Seated around the table are NDDC Board Secretary Keith Covey, NDDC Executive Director Ross Currier, NDDC Vice President Joe Grundhoefer, Representative Paul Marquart, Legislation Consultant Laura Sayles, and Representative David Bly.

The discussion was fast-paced. We discussed three possible methods for addressing the issue, one that focuses on historic commercial districts in Greater Minnesota and two that address the broader issue of commercial property taxation. A legislative work group will meet and evaluate the three options and recommend legislation.

Our plan is to reconvene in two weeks, the legislation should be drafted in the next month or so, we’ll circulate it throughout Greater Minnesota this summer and fall, and the bill will be introduced to the Legislature in January. As I said earlier, it really feels like we’re making some progress now.

Saturday’s Northfield News had a front page story about an issue that the NDDC has been working on for several years now. It’s the ever-rising commercial property taxes in Downtown Northfield.

After many years of double-digit property tax increases, the economic viability of our traditional commercial district is being threatened. Something must be done if our historic buildings and local businesses are to survive.

The NDDC’s E R Team journeys to St. Paul again tomorrow, to meet with key leaders on this issue. Our stated intention is to get a plan in place by late summer or early autumn for implementation at the next legislative session.