Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

Two major statewide events in historic preservation are taking place in Northfield this weekend. The Minnesota Historical Society‘s Historic Preservation Office is holding its annual conference and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is hosting its annual awards ceremony.

The SHPO’s conference is the largest gathering of Minnesota’s preservation community each year and attracts historians, architects, planners, public officials, property owners, preservation commission members and citizen advocates from around state. The PAM’s awards are given to 15 special projects from across the state representing excellence in a wide variety of preservation disciplines.

The conference acknowledges the qualities of Northfield’s historic heart: its authentic and vital downtown. Several of the conference seminars explore the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program, an approach followed by the NDDC since its conception in 1999.

The attendees will occasionally step out of the classroom for some real-life exploration, including a “Downtown Northfield Field Session”. So be sure to welcome them to our authentic, historic, vital, and determined downtown.

Ray “Jake” Jacobson’s “Harvest” sculpture has been placed in its permanent home.

The piece was temporarily sited outside of the entrance to Malt-O-Meal, one of Northfield’s major employers and one of the sculpture’s major funders, but is now firmly installed along the soon-to-be-finished Riverwalk enhancement between 4th and 5th Streets.

The sculpture’s location was selected to visually link the artistic commemoration of Northfield’s economic roots in milling to its on-going business benefits from the historic Ames Mill.

The grist mill was started by town founder John North, later sold and repositioned as a flouring mill by North’s friend Charles Wheaton, and eventually sold to the mill’s namesake, Jesse Ames.

The Campbell Cereal Company purchased the mill in 1925 and founded the Malt-O-Meal company in 1927, which continues to produce a variety of cereal products from a number of sites, including the Ames Mill.

The official dedication of the sculpture was originally scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd. Philip Spensley, Chair of Northfield’s Art and Culture Commission informs me that it’s now been pushed to the 16th. More details to come.

Writing up a post on the art and culture activities this weekend makes it clear that the colleges are back in session. There’s a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.

There’s much buzz about the show at The Flaten Art Museum on the St. Olaf campus. It’s called “Science, Art and the Imagination“, featuring book art by Daniel Kelm, photography by Amanda Means, painting by Merrill Steiger and video by Susan Woods. The opening begins at 5 p.m. tonight (Friday, September 12th) with a talk by Merrill Steiger. The Northfield Arts Guild also has an opening tonight, 7:00 p.m. It’s for the show “Wind Water and Light“, featuring photographs by Megan Longtine-Jones and paintings by Joonja Lee Mornes.

My personal favorite, Occasional Jazz, is playing at The Contented Cow, 5:30 p.m. Monroe Crossing is playing at The Grand Event Center, 6:30 p.m. Dr. Lynn Trapp is giving an organ recital in Boe Chapel on the St. Olaf campus, 7:00 p.m. James Curry is at the Contented Cow, 8 p.m., and Joey Heinz is at the Tavern Lounge.

On Saturday, ArtOnWater Gallery has an opening for the show “Impressions”, 3 to 8 p.m. It features the work of Mark Daehlin and Ingrid Bjerstedt Rogers.

The Urban Hillbilly Quartet is playing at The Contented Cow, 8:30 p.m., and John Manners is at The Tavern Lounge.

Sunday, there are Songs for September: Music of Justin Merritt, in the Christiansen Hall of Music on the St. Olaf Campus, 3:15 p.m., featuring Chai-Wei Li, Kathryn Ananda-Owens, Andrea Een, Elinor Niemisto and Jun Gian. Finally, for those who enjoy the art of discussion, there’s Politics and a Pint at The Contented Cow, 6 p.m.

Fine Groove, Northfield’s last independent record store, will close its doors after 26 years in business.

Owner Brian Kenknight admits that sales have steadily declined in recent years due to the market’s changing access to music. However, his decision was at least partly shaped by personal reasons.

A number of “legendary” record stores have closed in recent years, including Oarfolkjokeopus in Minneapolis, and many pundits suggest that the trend is affecting our culture. In addition to being the places where the latest music releases could be heard and their album art debated, record stores were gathering places for professional musicians and amateur critics. Stories were shared, events were promoted, and sometimes even gigs were found.

The survivors, such as the Electric Fetus, with stores in Minneapolis, Duluth and St. Cloud, have worked to offset declining CD sales with novelty items such as t-shirts, posters and gag gifts. The floor space devoted to music sales is now about half of the total.

Personally, I will really miss the atmosphere of Fine Groove as well as Brian’s encyclopedic knowledge of music. However, Northfield will still have access to used CDs at Echo Used DVDs and Games and new ones at River City Books.

Maybe musicians spending more time hanging out in coffeehouses will lead to a new revival in folk music.

Yeah, I’m promoting my band once again. It’s only because our guitar player, Jerry Johnson, is taking some time off after this gig to refresh his creative energy. At any rate, we’re throwing all caution to the wind and doing The Full Cowboy. That’s right, we’re going to shamelessly perform all the great cowboy songs, throwing in the occasional yippie-ki-yi-yo and yippie-ki-yi-yay. Wendy Nordquist is even going to yodel.

So come on down to the campfire at the Tavern Lounge, tonight from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and join Jerry, Wendy, Lance Heisler and me in Blue Moon. It’s the one time a year that we’ll show you The Full Cowboy.

Also tonight, Friday, September 5th, the Bridgewater Ramblers at at the Contented Cow, 5 p.m. Jesse Jane’s Jamboree is at the Arts Guild Theater, 7:30 p.m., the Spruce Top Review is at the Contented Cow, 8 p.m., there’s Square Dancing on Division Street between 4th and 5th Streets, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and the Norwegian Cowboy is playing at the Tavern Lounge from 8:30 p.m. to midnight.

Saturday, September 6th, Down Lo is playing at the DJJD Entertainment Center from 1 to 3 p.m., Thomas Maltman is doing a book signing at River City Books from 2 to 4 p.m., Under Otter Project is playing at the Contented Cow at 3 p.m., Kevin Stanke is playing at the Tavern Lounge from 4 to 8 p.m., Jesse Jane’s Jamboree is at the Arts Guild Theater at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the Norwegian Cowboy is at the Contented Cow, 6 p.m., Matt Arthur and the Bratlanders are at the Contented Cow at 8 p.m., Jack Knife and the Sharps are at the Grand Event Center, doors open at 8 p.m., and Harmonic Voodoo is at the Tavern Lounge, 8:30 p.m. to midnight.

And don’t forget, it’s the Defeat of Jesse James Days, all weekend long, here in Historic Northfield.