Spring Quarterly 2014

Crafts Arts Dance Music Food Theatre Services Community

A House is a Home
NEW! SNG
Housing Resource Guide
Read why Seward
is the place folks
talk about, visit &
want to live in!
Tariku Belay
Bridging Worlds in Seward
Food Spots
A Taste of Seward
Gardens & Planting
Where to go, How to plant
SPOKES Biking
Lets get moving!
2


The Seward Profile, a quarterly publication
of the Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG),
strives to keep neighborhood residents,
businesses, property owners and organizations
informed of what's happening in Seward
and assist SNG in building and sustaining
a strong, diverse, and vibrant community.
As a typical Seward endeavor, the Profile
relies on volunteers to plan each issue,
create copy, sell ads, and prepare the
printed edition for mailing. We welcome
your suggestions and would welcome your
time and energy even more.
To get involved, contact us at
profile@sng.org or Seward Profile, 2323
E. Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55406.
Upcoming Issues and Deadlines:
Upcoming Issue and Deadline
Summer Issue 2014
Copy and ad deadline:
May 9, 2014
In homes and businesses:
May 29 - 31, 2014
If you or someone you know would like a
written translation of the Profile Quarterly,
please contact profile@sng.org or call
612-338-6205.
P
u
b
l
i
s
h
e
d

b
y

T
h
e

S
e
w
a
r
d

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d

G
r
o
u
p
M
i
n
n
e
a
p
o
l
i
s
,

M
N

5
5
4
0
6
V
o
l
u
m
e

2
,

I
s
s
u
e

9

2
0
1
4
Editors & Staff Writers, and Volunteers:
Diann A., Bruce J., Michael P., Kurt N., Trevor B.
Design: Marne Z.
e-mail:profile@SNG.org
Printer: Print Craft
For information on everything Seward,
find us at www.sng.org
Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2014 Seward Garden Tour and
Tea Party, scheduled for Thursday, June 26, from 5 to 8 pm.
This is a chance to explore a varied selection of Seward
gardens, talk with the gardeners, and enjoy an early summer
evening. For additional information, contact Kerry at
612-338-6295, ext. 119 or kerry@sng.org.
Its a Garden Party!
Garage Sale Days
Garage Sale Days have become a May tradition in Seward. Some folks are eager to
move unused articles from their closets and cupboards
and into someone elses home. Others are looking for
bargains and treasures while others simply want a good
excuse to stroll outside after a long, hard winter.
Sewards 2014 Garage Sale Days will be May 16th and
17th. Registered sales are listed on Garage Sales Days
map and also appear on the interactive garage sale map on the SNG website
(sng.org). In additional, registered sales receive an official, re-usable Seward Garage
sign and additional copies of the garage sales map. The registration fee is $18.
If you dont want to have your own sale but have stuff youd like to clear out of your
home, consider donating your items to the SNG Garage Sale, proceeds of which will
go to fund SNGs many community initiatives. For more information about donating
articles, contact Kerry Cashman (see below).
To register your sale, visit sng.org or contact Kerry Cashman, kerry@sng.org or
612-338-6295, ext. 119. Registration deadline is May 7th.
Gardeners Wanted!
Hub of Heaven Community Garden (HoH) is looking for a few
responsible gardeners. While returning gardeners have
preference to retain the plots that they gardened last year,
there will be openings for new gardeners. We just do not
know how many yet. The price per plot was $30 last year
and will not go up in 2014.
HoH is located on the corner of E. 26th St and 28th Ave S. HoH was first planted in the
mid 1990's with NRP money from the Environment Committee under the SNG umbrella,
and has been continuously gardened since 1997.
There are a few simple rules such as no chemical herbicides or pesticides, organic
practices are encouraged, pay the fee, plant your plot, keep your plot and surrounding
area weeded, come to the start of season cleanup day, sign up for chores, do the
chores that you sign up for, for starters.
The clean up day will be determined by snow melt and weather, probably mid to late
April. If interested in joining us at the HoH, contact Lee at leemcolby1@yahoo.com
or Jim at jimscheidt@aol.com.
Spring will come, like the dawn it always does!
Photography: Wendy Epstein
3
Neighborhood Update!
Jims Barber Shop will be
closed until March 28!
by Bruce Johansen
Tariku Belay
Bridging Worlds,
Bridging Seward
Doug Eadie, a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia from 1964 to 1967, was surprised to learn
in 2010 that Tariku Belay had survived the brutal dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, and
settled in Minneapolis. The Tariku who Eadie had first known was a ninth-grader, living in Addis
Ababa, on the verge of dropping out of school. Tariku credits the Illinois native, who had joined
the Peace Corps to avoid the draft, with saving his life.
Tariku was the oldest of four children, raised by a single mother in Addis Ababa, Ethiopias
largest city and its capital. His father died a tragic death when Tariku was three months old.
It was his good fortune, he says, to cross paths with Doug Eadie, who invited Tariku and
another young man, Tesfagiorigis Wondimagegenhu, to live with him and fellow Peace
Corps roommates.
That was when opportunities opened up. Tariku attended Tafari Moknonnen, an elite
high school run by Jesuits, where Eadie taught. After graduating, he was admitted into
Ethiopias only university, another elite institution with a student body of only 2,000 or
3,000. This was a time of political turmoil, however, and protests closed the school off
and on throughout 1967. As a result, Tariku chose to leave the university and attend Harar
Military Academy, where he graduated as a second lieutenant, and then became part of a
select group chosen to do a year of additional military training in France.
In 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie, who had started the 30-year war with Eritrea in 1961
a war that Tariku opposedwas overthrown and replaced by dictator Mengistu Haile
Mariam. Eadie assumed that Tariku was among the hundreds of thousands of young
Ethiopians whod been killed. As it turned out, Tariku was spared that fate, but was arrested
at home and imprisoned for two years. His younger brother was among those who were
executed by the junta.
With the help of a classmate who was part of the new regime, Tariku escaped in 1978. He
paid to cross the border and spent five days and five nights walking through the jungle, before
arriving at a refugee camp in Sudan that housed a mix of Oromo and Eritreans. Life in the
camp was hard, he says, mainly because of all of the cultural differences.
In 1981 Tariku was sponsored by a Minneapolis resident to come to the U.S. She had read
about the situation in Africa, and wanted to help out. For his first year, Tariku lived with the
woman and her children in Prospect Park. He applied to the University of Minnesota and
graduated with a Bachelors of Science in mathematics and a minor in physics. From 1993
until 2009, he managed computer labs, first for Lincoln Elementary, a Minneapolis public
school, and then Parkview Montessori.
This year marks the twentieth year that Seward has been Tarikus home. He has served on
the Seward Tower board since 2008 and SNGs board since 2010. He says hes motivated to
do this work out of a desire to know whats going on his neighborhood and to represent fellow
East African residents. He also strives to be a bridge to the rest of the neighborhood.
Tariku serves area residents in other ways, too, tutoring math at Franklin Library twice a
week mainly assisting immigrants who are working toward their GED, volunteering at SPOKES
Bike Walk Connect, leading a Tai Chi class for Seward Tower residents, and as an organizer
of community conversations that bring Seward neighbors of diverse backgrounds together.
Read more about Tariku Belay in Doug Eadies blog, Entwined Lives.
http://entwinedlives.com/2012/10/03/hello-world-2/
P
h
o
t
o
:

T
a
r
i
k
u

B
e
l
a
y

(
r
i
g
h
t
)

w
i
t
h

A
b
d
i
r
a
h
m
a

B
a
h
d
o
n
.

4
Stop By the Poetry Post
As Little Free Libraries have proliferated across the neighborhood,
Seward is feeling more literate than ever. You may have noticed,
though, that one household has made a unique new contribution to
the literary life of the community: its a public art installation called
the Poetry Post.
The Poetry Post is a
small kiosk located on
the boulevard at 2618
East 22nd St., a sculpted
cob structure made
of natural earthen
materials and adorned
with a tin roof and
repurposed bottles.
Facing the sidewalk,
there is a mysterious
handpainted door
that reads: Open me,
what do you find? Read
a poem, leave a poem.
Do you dare?
Inside, youll find scraps
of newspaper, handwritten notes, childrens drawings, and printed
and photocopied masterworks by well-known poets. Theres
something there for every disposition: the artists and homeowners,
who envisioned a public space for private reflection, have noticed
contributions that are silly or profoundly revealing or anguished
and everything in between. But you can see for yourself, and leave
a little something behind if the mood strikes you.
A New Growing Season
in Seward
Nothing washes away a
long and bitter winter like
the promise of a fruitful
summer and homegrown
bounty. Thats why Sewards
urban agricultural projects
are already springing into
action.
At Growing Lots Urban Farm, were entering our fifth growing
season as a hyper-local Community Supported Agriculture
operation, and shares sold out early thanks to a loyal
network of neighborhood members.
Were still working to get our produce into new households,
though, and to better serve the community. Thats why weve
partnered this year with Philips-based Community Action to
bring subsidized CSA memberships to local families in need.
Were also working with the City of
Minneapolis to become an official mini
market, a roadside farm stand right here
in the heart of the city. If our site proposal
is approved, then anyone will be able
to enjoy Seward-grown produce at the
neighborhoods first on-farm farmers
market. Well keep the neighborhood
apprised of these plans as they progress.
Photography:
Jennifer
Larsen
by MIchael Pursell
by MIchael Pursell
5
Discover all
that is Seward at
www.sng.org
Blue Nile
... where everybody knows your name!
While the Blue Nile remains the same family affair as it was when it opened nearly 20 years ago, recent shifts in management
are bringing some new features to the unique Ethiopian Restaurant. Mohamed Osman assumed a bigger role at the restaurant
this summer, now overseeing the restaurant, music bookings and the bar. His brother, Fahmi, is the restaurant's owner, alongside
his sisters, Elham and Souad, whom are also managers.
New entrees -- including some that have been carried in the past -- will be added to the menu. The bar will soon feature a menu of
traditional "bar food" for those looking for those craving something other than Ethiopian.
The restaurant recently re-configured its entryway and is undergoing other minor re-modeling. This summer, a new mural will be
finished along the side of the building that faces Franklin Avenue, joining other indoor and outdoor murals that make the building
an iconic gateway into Seward's northwest corner. Osman tweaked the musical lineup and is working on a new concert series
aimed at raising awareness about violence issues in Minneapolis. "When you have a family-run business, it can be hard to get
everyone to agree on things, he said. Plus most of us work other jobs and collectively run the restaurant on the side. But we are
always trying to improve how we do things.
The Blue Nile came to Seward in 1997 after 6
years at Lake and Lyndale. Mohamed's father
started the restaurant shortly after immigrating
to America using his wife's traditional recipes.
It is, according to staff, the only restaurant in
Minneapolis representing the culture of Oromo,
an ethnic group in Ethiopia and other eastern
African countries.
In the late 1990's the restaurant hired bar
manager Al McCarty, a local craft beer expert.
He turned the Nile into one of the city's first craft
beer-centric bars. The Nile was one of the first
bars to carry local breweries like Surly and Harriet and continues to host release parties and events for popular local brews.
The restaurant has live music five nights per week, including Poet's Groove, an open mic
night with a live backing band that Osman says is the city's longest-running open mic.
Mohamed and the rest of the family have more distant plans for utilizing the restaurant's
large building and lot and strengthening ties to the community. In the meantime, they will
continue to focus on their approach for the last 20 years -- good authentic food, good craft
beer, and a diverse, welcoming atmosphere.
"What we wanted when we first opened up the place -- a place that anybody can come into
and feel at home," he said. "Like that 'Cheers' environment but for all aspects of people --
black, white, Asian, straight, gay, whomever. People should feel comfortable and enjoy themselves here.
And that hasn't changed in all these years."
by Trevor Born
Neighborhood Update!
Drunken Fish coming to Seward this Spring
Thai and sushi restaurant Drunken Fish will be moving into the Franklin
Avenue space formerly occupied by True Thai restaurant, according to Drunken
Fish's Facebook page (a tip of the hat to the Heavy Table Twitter account, for
pointing out the restaurant's web presence).
The restaurant will be serving, of course, Thai food and sushi, and will also have
a full bar (hence the name). It has posted photos of some sample dishes on its
Facebook page, and also announced that it's currently hiring. The restaurant is
hoping for an April 1st opening.
6
Designer, Photographer,
& A Seward Small Business
Jennifer Larsons first career was as a book editor at a
Minneapolis-based children's publisher. She then worked
at a couple non-profit youth-serving organizations doing
everything from volunteer recruitment, to communications,
to driving a van full of kids, with her own graphic design
business starting in 2002, creating marketing and
promotional materials for nonprofts and small businesses
out of her home office.
Her work includes producing brochures, websites, news-
letters, logos, and annual reports. She loves getting to
know her clients, the unique work they do, and helping
them shine. "I love it when I get to combine photography
and design -- I shoot photos for a client and then use
those photos to help tell their story in print or web design."
Over the past few years, Jennifer has been photographing
Seward businesses as a personal project. She says, "I
see this project as a chance to learn the stories of the
people and places of my own neighborhood to see
more deeply into everyday life around me. As a small
business owner myself, Im interested in the many forms
independent businesses take and the ways they contribute
to the fabric of a community. As a photographer, Im
interested in new perspectives on daily life, good stories,
and quirky beauty."
Website: www.jenniferlarson.net/
Contact: jenny@jenniferlarson.net, 612-234-2420
Brochure for Global Citizens Network,
a local nonprofit
that provides
cultural immersion travel
Brochure for
The Rose Ensemble,
a St. Paul based
vocal music ensemble
Postcard for The Seward Winter Frolic
Photo from the
Los Campeones
Strongman Contest
7
Neighborhood Note
Whats (Hip and) Happening in Seward
Ivy Arts Copy and Print is a relatively new almost-Seward
business in the Ivy Arts Building on 27th Avenue just south of the
Greenway. Vicki Joan Keck, former manager of the Augsburg
College Copy Center, and her partners Rick Coleman and Kathy
Welch, began the business with fellow artists in mind, but are
happy to serve anyone with competitively priced copy/print
services. Ivy Arts Copy and Print is opened weekdays from 11
a.m.to 6 p.m., and by appointment (612-728-8000) for now but
hope to expand hours in the future. Stop by and check it out
and maybe Vicki, a woman of many talents, will tie you a balloon
animal if you ask nicely.
bike-walk-connect
SPOKES
Spring
NEWS
Eat for Equity (E4E), a non-profit org. which began in MPLS, will
host a fundraising dinner for SPOKES at 7 PM on Saturday
April 26 at Verdant Tea (2111 E Franklin)! E4E brings people
together around good food to raise money for good. Friends and
friends of friends come together, eat, and drink - and in coming
together, manage to do some small good for a community
larger than themselves.
For a $15 -$20 suggestion donation, attendees will enjoy a
tasty, healthy meal cooked by a volunteer, learn a little more
about SPOKES and will be able to meet and talk with other
attendees. There is usually beer or wine and dessert! We
hope everyone can make it.
SPOKES currently has about 30 awesome, reconditioned
bikes ready for sale and plan to have 50-60 ready by early
April. If you or someone you know needs a used bike, check
out what SPOKES has to offer. All bikes have been repaired
by staff and volunteers and then receive two double checks
by professional mechanics. Your purchase helps to support
our programming such as Open Shops and Adult Learn-to-Ride
classes.
The HUB Store is currently open Saturdays from 10-5 and any
time SPOKES is open we can show you (and sell you) any of the
bikes for sale. We are hoping to have
the Hub Store open on Sundays this
Spring as well. SPOKES and the Hub
Bike Co-op at SPOKES are located at
1915 E 22nd St. Or call us at 612-787-7433.
Follow SPOKES on Facebook (www.fb.com/SpokesConnect)
or check our website (www.SpokesConnect.org) for updates.
Open Shops:
Wed 5-9 PM; Saturday 1-5 PM; Grease Rag Women
and Transgender Open Shop: 2 +4th Mondays 7-9 PM
Volunteer Night: Thursdays 5 -9 PM
Classes and Programs
(To register, please RSVP at info@SpokesConnect.org)
Earn-a-Bike Intensive
March 17-21 10 AM -1 pm; Saturdays in April 9 AM-12 PM
Bike Overhaul Class
Tuesdays in March 6 8:30 PM
Womens Earn-A-Bike:
Saturdays in May 9 AM-12 PM
NOTES:
Seward Swap Bike Sale to Benefit Seward Montessori: April 19th.
Look for Sunday Open Shop hours from 1-5 PM starting in May.
MPLS Bicycle Week will be May 4- May 11th.
S
P
R
I
N
G

H
O
U
R
S

A
T

S
P
O
K
E
S
SCCA is a nonprofit association with membership
made up of businesses located in Seward, and
has grown to over 90 members.
Join Us and Grow Your Business
http://www.sewardbusiness.org/membership/
l
u
c
i
d
a

s
a
n
s

t
y
p
e
w
r
i
t
e
r
e
u
r
o
s
t
i
l
e
m
y
r
i
a
d
S
e
w
a
r
d

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d

G
r
o
u
p
2
3
2
3

E
.

F
r
a
n
k
l
i
n

A
v
e
n
u
e
M
i
n
n
e
a
p
o
l
i
s
,

M
N

5
5
4
0
6
Discover all
that is Seward at
www.sng.org
K
e
e
p

u
p

w
i
t
h

n
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d

e
v
e
n
t
s
,

m
e
e
t
i
n
g
s
,

a
n
d

i
s
s
u
e
s

a
t

T
h
e

F
o
r
u
m
.

J
o
i
n

t
o
d
a
y

a
t
:


h
t
t
p
:
/
/
b
i
t
.
l
y
/
s
e
w
a
r
d
f
o
r
u
m
C
h
e
c
k

o
u
t

S
e
w
a
r
d
'
s

o
t
h
e
r

"
v
i
r
t
u
a
l
"

p
r
o
p
e
r
t
i
e
s

a
t
:

h
t
t
p
:
/
/
g
o
o
.
g
l
/
X
a
6
A
R
J
o
i
n

y
o
u
r

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
s

O
n
l
i
n
e
a
t

t
h
e

S
e
w
a
r
d

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d

O
n
l
i
n
e

F
o
r
u
m
!
Restorative Justice 101:
Training for Practice in Everyday Life
Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership and the Minnesota Peacebuilding
Leadership Institute are offering a one-day training on restorative justice. The training is
for teachers, social workers, therapists, parents, and anyone who wants to learn about the
philosophies and practices of RJ and ways to use RJ at home, work, or in the community.
Choose from two dates in 2014 for the RJ 101 Training:
Friday March 14, 2014 Early Tuition $125
http://rj101-2.eventbrite.com/
Saturday November 22, 2014 Early Tuition $125
http://rj101-3.eventbrite.com/
Our Mississippi:
An Exploration in
Time, Place and Ecology
Tuesday April 22nd:
Earth Day hike and educational.
Meet at the railroad bridge and West River Road at 7 PM
for a 1 hour hike down past the white sands beach.
Followed by coffee and treats.
Appropriate for families. RSVP to Kerry@sng.org.
Earth Day Clean-Up:
Lets Keep our Planet
Clean and Healthy
April 26th, 9:00 am 12:00 noon
at 24th St. and West River Road.
Sponsored by the Minneapolis Parks
and Recreation.