2017

Peace Garden walking tour, 8/15/2017

Waveland walking tour, 7/19/2017

Lilac Park lecture and visit, 6/10/2017

Peter Sussman lecture, 3/9/2017

Richard Kronick lecture, 1/30/2017

Power to the People: Activism in the 1970s

The Civil Rights marches of the 1950s and early 1960s and the anti-war protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s may have been more dramatic, but a quieter kind of citizen activism in the Linden Hills neighborhood during the 1970s caused residents to band together to make their voices heard by city and county governments.

A panel of local residents, led by Linda Lounsbury, will talk about how they “fought City Hall” and how they won or lost their causes.

Carol Vaubel, one of the founders of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council, organized meetings to get residents involved in changes to parks and streets.
Mike Miller, a past PTA president, advocated saving the Lake Harriet School.
Don Hawkinson, a local business owner, was president of the Linden Hills Business Association and active in other causes.
Tom Neiman, founder of the Southwest Community Education Program, grew up in a family that initiated numerous activities and organizations to improve their community.

Their commitment to community participation and causes helped make Linden Hills what it is today.

Lyndale Park and the Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis

This event was originally scheduled for August 9, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Following the 1981 tornado through southwest Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board refurbished the 1929 rock garden which is now the Peace Garden. The Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis (MWGCM) donated and planted trees and helped re-design the park’s arboretum. They continue to work with its native and mixed border gardens. Join us for a walking tour of these Lyndale Park gardens and features, with an emphasis on their histories.

Speakers include Kay Wolfe, with the MWGCM, JoAnn Blatchley, with the Friends of the Peace Garden, and Teresa Grant, Peace Garden Gardener.

Meet in the Lyndale Park Bird Sanctuary shelter, behind the Peace Garden/Bird Sanctuary parking lot. Bring a portable chair or stool if you would like to sit during parts of the tour.

Walking Tour of Western Linden Hills

Peter Sussman will lead a tour from Zenith Avenue to France Avenue tracing the Grimes family’s 1880s model community of Waveland, including the first Lake Harriet School, as well as growth related to the 1905 streetcar extension along 44th Street to Morningside.

The tour will start from the northwest corner of 44th and Beard (the park-like space kitty-corner from Turtle Bread).

History of Lilac Way and the Beehive Parks

Highway 100 originated as a New Deal project in the 1930s. The idea to have small parks along the route became popular, and citizens contributed funds for lilac plants. Seven parks along “Lilac Way” featured picnic tables and distinctive fireplaces called beehives. Kathy Johnson of the St. Louis Park Historical Society will tell the story of the road’s rich history. We’ll enjoy one of the remaining beehive parks, Lilac Park, with a boxed lunch option. Carpooling will be available.