Twin Cities German Immersion School began demolishing its Aula --  the former St. Andrew's church -- this week. Demolition is expected to be complete before school resumes Aug. 26.
Do's and Don'ts During the State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair begins this Thursday, Aug. 22. One sure sign? The pedestrian bridge over Como Ave. gets installed this Monday at about 9 a.m. Expect a temporary lane and/or road closure.

Meanwhile, to get up to date (or take a refresher course) on what is and is not allowed in the neighborhood during the Fair, see the "do's and don'ts" article on our website. It covers the special chaos that is Fair season in Como: yard parking, street parking, peddlers, vendors, signs, overlay districts, who to call about problems, and more.

Example: If you live in the residential parking permit zone along Hamline Ave., Saint Paul Parking Enforcement recommends that you make sure your permits are displayed properly. Extra crews will  target abandoned or improperly parked vehicles before the Fair starts.

And remember, even though the Fair doesn't start till Thursday, the Fairgrounds are closed to visitors now. Things don't get back to normal until Sept. 5
Commissioner Trista MatasCastillo
Commissioner to Speak at D10 Meeting
Ramsey County Commissioner Trista MatasCastillo will be the guest presenter at the Aug. 20 Como Community Council board meeting. She'll give updates on local issues, and answer residents' questions.

The meeting begins this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Como Park Streetcar Station, which is at the northeast corner of Lexington and Horton. All renters, homeowners, and other community members are welcome to attend and participate. If technology cooperates, we'll also stream the meeting live on the Como Community Council Facebook page. Preliminary agenda
D10 Logo PNG
Special Election Will Fill Board Vacancy
The Como Community Council Board will hold a special election in September to fill the seven months remaining in the term of vice chair. The vacancy is the result of the resignation of long-time board member Amy Perna.

Want to run? Candidates interested in the position can fill out the online application. Candidates who file by Tuesday Sept. 10 will be on the ballot; applicants who miss that deadline can run as write-in candidates. The special election will be on Tuesday Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.

District 10 takes a break: The Como Community Council office will close beginning this Wednesday, Aug. 21, until Tuesday Sept. 3. Board members will monitor voicemail and email, but it may be a while before anyone responds to inquires. Also, this newsletter will not publish again until after Labor Day.
On Saturday, We're Guitar Town
For the second year in a row, the Lowertown Guitar Festival takes up residence not in 55101, but in Como Park. Steve Cropper (you know him from Booker T and the MGs, or the Blues Brothers movie) headlines 15 performers at and around the Lakeside Pavilion.

The festival, presented by the MacPhail Center for Music, runs this Saturday, Aug. 17, from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. on three stages. Besides music, there will be vendors, art, food, and more. Admission is free -- though a donation of $15 is suggested for Cropper's afternoon show. 
Martial arts demonstrations are part of the festival. Photo: Jeff Henningsgaard
Obon Festival Returns Sunday
Martial arts, singing, dancing, taikko drumming, bonsai displays, food, and an array of Japanese cultural exhibits and demonstrations fan throughout the grounds of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory this Sunday. It's the annual Como Park Japanese Obon Festival. The festival runs 3-9 p.m. Aug. 18; it culminates with the traditional lantern-lighting ceremony at the Frog Pond at 8 p.m.

Park grounds will be fenced off essentially east of the Conservatory and north of Kauffman Drive; admission is $5 for teens and adults, $3 for seniors age 65 or older and children age 3-12. To avoid lines, you can buy tickets in advance online until noon Sunday. Also to avoid lines, festival organizers say they will triple the number of portable toilets.

To get us in the spirit of the State Fair, parking will be at a premium in the park and on nearby streets. If you're a local, you can always walk or bike. If you live farther away, you can take the free Como shuttle from the school district operations facility at 1930 Como Ave. Or, ride Metro Transit for free, including Routes 3 and 83, which travel through the park; download a pass here.
The Susan G. Komen 3-Day walks through Como Park on Sunday.
As If That's Not Enough in the Park ...
  • The annual Red Ribbon Ride rolls through Como Park this morning, Friday Aug. 16, with a rest stop south of the lake. Riders are headed to Duluth.
  • The fourth annual George Paitich #forthekids 5K begins this Saturday, Aug. 17, at 9:30 a.m. outside the Lakeside Pavilion. The walk/run honors Paitich, a former Como Elementary paraprofessional who died in 2016 in a motorcycle crash in New Orleans. The "entry fee" is a donation of school supplies, which are given to Como Elementary and to schools Paitich attended: Chelsea Heights, Murray, and Como Senior High.
  • The final leg of the annual Susan G. Komen 3-Day 60-mile walk includes a stop at the main picnic pavilion this Sunday, Aug. 18.
  • The Minnesota Eye Foundation's Strides 4 Sight 5K walk and run steps off outside the Lakeside Pavilion this Sunday, Aug. 18, at 9 a.m.
STEM activities with Legos could be in your future. 
Rec Centers Open Fall Registration
Registration is now open for fall activities at North Dale and Northwest Como recreation centers. New options at North Dale include: Tai Ji Quan, Sewing Machine Maintenance, and Freezer Cookies & Easy Sweets for adults, and Music In Motion and Waddlers for pre-schoolers. For youth, new options at Northwest Como include Brains on Games, Songwriting, Improv Theatre, Intro to STEM with Legos, STEM Challenge with Legos, and Urban Tennis.

Heads up: Registration for youth basketball, ages 3-18, will open on Sunday Sept. 1. Discount rates are available the first five days; the sooner you register, the bigger the savings.
Recycle Smart: No Syringes
Even though they might be plastic, syringes (and their needles!) should never go in your blue recycling cart. If they do, they risk injuring or even transmitting disease to recycling workers. Instead:
  • Participate in a collection program through your healthcare provider.
  • Bring your sharps to a Ramsey County drop-off facility for proper disposal.
  • Participate in mail-back programs.
Learn to Fix Up Your Place
The Minnesota Tool Library and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota resume their series of 90-minute classes on basic home maintenance. The remaining topics and dates:
  • MTL Basics: Electrical 101: This Tuesday, Aug. 20, 6-7:30 p.m., Saint Paul Tool Library, 755 N. Prior.
  • If Walls Could Talk: Tuesday Sept. 3, 6-7:30 p.m., Minneapolis Tool Library, 1620 Central Ave. NE
  • Painting & Trim: Tuesday Sept. 17, 6-7:30 p.m., Saint Paul Tool Library
  • Ask the Expert: Tuesday Oct. 1, 6-7:30 p.m., Minneapolis Tool Library
Classes are $25 each ($20 if you're a Tool Library member). Register here
Metro Transit Shuffles Schedules this Sunday
Metro Transit adjusts schedules on more than 50  routes beginning this Sunday, Aug. 17. The biggest changes will be on the Green Line: the train won't run from 2-4 a.m. Route 3 also has changes later in the morning.
Road Construction (or Reprieve)
  • Larpenteur Ave. (Snelling west to Highway 280): Concrete repair work is on hold and all lanes are open because of the State Fair. The orange barrels return on Wednesday Sept. 4.
  • Wheelock Parkway: Reconstruction means Wheelock is closed from the Western/Arlington intersection past Rice St. to Marion. For the rest of August, you can't through the intersection using Western or Arlington either.
  • Interstate 494: Another weekend of lane and ramp restrictions between I-35E and Highway 62 (Old Highway 110). Resurfacing work resumes from 6:00 tonight, Aug. 16, through 5 a.m. this Monday, Aug. 19. Meanwhile, the ramps from eastbound 494 to northbound 35E and from southbound 35E to eastbound 494 are closed for good through September.
The Minnesota State Band wraps up its August "residency" at the Pavilion on Wednesday.
This Week's Music  at the Pavilion
  • Today, Friday Aug. 16: Salsa del Soul, 7 p.m.
  • This Saturday, Aug. 17: Lowertown Guitar Festival, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. (see earlier article for more details)
  • This Sunday, Aug. 18: Como Pops, 3 p.m.; Moonlight Serenaders Big Band, 7 p.m.
  • This Monday, Aug. 19: Swing Cats, 7 p.m.
  • This Tuesday, Aug. 20: North Star Chorus with Lake Country Sweet Adelines Chorus, 7 p.m.
  • This Wednesday, Aug. 21: Minnesota State Band, 7 p.m.
  • This Thursday, Aug. 22: Red Rock Swing Band, 7 p.m.
  • Next Friday, Aug. 23: Little Fevers, 7 p.m.
Events are free. Find out more about the performers -- or get an advance look at the last few weeks of local artists and traditional bandstand performers -- on Spring Cafe's website .
Other Things Going On
  • This Wednesday, Aug. 21: Como Park Relays, 6:30 p.m., between Lexington Parkway, Como Ave., and Midway Parkway. The weekly end-of-summer cross-country running races return for their 46th year. Registration: 50 cents for children 14 or younger; $3 for 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds; $5 for adults.
  • This Thursday, Aug. 22: Public hearing on the application by Duke's Cars and Towing to open an auto repair garage at 977 Front Ave., 2 p.m. Room 330 of City Hall, 15 W. Kellogg Blvd.
  • Monday Aug. 26: Public hearing on Saint Paul's Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, 3 p.m. City Hall Annex, 11th floor conference room, 25 W. 4th St.
Meet Who's in Charge
The Western District's monthly community meetings are this Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at district headquarters, 389 N. Hamline. If you go, you'll meet command staff, hear about the latest crime trends in the city and district, be able to raise your individual concerns, and be able to grab all the crime prevention fliers you can use.  
  • This Week's Como Neighborhood Crime Update: The word is vandalism
Photo: T Boardman
Streetcar Station is Open Every Sunday
For the rest of the season, the Como Park Streetcar Station is open every Sunday from noon-4 p.m. It is a great chance to learn a little about the long-gone trolley system in the Twin Cities, about the history and visionaries behind Como and the city's overall park system, to pick up organics recycling bags or kitchen starter kits, or just to chat with a District 10 board member who is staffing the day. The Historic Streetcar Station is at the northeast corner of Lexington and Horton.
Spread the Word
District 10 is one of Saint Paul's 17 citizen participation districts. The District 10 Como Community Council is a nonprofit organization, governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by members of the community. The Council's mission is to inform, educate, and connect the neighborhood to increase community pride and confidence. 
You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in District 10 activities.