The Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall. 
Among the items on tonight’s agenda, the Council will consider a recommendation for the preferred developer of the 5th & Water Street project, they will discuss flood control policy as it relates to the neighborhood flooding issues, and there will be further discussion regarding a city policy on the licensing and sale of consumable cannabinoid products.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00.
Depot will offer railroad exhibit during Defeat of Jesse James Days
Those who have not taken the time to see the restored Northfield Depot will have an opportunity to do just that during this week’s Defeat of
Jesse James Days celebration.
Alice Thomas of Save the Depot said the building will host an exhibit about the history of the railroad in Northfield. She said there will also be an exhibit about the various forms the depot has taken, including the massive effort that was made by Thomas and her army of volunteers who have taken the old building from a decrepit eyesore, and indeed, a public safety hazard, to the proud local landmark it is today.
Thomas said the work on the building is largely done. Over the summer, an order board – once used to signal a train to stop in town – was installed to the original space where one had been, the large rooftop signs telling train passengers that they are arriving in Northfield were installed, and a water feature created from three bollards that were once part of the original 2nd Street Bridge was installed in the outdoor sculpture garden. The interior, while sparsely furnished, now features a restored railroad bench, and a refurbished station master’s desk.
The building has also been redesignated as a local historic site. Save the Depot sent 37 pages of documentation to the State Historic Preservation Office asking that they recommend the designation to the City Council. While Thomas said she and her cohorts were confident in the work they had done to restore the building, it had been moved one block from its original location, which would normally disqualify the building from receiving the designation. However, she said, there are exceptions that have been made for specific reasons, and that was the basis of the request.
“There was a question because often a moved building is not eligible, but we made the case that the depot was the last of a large railroad complex that was instrumental in the development and growth of Northfield, and there is an exception for a structure that represents the last entity that had a significant historical effect.”
The state office agreed, as did the City Council, who approved the designation earlier this spring.
The newly renovated and now preserved Northfield Depot will be open to the public on Thursday and Friday from 5-8 pm, Saturday from 9am-5pm, and Sunday from 10am – 4pm.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Alice Thomas of Save the Depot can be heard here
Library preparing for Hispanic heritage Month
The Northfield Public Library has announced the 5th annual Hispanic Heritage Festival will be Saturday, September 17th. The celebration
will feature dancing, art, and a full immersion into Hispanic and Latino culture.
Performances include a puppet show by The Little Coyote Puppet Theater called Martina the Cockroach and Perez the Mouse, Mariachi Alma de México, , Away Runakuna Ecuador, folk dancing by Guatemalan Dance Group of Northfield, Danzas Colombianas en Minnesota, Aldo Tributo from Texas, and the Chicos B Orquestra.
Additionally, there will be at least five different food vendors offering food from Mexico, El Salvador, Columbia and more.
Northfield Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said the festival is in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th through October 15th. The library will be hosting other events throughout the month as well. On September 23rd at 7pm, in cooperation with friends of Way Park, they will present a screening of the Disney Pixar movie Encanto in Way Park. And at the end of the month, the library will host a special photography exhibit. Carleton Assistant Professor of Art and Art History Xavier Tavera has created an exhibit to show the diversity in the Northfield Latinx Community. Draper said the library will hold an artist’s reception on September 30th featuring Tavera and many of his subjects, and they are proud to be hosting such a Northfield centric, and important exhibit.
“His exhibit highlights the diversity of the Northfield Latino Community in large scale portraits. They’re gorgeous. And so, they we will have those on display throughout the month. They’ll be there starting on the 30th through the 15th, so come in and come to the reception on the 30th and then check out the exhibit any time after that.”
Age Friendly Northfield will be on hand at the festival providing seating through the Red Chair Project.
The Northfield Hispanic Heritage Festival is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
The festival is scheduled to run from 11am-6pm on the 17th. The Tavera photography exhibit will be in place from September 30th through October 15th.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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