The651.com

WE ARE STILL ON THE HUNT…

Wanted:  A beautiful evergreen tree, about 80 feet tall, to serve as the sparkling center of St. Paul’s downtown holiday festivities this winter.

Capital City Partnership and the City of Saint Paul are searching for an evergreen that fits this description to become this year’s featured holiday tree in Rice Park powered by Xcel Energy.

For the fourth year, Capital City Partnership and the City of Saint Paul have joined forces to recreate the Rockefeller Center experience in the heart of downtown Saint Paul.  The Rice Park tree will be as tall  and bright as the iconic Rockefeller Center tree, with over 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights, making it the tallest tree on display in the Midwest.

For trees to be considered, they must have overgrown their location or otherwise need to be removed.  Citizens interested in donating their tree for this event should email their address and a photo of the tree to info@capcitypartnership.com or call 651-291-5608.  The owner of the chosen tree will be eligible to have the tree removed and the stump ground down at no charge, and may also be eligible for a tax deduction.

The Rice Park powered by Xcel Energy tree will be chosen by Oct. 15, and will be cut, transported, and installed in Rice Park by Nov. 19.

The Annual Tree Lighting Event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. and will include special holiday entertainment and fireworks to kick-off the holiday season.  Rice Park powered by Xcel Energy will be on display from Nov. 27 to Jan.  Combined with adjacent Wells Fargo WinterSkate, the tree completes a vision of Rockefeller Center in downtown Saint Paul!

For more information, contact:

Sue Gonsior

Director of Communications

Capital City Partnership

sue@capcitypartnership.com

651.291.5605

Saint Paul is home to some of the most grandiose lighting displays in the state! Our fair city’s historical roots and decadent architecture offer the perfect backdrop for twinkling, colorful lights and festive displays of holiday cheer. Take an evening off from your frenzied preparations to immerse yourself in the seasonal visual delights of Saint Paul.

Summit Avenue

A wonderful driving or walking tour to do at any given time of the year, lights or no lights, Summit Avenue is the city’s most beautiful street. Lined with historic manses of many different shapes, sizes and styles, this old-timey Ave hits the mark on outdoor holiday decor like none other. Start your tour on Snelling and Summit and slowly wind your way towards Downtown St. Paul. Once you pass Lexington Avenue, the most iconic Victorian-era homes begin to appear (including the Governor’s Mansion, 1006 Summit, just off Dale) and it is here that the holiday spirit of the wealthy rears its competitive head — much to the visual delight of us common-folk. Towering pines strung with thousands of sparkling lights, glowing displays and over-the-top props dominate the grounds of many of Summit Avenue’s most note-worthy residences. Many of which, I assume cost more to power every season than I made in 2009. Tip: I certainly don’t condone walking too far in this weather without a full-on snow suit, so do the drive and perhaps pull over once you get in the thick of it for a brisk walk-about.

For more info on Summit Avenue click HERE.

Rice Park

What’s more iconic than the twinkly lights in our capital city’s own Rice Park? A glowing centerpiece to Downtown Saint Paul’s historic streets, the Rice Park display features a gigantic tree lit with thousands of energy-efficient LED lights alongside holiday decor and dozens of other glittering trees in the park – fittingly powered by Xcel Energy, of course. To make matters more dazzling, the lights are set to go into a sparkle-frenzy for five minutes each hour. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful structures in the Downtown area such as the Saint Paul Hotel and Landmark Center, this “town square” is the epitome of winter wonderland. And with the annual Wells Fargo Winterskate just adjacent, you can don your cutest/warmest holiday-wear for a romantic spin or three around the rink, complete with the glitzy park as your backdrop. Skate rental is a mere $2 per person, free if you show your Wells Fargo check or credit card.

For more info on Rice Park and Winterskate click HERE

Linder’s Garden Center

Now this is marketing at its prettiest. Family owned St. Paul staple, Linder’s Garden Center once again goes nuts with their lighting display, which is practically on the verge of being visible from outerspace. Over 150,000 lights make up this stunning display, which is run by a custom-designed computer program that controls the movement and sparkle-value of the extravaganza. And while your there being mesmerized by the fantasy of it all, you may as well pop in and buy a poinsettia or two to jazz up your own holiday display — which is guaranteed to be no where near as cool as this one.

For more info on Linder’s lighting display click HERE

Lake Phalen

In the Summer months, Lake Phalen plays host to the bikini-clad babes and muscle bound crotch-rocket riders that routinely cruise its perimeter, and on the flip side, the holiday season finds the lake ringed in glittering lights and impressively dazzling displays. A drive-through experience that costs $10 per car on Friday-Saturday and $8 Thursday-Sunday, this visual marvel donates all its proceeds to a number of charities focused on fundamental community needs such as food, shelter, education, and the environment. You’ll leisurely coast around the lake oohing and aahing over the over-the-top installations, which may be just the right recipe for a cute date night or a family outing. The best part? You needn’t leave the cozy confines of your car.

For more info on the Phalen lights click HERE

DARA MOSKOWITZ GRUMDAHL: DRINK THIS: WINE MADE SIMPLE

@ Common Good Books

Saturday November 28th / 4pm / Free

The Twin Cities’ most treasured food critic, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, has been cleverly quipping about local restaurants and foodstuffs since ye olde 1995. Best known as the longtime food journo for City Pages, and more recently for Minnesota Monthly (as well as numerous freelance stints at Bon Appetit, USA Today, Gourmet, and more), Gruhmdahl brings humor and personal insight to what’s often a rather cut and dry, albeit descriptive,  style of journalism. Always one to shuck the pretentious jive that so many other food and wine writers spew forth, it’s no wonder that Grumdahl’s new book, Drink This: Wine Made Simple, is not an over-your-head wine snob’s tome, but rather a vino-appreciation guide for the common man. The goal? Not simply to educate you on the fancy-pants aspects of wine drinking, but to actually give you a helping hand in figuring out what it is you like and why; how to pair your vino with food in the tastiest possible ways; and how to drink great wine without breaking the bank. The writer draws on her own experience as a former wine ignoramus – as well as a current award-winning expert – and fills in the blanks with interviews featuring some of the world’s savviest critics, winemakers and chefs. Today at Common Good Books you’ll be treated to a reading from Ms. Dara herself, who we expect is as charismatic in person as she is in print. Not to mention, wouldn’t this book make a great holiday gift for the foodie on your list?

For more info visit www.commongoodbooks.com

WARM POTS FOR COLD TIMES

@ Raymond Avenue Art Gallery

Opening reception: Saturday Nov 28th / 5-7pm
Runs through December 19th

Meander down to the artsy area near Raymond & University this Saturday to check out Warm Pots for Cold Times, an eclectic exhibit of locally made pottery. Featured artists Lisa Buck and Guillermo Cuellar will be on-hand at this Saturday’s opening reception to chat you up as well – and there’s really nothing better than buying art straight from the charming artist themselves, right? The exhibit runs until December 19th, so there’s plenty of time to pop in to the gallery and possibly do a little artsy local gift-shopping.

For directions to the gallery click HERE.

RICE PARK TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

@ Rice Park

Saturday November 28th / 4pm / Free

Christian and Janey plan on reviewing this for the family section, but I thought, just for good measure, I’d repost my write up from secretsofthecity.com as well — as the Rice Park Tree Lighting Cermony is quite the big deal in our fabulous capital city.

With Turkey Day feasting complete, holiday melee goes into full swing. And what’s more iconic than the twinkly lights in our capital city’s own Rice Park? A glowing centerpiece to Downtown Saint Paul’s historic streets, the Rice Park display features a gigantic tree lit with thousands of energy-efficient LED lights alongside holiday decor and dozens of other glittering trees in the park – fittingly powered by Xcel Energy, of course. To make matters more dazzling, the lights are set to go into a twinkle-frenzy for five minutes each hour. Also kicking off this Saturday is the Wells Fargo Winterskate, just adjacent to the park, where locals are invited to show off their fancy ice-skating footwork through January 31st. Skate rental is a mere $2 per person, free for you and your family if you show your Wells Fargo check card or credit card. Festivities kick off at 4pm and will include a tree-lighting ceremony, skating exhibitions, fireworks and more! Just a few more reasons why we love Saint Paul.

For more info visit www.capitalcitypartnership.com.

651 BONUS: Hit up Rivercentre this weekend as well for Saint Paul’s Wild Winter Wonderland, where you can traipse through a forest of artist-decorated trees and wreaths; a gingerbread house-making competition featuring local chefs; model trains of all shapes and sizes; wooden toy-making workshops for the kiddies; holiday treats galore; and of course, vendors shilling all manners of holiday giftery. Hours are Friday Nov 27 11am-7pm; Sat Nov 28 11am-8pm; Sun Nov 29 11am-5pm. For more information click HERE.

CALL FOR ARTISTS: 2010 INAUGURAL WINTER CARNIVAL ART SHOW

From the Black Dog:

Attention Artists: Envision the St. Paul Winter Carnival and all its fun and frivolity. From Royalty and castles to Torchlight Parades and ice carvings. You are invited to submit 2D art capturing the essence of the St. Paul Winter Carnival. First submission is $15.00 and subsequent entries are $10.00 a piece. Limit of three submissions per artist. Size limited to 5’ in length or width. Submissions are due by December 20th. Accepted submissions will be contacted by December 30th. Show will run from January 4th – 30th at the Black Dog Cafe. Awards will be given for top three entries and People‘s Choice. Opening Reception will be January 8th at 6 pm. Closing reception and awards will be January 29th at 6 pm.

Send submissions in jpg form at 300 dpi to amy@amyclarkart.com. Mail images on disk or submit hard copy to Amy Clark at The AZ Gallery 308 Prince Street, #130 in St. Paul, MN 55101. Regular gallery hours are M-F from 10 to 4.  For further information, please call 651-644-9200.

Note: While we’re on the subject of the Black Dog, keep up to date on their continuously good, arts-related events by clicking HERE.

Stop in this Friday for live music with the Fantastic Merlins, and again on Saturday for tunes from folk-rocker Jimmi Langemo. Click HERE for more info.