How a Family of Ducks Unites Strangers
Nature never fails to connect people and calm the nerves, even amid freeway traffic.
Tag Archives: community-building
One Centuries-Old Trick Can Solve Your City’s Problems
Cities don’t have to be anonymous, hectic, lonely places.
Want to Build Community Spirit? Let it Snow!
My husband and I were not even married yet when a primary pet peeve of his revealed itself. He said we had to shovel our sidewalk “so the cement showed,” from edge to edge. I wrote it off as some masculine obsession, akin to wasting a lovely Sunday polishing a car, until I took up […]
A Walking Minute
As I walk across Minneapolis’ lakes, my pace slowed* both by the resistance of snow and wind and by my fascination with every sight and sound, I think about scale a lot. There are drivers on the bridges above me, caged up in steel, bikers and wind surfers zipping past me, skiers who half […]
The Annual MayDay Parade
Every year, more than 50,000 people are drawn to the Powderhorn neighborhood in south Minneapolis to participate in the festivities of the MayDay Parade. This is not your typical parade — the mission statement of the event is “to bring people together for the common good through the power of puppet and mask performance.” The event uses […]
A Christmas Love Letter
When I was pregnant with my daughter my husband worked second shift, and five nights a week I was left to wrangle our then two-year old son by myself. After working all day I lacked the energy to cook, clean, and play with him. My solution was to find different people to feed and entertain […]