Youth Programs and Events                    

Frost Fest

Each year, Frost Fest usually takes place on a Saturday or Sunday in January at Groveland Park. 2008's event featured free hot chocolate and cupcakes, a snowman contest, and music provided by DJ 80s.

For more information about Frost Fest, contact Marie at 651-695-4000 or marie@macgrove.org.

How can I be involved?
We always need energetic people to plan the event logistics.  Contact the community council for more information!

Teen Battle of the Bands

 The Teen Battle of the Bands is generally held annually during the Grand Old Day celebration the first Sunday of June from noon to 5 pm on Grand Avenue at Macalester Street.  

Since 1994, the Macalester-Groveland Community Council has celebrated the musical talents of area youth in the Teen Battle of the Bands.  Held in conjunction with Grand Old Day, the Midwest's largest street festival, six teen bands compete on stage for a wandering crowd of over 250,000 people.  Past participants have gone on to release cds and play in local venues.

 How can I be involved?

We encourage bands of ALL genres of music to apply. If you're interested in learning more about the application process before applications are released, feel free to contact marie at marie@macgrove.org, or at 651-695-4000.  Volunteers are needed to review demo tapes, select finalists, and plan the event. Volunteers are also needed throughout the day on June 5, 2005 for setup, cleanup, parking, crowd management and staffing the information table. To volunteer, contact the community council.

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Groveland Night Out:                        

St. Paul's Favorite Neighborhood Party
Groveland Night Out is an annual neighborhood party thrown in early August by the Macalester-Groveland Community Council. The event features informational booths provided by local businesses, free activities for kids, free treats, crime prevention information, safety demonstrations, representatives from the police and fire departments and an outdoor movie. 2007's Groveland Night Out featured:

-last year’s summer blockbuster, “Curious George”
-jungle-themed games for children,
-free root beer floats for all
-the ever-popular moon bounce for kids.  
-free samples, discounts and information from locally owned, commnity-based businesses.
-Local band Macalester-Groveland band “The Fair Young Maidens” performed.

For more information about Groveland Night Out, contact Marie at 695-4000, or at marie@macgrove.org.

Block Clubs

• A Block Club is a group of neighbors living within one or more city blocks who gather regularly to socialize, address common concerns, promote communication and improve block safety.
• A block club traditionally includes houses on a block facing each other but may span several blocks and may include homes across an alley.
• Residents can decide to organize at any level. However, there are basic aspects of a club that are necessary if they are to be recognized as such by their respective district council.
• Clubs may also become involved with community issues such as working with beautification, traffic calming, crime prevention, community development, and other district council activities.

By being actively involved, residents take responsibility for themselves and their neighborhoods while working together to solve problems. If you're interested in identifying or starting a block club, contact Marie Nelson at marie@macgrove.org, or call her at 651-695-4000.  

Alley Garden Awards

Take a walk through your alley. What do you see? Tall weeds, rubbish, and garages in disrepair are signs that residents don’t care about their properties. Send a different message!

Planting a few perennials here and potting some plants there can make a huge difference in improving the aesthetics and safety of your property. In 1992, the Macalester-Groveland Community Council’s Beautification Committee agreed that community beautification deters crime. In response, they started the Alley Garden Awards, which are given to any resident who meets the following four criteria:

Alley Garden Award Criteria

1. The property must have an easily recognizable house number on the garage (or elsewhere in the alley if there is no garage).

2. The garden must be along the alley and on the alley side of any fence.

3. The alley garden must be weed-free and well-maintained.

4. The alley side of the property must positively contribute to the character and beauty of the alley by being litter free and neat.

If your alley doesn’t already meet the criteria, consider making a change. Prepare your alleyside property in time for the Alley Garden Awards and help prevent garage burglaries and other crimes facilitated by unkempt property.

The Alley Garden Awards generally take place each summer. You can nominate yourself or a neighbor, or just wait for volunteer judges to walk down your alley and identify qualifying alley gardens.

In the fall, all Alley Garden Award winners will be invited to a ceremony to recognize their efforts to beautify their alleys and reduce crime in their neighborhood.

We need volunteers to make alley garden flags, plant flags in participating alley gardens, and walk the alleys looking for qualifying alley gardens. To volunteer, or for more information on this year's event, email marie@macgrove.org.

16th Annual 'Green' Home Improvement Fair 2008

The 16th Annual Macalester-Groveland & Highland Home Improvement Fair will take place on Saturday, April 19th, 2008 from 10am-3pm at Cretin-Derham Hall. The fair will again feature a ‘Green Avenue’ with businesses that offer environmentally-friendly or sustainable building products or services, in addition to our traditional exhibitors.

Some of the Home Improvement Fair exhibitors will feature the following ‘green’ products and services:

• Green Remodeling, Timeless Design & Fine Craftsmanship
• Rain Gardens, Green Roofs, Rain Barrels and Compost Bins
• Organic Lawn & Garden Fertilizers and Mulch
• Recycled Newspaper Cellulose Insulation
• Earth- Friendly Home & Deck Cleaners
• Restoration, Reuse and Recycling of Building Materials
• Green Seal Certified Windows & Doors
• Sustainable Flooring such as Bamboo, Cork & Marmoleum
• High Efficiency Furnaces & Air Conditioners
• Hand painted Recycled Furniture

This year's will feature 75 exhibitors offering information about window replacement, heating and air conditioning, roof replacement, material resurfacing and landscaping. 15 morning and afternoon workshops will be offered on topics like native landscaping, design trends, preventing mold, home sales green and construction.

This free event is held in the auxiliary gym at Cretin-Derham High School on 550 South Albert Street, St. Paul 55116.

Many thanks to our sponsors — Cretin-Derham Hall, White Crane Construction, Northrup Remodeling, Pinehurst Bank, TCF Bank, Holy Spirit Catholic School, Restoration Window Systems, and US Bank.

KidsPark is a professionally staffed parent cooperative drop-in child care service sponsored by the Macalester-Groveland Community Council in cooperation with the St. Paul Division of Parks and Recreation. It has served families for over twenty years. KidsPark gives kids a chance to play with others in a supervised, stimulating environment, and gives their parents the opportunity to...

• take a class
• keep an appointment
• have lunch with a friend
• volunteer
• shop
• exercise
• spend one-on-one time with another child

To learn more about KidsPark, visit their website at http://www.kidsparkdropin.org.

Recycling in Mac-Groveland is picked up at the curb on Fridays. Please have your recyclables set out by 7am Friday morning. For more information on sorting, please consult this guide from Eureka Recycling. If you're interested in picking up a free blue recycling bin or two, feel free to do so by stopping by the Edgcumbe Rec Center (320 S Griggs St.) during its open hours. If we are not around, you can grab one or two from the stack outside of our door.

The Fall & Spring Cleanups are one-day events which allow residents to discard just about anything. The Community Council brings together haulers and vendors in one central location and make efforts to reuse or recycle your old stuff for less cost than you would pay a garbage hauler to take it away. This event is only open to Macalester-Groveland and Highlandresidents, so bring your driver’s license or a bill with your name and address. To volunteer at the event, or to learn more about it, please call the office at 651-695-4000.

ITEMS ACCEPTED
The following items should be packed in this order, as this is the order in which the stations will appear, starting with items that should be placed on top:

1. Fluorescent bulbs
2. Tires of all sizes.
3. Children’s items, such as books, toys and clothes.
4. Reusable household goods. Almost anything that is in good shape may be left at the reuse area.
5. Electronics including computers and computer-related equipment, televisions, phones, fax and copier machines .
6. Cell phones.
7. Bicycles functional or non-functional.
8. Metals-these items will be stripped down, so anything you have that includes a significant amount of metal should be left here. Even better, strip it down before you bring it!
9. Lawn mowers and snow blowers.
10. Construction debris and architectural salvage (anything that comes off your house).
11. Mattresses, carpets and other materials not accepted at other stations.
12. Concrete and rock including patio blocks and other items that are not pure concrete must go to construction debris.

 ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED

• Appliances – call J.R. Appliance for curbside pick-up 651-454-9215.
• Recyclables – paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, etc. can be set out for Friday regular recycling pick-ups.
• Household refuse – will be picked up by your trash hauler.
• Hazardous Waste – antifreeze, car batteries, propane tanks, oil, or paint need special handling for disposal. Call 651-633-EASY to find the nearest household hazardous waste drop-off facility.
• Brush & Compost – Call 651-633-3279 for a drop-off site nearest you.

FEES: The cost will be $15 for a car, $20 for a pick-up truck, station wagon, minivan, trailer or SUV, and $30 for larger loads and vehicles. Additional charges include $2 for car tires, $3 for truck tires, $7 for semi tires, and tractor tire prices starting at $30. There will also be a charge of $10 per mattress and $10 per box spring. Electronics are now free!

Unlike the Alley Garden program where grid representatives walk alleys searching for qualifying gardens, the Native Garden program is self-nominating. The following requirements must be met in order to be considered for an award:

• You must be a resident of the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood.
• The garden area must be weed-free and well-maintained.
• You must have a visible house number both on the street and the alley (unless there is no alley).
• The garden area must be accessible for verification purposes by Environment Committee volunteers.
• At least 50% of the garden area must be in native plants.
• If the garden is on a boulevard, all City Boulevard Garden Regulations must be followed.
• Native Gardens that meet all qualifications for Alley Gardens may earn both awards.

University of Minnesota Extension Service Native Plant List (PDF)
University of Minnesota Extension Service Common Questions About Native Flowers and Plants
Landscaping with Native Plants (Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources)
Gardening with Native Plants (The Twin Cities Green Guide)
Minnesota Native Plants (Landscape Alternatives, Inc.)
Minnesota Native Plant Society