General 

Discover a hoppin' place at your local public library! Kids are invited to come in to the East Lake Community Library to sign up for the library's free summer reading program, which runs from till Aug. 17. While they're there they can pick up a summer callendar and set a "personal best" reading goal. Kids are also sure to love some of the free summer events, such as “Clowning around with Half Pint and Oscar,” Tuesday, July 23 at 10:30 am; or “Bilingual Story Time” in both Spanish and English, Wednesday, Aug. 7 7 at 10:30 am. All programs are free of charge. The East Lake Community Library is located at 2727 East Lake St., and is open Mon. through Thurs. 10 am to 9 pm, and Fri. and Sat. 10 am to 6 pm. For further information, call the library at 612-630-6550. 

7/5
Shakespeare in the Park comes to Powderhorn park with their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. All performances start at 7pm and are FREE! For more information, please call 612-341-0882x560 or visit www.shakespeareinthepark.org

7/5
It's Time for a Change! Neighborhood activists, community organizations, and government and corporate sponsors will come together to support making a difference, safe bus stops, clean streets and a drug free zone! The West Phillips, Central, Powderhorn Park and Midtown Phillips Neighbors are jointly hosting a black busting event at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Lake Street to reach out to residents and make a difference. There will be free food, music and celebration. The event runs from 4:00-8:00 pm

7/7
Memorial Blood Centers will be at St. Joan of Arc from 8am to 1pm. The address is 4337 Third Ave. S. Please call 952-944-1248 to sign up.

7/9
Doctors are trained to be keen observers of other people’s conditions. They are keen observers of life and life changes. Turning these finely honed observation skills is a less familiar exercise, even for doctors. But that is exactly what Dr. Harold Adams had to do when confronted with his own serious medical condition. He turned his observation, documentation, and interpretation skills toward the canvas—and through painting, chronicled his own journey into and through disease. “Art for Life,” an exhibit of his work, opens at the Weisman Art Museum on July 9 and runs through Oct. 27. The Weisman is located at 333 E. River Rd. in Minneapolis, on the U of M campus. For more information, call 612-625-9494.

7/20
The annual Pillsbury House Barbeque will be held Sat., July 20 from noon to 4 pm in the parking lot just south of the Pillsbury House Community center. Pillsbury House is located at 3501 Chicago Ave. S. Bring the family and enjoy games, great food, a DJ and great music. Representatives of several local businesses will be there. Donations welcome. For more information, call 612-824-0708.

7/13-7/27
Artpower 2002 will be happening at the ArtStop this July on Saturday afternoons. Join puppeteer Nhia Lee, fabric artist Del Bey, and musician Barb Tilsen for family fun and creative arts activities July 13th through July 27th from noon to 3pm. The ArtStop is a community-organized neighborhood garden located at the busy corner of Chicago Avenue South and East 32nd Street near Powderhorn Park
For more information call Barb Tilsen at 823-8169 or Lucinda Anderson at 821-0237

7/14-8/4
Practical, hands-on workshop Sunday, July 14 through August 4, 1-3pm, Lynnhurst Community Centre, 50th at Minnehaha, Minneapolis. Led by Yuyudham Hoppe and Meghabhuti Roth M.D. health and sports enthusiasts keen on self-transcendence. (952)-996-8922 to register.

7/24-8/21
Carryland, a free creative writing mentorship for South and Southeast Asian Teens will provide youth with the opportunity to receive individual attention and guidance as well as a creative interchange with adults who share a common Asian-American experience in Minnesota. The Minneapolis group will meet at SASE: The Write Place, 711 W. Lake St, Suite 211, 612-822.2500. The St. Paul group will meet at the Lexington Branch of St. Paul Public Libraries, 1080 West University Avenue. The two groups will meet Wednesdays, 4:30-6:30 p.m. If you are interested, please contact Brandon Luisser at brandon@saseonline.org or 612-822-2500. The deadline for applying is July 15.

7/27
Come to the Multi-Cultural Family Day Celebration and Health Fest Saturday, July 27 from noon to 5pm. The event will take place at the Phelps Park Community Center, 701 E. 39th St., and will feature entertainment. Doctors and nurses will be on hand to discuss your health needs. Games, food, and fun for the entire family. For more information, call Pam White at 612-250-2702

8/3-8/4
The Powderhorn Art Fair will be held at Powderhorn Park, from 10am-6pm August 3 and 10am-5pm August 4. This year the fair has expanded its inclusion of local artists and focused its goal on promoting the uniqueness of Powderhorn Park Neighborhood to the metro area. Over 175 artists will present and sell work in this picturesque Minneapolis Park with shaded hills and meandering walkways. For further information please con tact 
www.powderhornar tfair.com or call 612-729-0111.

Have a Dalapalooza day at the America n Sweedish Intitute on Saturday, July 20, from 10 am-4pm. Dalapalooza is a day of family fun focusing on Sweden’s brightly painted, carved wooden toy horse in all its various forms. Dalapalooza is offered in conjunction with the exhibit 101 Dala Horses: The history of a Swedish Legend, on view at the American Swedish Institute June 12 to August 18. Dalapalooza will feature outdoor games, music, storytelling, craft demonstrations and more. The cost of the Dalapalooza event is $5, $3 for children ages 5-16. The American Swedish Institute is located at 2600 Park Ave. For more information, call 612-871-4907.

Jewish Family and Children’s Service Minneapolis says that its women’s psychotherapy group is seeking new members. The group addresses the needs of women who have had a significant amount of individual therapy and desire to work on a broad range of issues in a supportive and confidential group setting. Issues may include relatuionships, self-esteem, work issues, family of origin, abuse, parenting, intimacy and body image. The group meets one evening a week. Group therapy offers helpful feedback and acceptance, the building of hope and the development of interpersonal skills including communication and self-understanding. For more information, call Margulies at 952-546-0616.

Assistance with Basic Needs

Minnehaha United Methodist Church, 3701 E. 50th St., offers a MinneHarvest of free groceries-surplus perishables such as produce and breads-the fourth Saturday of each month, 9-10:30 a.m.

Community Supported Agriculture Farms (CSAs) sell fresh produce directly to the consumer. CSA participants buy a share in the spring and every week during the growing season receive a box of fresh vegetables. Each farm grows different vegetables so it's necessary to check what foods they offer. FFI go to www.landstewardshipproject.org on the internet and look for the link "Food & Farm Connections" for the list of Minnesota CSAs. Other Web sites to check out are: www.organicvalley.com and www.csacenter.org. Or call 651-653-0618

Ongoing Events

The WE WIN Institute, 1600 E. Lake St., holds a monthly, ongoing forum for discussion, healing and action around race and racism-related issues from 7 to 9 p.m., the third Thursday of the month, facilitated by Lynn Woodland, Mari Harris, Kinshasha Kambui and Erika Thorne. There is no cost or preregistration required.

There is an ongoing Alcoholics Anonymous meeting every Sunday night at 7 pm at the Trinity New Life Lutheran Church, at the corner of 52nd and 41st Ave. S. The meeting is non-smoking.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers needed: Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly at 1845 E. Lake St. is an organization looking for energetic volunteers to visit the elderly and provide transportation. Anyone interested should call Hilda at 612-721-6215. 

If you are a civic-minded person who loves books and book stores, consider volunteering for The Friends Book Store in the downtown Minneapolis Public Library. Friendly, committed volunteers keep the store running smoothly six days a week, year round. Volunteers work once a week or twice a month for approximately three hours a time. Currently daytime hours are available for the book store cashier position. Proceeds support the programs and collections of the Minneapolis Public Library. Volunteers also receive a 20 percent discount at the Book Store. For more information, call The Friends of Minneapolis Public Library, Volunteer Services at 612-630-6173.

Influence tomorrow, host an exchange student! International exchange students enrich our families, communities and schools and carry home a life long affection and understanding of America. It is more important than ever to share our lives and our culture with international students who will make a difference in the world of tomorrow.
World Heritage gives volunteer families, couples or single parents (with or without children at home) who are adventurous, fun-loving, responsible, and most of all, caring, the opportunity to host a high-school-aged foreign exchange student. Students who spend a semester or year in the U.S. are fulfilling a lifetime dream. American culture continues to play an important role all over the world; the English language is the international language of our times. Share your home for a year; enjoy a friendship for a lifetime! To begin this exciting cultural experience, please call 1-800-888-9040 or visit our website at www.world-heritage.org.