City Council/Port Authority Concurrent Meeting

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City Council/Port Authority Concurrent Meeting

Date(s)
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 6–8 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

City Council Office

Port Authority

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As permitted by MS 13D.02, some members of the City Council and Port Authority may participate remotely and electronically. Members of the public may attend in person or watch the meeting via the City's YouTube channel: blm.mn/YouTube.

Address
Room Name/Location
Council Chambers

Death and Mourning in Victorian America

Title

Death and Mourning in Victorian America

Date(s)
Saturday, October 25, 2025 - 1–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Parks and Recreation Department

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Agnes Pond and sons in mourning clothes outside the Pond House in 1878

From frightful funerary practices to wild tales of death and memorials, Miles Jewell will recount the sentimental and sometimes macabre practices surrounding dying in the 1800s. 

  • Did you know Rev. Pond built very unusual coffins?
  • Try the death and mourning questionary.
  • Taste a funeral biscuit
  • Write a letter with a dip pen and seal it with black wax.

This is a free program and all materials are provided. No registration required. Drop in any time during the 3-hour event.

blm.mn/pondhouse

While there, ask about Pond House tours.

It's Apple Harvest Time at the Pond House!

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It's Apple Harvest Time at the Pond House!

Date(s)
Saturday, October 4, 2025 - 1–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Parks and Recreation Department

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Old fashioned wooden apple press for making juice and cider

It's apple harvest time! Crank the old-fashioned apple grinder and then press the apples to make apple juice. 

  • Taste some cider and a variety of local apples and try to guess their names.
  • Listen to a story about Johnny Appleseed.
  • Can you find the trees left from the Pond family orchard?
  • Take home some Bloomington pioneer apple recipes.

This is a free program and all materials are provided. No registration required. Drop in any time during the 3-hour event.

blm.mn/pondhouse

While there, ask about Pond House tours.

Mystery House Tours at the Pond House

Title

Mystery House Tours at the Pond House

Date(s)
Saturday, October 18, 2025 - 1–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Parks and Recreation Department

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An image of the historic Pond House in fall with a magnifying glass

Examine the 1856 Pond House as a history detective. 

  • What are the mysterious markings on the bricks?
  • Why is the window glass wavy?
  • Why is there a door on every side of the house? 

Answer these and other curious questions to win a detective gadget!

Free program for all ages. No registration required. Drop in any time during the three-hour event. 

blm.mn/pondhouse


Your Sweet Spot at the Pond House

Title

Your Sweet Spot at the Pond House

Date(s)
Saturday, October 11, 2025 - 1–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Parks and Recreation Department

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Old Time Candy

Taste a variety of 19th century candies that started as medicine and ended up as delicious treats. 

Learn about the evolution of these American confections. Some are so familiar you’ll be surprised they date from long ago. History never tasted so sweet! 

Free program and candy samples. 

No registration required. Drop in any time during the 3-hour event.  
blm.mn/pondhouse

Ask about Pond House tours.

Beading with Carol Charging-Thunder

Title

Beading with Carol Charging-Thunder

Date(s)
Saturday, September 20, 2025 - 1–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Parks and Recreation Department

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Native bone bead lanyard

Create a buffalo bone hairpipe bead lanyard to take home at this free program led by Lakota Bead Artist Carol Charging Thunder. 

Carol has been beading for over 50 years. Her work has been exhibited at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth and was featured in an art exhibit developed by All My Relations Arts.  

Free program. All materials provided. No registration required. 

Drop in any time during the 3-hour event.  

blm.mn/pondhouse

While there, ask about Pond House tours.


Follow Bloomington Parks and Recreation on Facebook. 

Button and String Puzzles and Games at the Pond House

Title

Button and String Puzzles and Games at the Pond House

Date(s)
Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 1–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Parks and Recreation Department

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Pond House button and string puzzles graphic 2023

Make a wooden button and string puzzle to take home! Befuddle your family and friends with these timeless head-scratchers. 

Try unraveling several more string puzzles which will be on display. Then learn to play Cat’s Cradle and other string games that have entertained families for centuries. 

This is a free program and all materials are provided. No registration required. Drop in any time during the 3-hour event.

blm.mn/pondhouse

While there, ask about Pond House tours.

Haŋté (Cedar) Healing Bridge Mural & Garden Celebration and Unveiling

Title

Haŋté (Cedar) Healing Bridge Mural & Garden Celebration and Unveiling

Date(s)
Saturday, September 20, 2025 - 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Creative Placemaking

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Old Cedar Avenue Bridge Trailhead Shelter
Rear view of garden and mural

Join the City of Bloomington and Minnesota Valley National Refuge to celebrate the completion and unveiling of the mural and garden project "Haŋté (Cedar) Healing Bridge" by Sandy Spieler and Tara Perron (Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ) at the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge Trailhead building on Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 11 AM - 1 PM. 

Limited parking is available at the trailhead, please plan to bike or carpool. Overflow parking and a free shuttle to the celebration will be available at the Eagles Club parking lot at 9152 Old Cedar Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55425.

Enjoy delicious waffles, drinks, and more from Waffle Bar food truck.

Event activities will include:

  • 11:00 AM: Opening Ceremony (led by Sharon M. Day and Indigenous Peoples Task Force)
  • 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM:
    • Meet and chat with the artists
    • Buddha boards with prompts to thank water
    • Foraged plant cyanotype artist activity led by Aiyana Kline and Courtney Cochran
    • Tea ceremony and elder-led seed/tea giveaway, plant introductions by Flores De Miel
    • Music by guitarist Obsidian James.
  • 12:30 PM: Closing/Water Ceremony 
Learn more about the project and see progress photos at blm.mn/ocabmural.
This event is co-hosted by Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge with support from the "We Are Water MN" program. Learn more about water in our community by visiting the We Are Water exhibit at the Bloomington Education and Visitor Center between October 7th and November 30th.
FWS logo
We are Water logos
WeAreWater MN deepens connections between the humanities and water through a network of partnerships, a traveling exhibit, and public events. WeAreWater MN helps communities, organizations, and individuals make better, more collaborative, and more relevant choices about water. To learn more, visit their website.

Public Health Drop-in - Oasis for Youth

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Public Health Drop-in - Oasis for Youth

Date(s)
Thursday, August 28, 2025 - 2–3 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Public Health Department

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Folks visiting Oasis for Youth can check in with a Bloomington Public Health Nurse to get connected to services and support with sexual health education and pregnancy & parenting support, referrals for programming offered by the Public Health Division, free health resources that include but aren’t limited to low-cost medical care, dental, health insurance, childcare, transportation, food, housing-related resources, and anything else that may be helpful. 

This drop-in time typically occurs on the last Thursday of the month from 2pm-3pm.

Immunization clinic with Public Health Nurses

Title

Immunization clinic with Public Health Nurses

Date(s)
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 - 12:30–4 p.m.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Public Health Department

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Address

Immunizations available by appointment. Please call 952-563-8900 to schedule with an intake nurse. There is a $20 donation request per vaccination. However, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

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