Frogtown | Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

Patricia Ohmans (right) of Frogtown Green checks out the “Water Resource Recovery: Removing Poo for (Nearly) Pure Water” exhibit. (Photo by Frogtown Green)

2024 Minnesota State Fair’s Eco Experience

The Minnesota State Fair conjures up scenes of copious crowds, generator-humming eateries, and layering heat. Add to that a palpable ocean of sensory stimulation, spectacle, and awe. Aptly nicknamed … more

By Rennie Gaither | 9/11/24

The mission of the organization is to create a vibrant neighborhood where the arts welcome, heal, transform and build power for the pople of Frogtown and Rondo.

Victoria Theater reopens as 825 Arts

Since it first opened nearly 110 years ago, a space on University Avenue has captured the spirit and history of Saint Paul. The building at 825 University Avenue was first opened as Victoria Theater, … more

By Joseph Palumbo | 8/7/24

AI’S Environmental Challenges

Enjoying the summer? On balance we’ve had our share of sweltering heat, counterpointed by consistent downpours and bratty algae blooms. Last month saw the hottest day on earth ever recorded. … more

By Rennie Gaither | 8/7/24

Get the lead out!

Back in November, our Frogtown household got a letter from the city’s water agency – Saint Paul Regional Water Services – that suggested we should be concerned about lead in the … more

By Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Green | 2/7/24

How two Frogtown neighbors tackle plastic pollution

The world is awash in plastic. Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers, and lakes. Beyond the aesthetic mess of plastic … more

by Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Green | 1/10/24

A message from my dad, a pastor

“Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing.” - Sarah Ban Breathnach “We need to feel the cheer and inspiration of meeting each othe. … more

By Melvin Giles, peacebubbles@q.com | 1/10/24

Longtime Frogtown residents Chris Stevens (left) and Patrica Ohmans co-organize Frogtown Green, a group working to make Frogtown the greenest and most sustainable neighborhood in St Paul. They grow crops, plant trees, promote parks, share information, and celebrate Frogtown. Ohmans has lived in Frogtown for 42 years and Stevens for 21 years.

Planting trees, growing community

This past semester, I worked as an intern with Frogtown Green, a neighborhood organization I’d never heard of before September. I’m a Bethel University senior, majoring in English and … more

By Cyrus Ruch | 12/7/23

Food Scraps: Not Just Garbage Any More!

On a recent afternoon, Megan Maiers marched into Our Village, a community garden near her Frogtown home. In her hands was a small container filled with ordinary, leftover food scraps. … more

By Cyrus Ruch and Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Green | 11/26/23

Best friends Adam Kado (second from left) and Hosie Thurmond (second from right) celebrate the grand opening of their third pizzeria on Sept. 15, 2023. Among those joining them were Neighborhood Development Center President and CEO Renay Dossman, Mayor Melvin Carter, and little Hosie Thurmond, Jr. “I was born and raised in St. Paul,” said Kado. “This is priceless to me.” >> (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Slice Brothers Pizza opens at Dale & University

Best friends Adam Kado and Hosie Thurmond of Slice Brothers Pizza join Tommie Daye of Tommie’s Pizza as Black owners of St. Paul pizzerias. Slice Brothers Pizza officially opened at Dale and … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 10/13/23

The first of 1,000! Tree Frogs celebrate their initial tree planting in 2011. Then-city councilmember Melvin Carter is in the center of the group.

Frogtown gets greener with 1,000 trees x 2

Frogtown residents who have spent more than a decade working toward a goal of “1,000 Trees for Frogtown Homes” will reach – and surpass – that goal this year. … more

By Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Green | 10/12/23

Wendell O Ward, a first time gardener, was “wowed” by his harvest. (Photo submitted)

A harvest of happiness

Wendell O Ward (a longtime Frogtowner known to his fans as “WOW”) is generally a happy guy. But this year a little patch of dirt, just about 40 feet square, has made him even happier. … more

By Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Green | 9/15/23

Save Money and the Planet. Read On!

This month’s Frogtown Green column has a guest writer – Aaron Backs, a sustainability project coordinator with CERTs, a state-wide clean energy partnership. Aaron walks through a … more

By Aaron Backs | 8/11/23

In Brief

NEW SKATE PARK The City of Saint Paul has a new seasonal skate park at Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center. This project was started when recreation center staff noticed the tennis courts … more

8/11/23

Summer in the city

Summer is upon us. Delight in the chance to leave home without mittens. Most of the activities listed below are free. ST. PAUL PRIDE FESTIVAL The new St. Paul Pride Festival in Rice Park … more

By Jane St. Anthony | 6/7/23

Susan Willis sets up her equipment for chimney swifts. Frogtown Green’s swift tower at Lafond at Dale Street was built by Daniel Westhoven, with support from the St Paul Audubon Society. For more information about chimney swifts and how to help them, contact Susan Willis, sfwillis143@gmail.com.

Calling all swifts

It’s a beautiful Friday night in Frogtown. On a vacant lot at the corner of Dale Street and Lafond, members of the local motorcycle club laugh and holler greetings, as fellow bikers roar up. … more

By Patricia Ohmans Frogtown Green | 6/7/23

Keystone moves ahead on new center

Keystone community services’ planned community food center got a $2.6 million boost from the 2023 Minnesota legislature. The funds were tucked into the bonding bill legislators passed before … more

By Jane McClure | 6/7/23

Firefighters from Frogtown’s Station 18 lend a hand during the annual Frogtown Park & Farm trash pickup on Earth Day 2023. (Photo submitted)

Signs of spring

Frogtown Green Spring has definitely sprung! This year, Frogtowners are busier than ever, working to enhance our neighborhood’s natural environment. Check out this spring roundup of … more

By Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Green | 5/10/23

Volunteers clean up Frogtown Park & Farm during a previous year event. This year’s event will be on Saturday, April 22 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. (Photo submitted)

Mark your calendar to make a green difference

Sick of snow? Me, too. It’s frustrating to be stuck inside yet again in what feels like an endless series of “final” winter storms. But these last slushy days give us time to get … more

By Patricia Ohmans Frogtown Green | 4/14/23

The Midway neighborhood, highlighted in blue, scores high in priority for advancing environmental justice through tree planting and canopy preservation compared to other neighborhoods in St. Paul, points out local environmentalist Molly Codding.

Trees can help poor air quality

“We all have angels guiding us… They look after us. They heal us, touch us, comfort us with invisible warm hands… What will bring their help? Asking. Giving thanks.” ~ Sophy … more

By Melvin Giles, peacebubbles@q.com | 3/9/23

Volunteers clean and package native seeds for distribution at a MN SEED workshop in January. Cleaning and packaging the seeds is just one step in the process. (Photo submitted)

Seeds of change and beauty at Little Free Libraries

Over the past few summers, you may have noticed an increase in blooming wildflower gardens in our neighborhoods. Have you wondered where people get some of the seeds they need to make those gardens … more

By Mae Macfarlane Frogtown Green | 2/8/23