Nancy Carlson - T Is for Twin Cities: A Minneapolis/St. Paul Alphabet

A Minneapolis/St. Paul Alphabet

Written by Nancy Carlson and Helen L. Wilbur
Illustrated by David Geister

ILLUSTRATORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I could not have painted these illustrations without the family and friends who posed for mePat, Eva, Andy, Allie, Kevin, Zoe the Wiener Dog, Mike, A.J., and the whole Kisch family. Thanks also to Aaron Novodvorsky for his sound advice, my friends at Wet Paint, and my dear wife Pat who kept the world spinning on its axis while I hid in the studio.

DAVID

Text Copyright 2012 Nancy Carlson and Helen L. Wilbur
Illustration Copyright 2012 David Geister

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner
without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief
excerpts in critical reviews and articles. All inquiries should be addressed to:

Sleeping Bear Press TM

315 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200

Ann Arbor MI 48108

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Printed and bound in the United States.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Carlson, Nancy L.

T is for Twin Cities: a Minneapolis/St. Paul alphabet / written by Nancy Carlson
and Helen L. Wilbur; illustrated by David Geister.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-58536-583-8

1. Minneapolis Metropolitan Area (Minn.)Juvenile literature. 2. Saint Paul
Metropolitan Area (Minn.)Juvenile literature. 3. Alphabet books. I. Wilbur,
Helen L., 1948- II. Geister, David, ill. III. Title.

F614.M6C37 2012

977.6579dc23 2012007622

To happy times ahead biking and hiking on the wonderful trails in the Twin Cities!

NANCY

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To Deb Austin, Jacqui Liepshutz, Jackie Sullivan, and Signe Helmen.

HELEN

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To those folks who make the Twin Cities a great place to live.

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Wait, theres a 52-foot-long spoon with a thousand-pound cherry balanced on it. Are you at a giants picnic? No, you are in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. The spoon handle arches over a small pond and water sprays from the cherry. Installed in 1988, this dynamic sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, called Spoonbridge and Cherry, has charmed and inspired residents and visitors wandering among and enjoying the many other sculptures in this open-air museum.

If you are an art lover, the Twin Cities is the place for you. You can stroll through galleries and museums to see classic work and contemporary pieces in a variety of media: drawing, painting, textiles, pottery, weaving, beads, and more. Have fun and enjoy beautiful things with a visit to such unique places as the Museum of Russian Art, the Gallery of Wood Art, and the Weisman Art Museum (with its curved metal exterior) located on the Mississippi River.

A is for Art

Heres a sight to make you stopa spoonbridge fountain with a cherry on top!

The Basilica of Saint Mary fills a city block in downtown Minneapolis with the beauty of its Beaux-Arts architecture, stained-glass windows, and huge copper dome. The architectural style, named for cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, is known for grand classical buildings with lavish ornamentation. Built between 1907 and 1915, it was the first basilica for the Catholic faith in the United States. Every year the basilica hosts a block party to promote volunteerism and community outreach programs. St. Paul has the Cathedral of Saint Paul, another excellent example of the Beaux-Arts style.

The Twin Cities are home to people of many faiths. Scandinavian immigrants brought their Christian religion, most notably Lutheran. More recent immigrants have brought Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam to the Twin Cities. All have built their own unique houses of worship.

B is for Basilica

On a full city block, majestic and grand sits the first basilica in our native land.

Good grief! Youve likely heard of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, the Great Pumpkin, and Snoopy. For nearly 50 years, cartoonist Charles M. Schulz wrote and drew the comic strip Peanuts for millions of fans all over the world.

Schulz, a native of the Twin Cities, started the comic strip as Lil Folks in 1947 for a St. Paul newspaper. It was not an immediate success, but by Schulzs death in 2000, Peanuts had become one of the most beloved and enduring comics of all time. The Peanuts characters have appeared in more than 17,000 daily and Sunday newspaper comics, numerous television specials, a Broadway musical, greeting cards, books, and as all kinds of toys.

Charlie Browns lack of confidence, Lucys crabbiness, Pig Pens dirt, and Snoopys rich imagination are all part of our national culture. Schulzs characters live on in fans hearts and in the bronze statues in St. Pauls Landmark Plaza.

C is for Charles Schulz

In Landmark Plaza St. Paul downtown, see Snoopy, Lucy, and Charlie Brown.

Minnesotans are justifiably proud of their grand capitol building on a bluff overlooking St. Paul. Opened in 1905, the architect Cass Gilbert modeled it after St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican in Rome. The massive unsupported dome is made of marble. A gleaming statuary of gold leaf, steel, and copper, known as the quadriga, sits over the entrance. Quad means four and the quadriga has four huge horses pulling a chariot with human figures representing progress and prosperity.

Starting as a settlement with the humble name of Pigs Eye, St. Paul was selected as the capital when Minnesota became a state in 1858. Its location at the bend of the Mississippi River made it an important point for trade and transportation.

Although Minneapolis and St. Paul are known together as the Twin Cities, each has its own character.

D is for Dome

The golden horses, and soaring dome take you back to the majestic monuments in Rome.

Minneapolis and St. Paul residents are outdoor enthusiastsyear-round! After the long Minnesota winter, everyone cant wait to get outside. What better place to go than one of the 300 city parks? Public beaches and pools give residents of all ages a chance to swim and cool off in the summer heat. Golfers have a variety of beautifully maintained public courses to choose from. Both cities have active parks and recreation departments offering summer camps, programs, and opportunities to join a league to participate in your favorite sport.

Skating is popular in all seasons. Scott and Brennan Olson created the modern in-line roller skate in 1980. After perfecting their design, they began manufacturing the skates in their parents basement, starting the RollerbladeTM Company and the in-line skating boom.

Whether you want to train for a marathon or just walk your dog, you can keep fit and experience the beauty of nature in the Twin Cities parks.