Choose your own adventure with foremost river historian Dr. John O. Anfinson and dinner at Sioux Chef's Owamni restaurant

Dr. John O. Anfinson has been researching, writing and speaking about the upper Mississippi River for over 30 years. He spent the first half of his federal career with the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as a historian and cultural resources program manager. He joined the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, in 2000, where he served as Superintendent from 2014-2020. John is the author of The River We Have Wrought: A History of the Upper Mississippi (2003) and River of History (2003).

Dr. John Anfinson will lead you and 10 guests on a walking tour of our historic Mississippi waterfront. Choose your tour from one of these 4 options:

1. Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront & St. Anthony Falls Lock Tour: Saint Anthony Falls is a significant site to the indigenous Dakota community, and the falls powered the mills that grew Minneapolis into the city it is today. The downtown riverfront is teeming with fascinating stories and historic remnants. You'll learn the inextricable history of the river and our great city and hear important stories related to flour and timber milling, the Eastman Tunnel and cutoff wall, the future of the river corridor, any many more.
2. Tour of surrounding Lock & Dam 1 (Ford Dam): For over 100 years, locks and dams have controlled the Mississippi River's flow through the Twin Cities. But as shipping needs have shifted, some of the lock and dams' original functions may no longer be necessary. Since the closure of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in 2015, commercial river traffic on the Mississippi upstream of downtown St. Paul has declined. This has raised questions about the future of Lock and Dam No. 1, often called the "Ford Dam." In addition to discussing Lock & Dam 1, hear stories about the history of Meeker Island, the unique character of the Mississippi River Gorge, the recent Lock & Dam Disposition Study and the future of the Mississippi River Gorge.
3. Downtown St. Paul Riverfront Tour: The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) is the only unit of the National Park Service along the entire length of the Mississippi and is here in the Twin Cities, in great part due to the historic and cultural significance of the Saint Paul Valley. In addition to discussing the natural river and its transformation for navigation in Saint Paul's history, visit River Warren Falls, the Headhouse and Sackhouse (City House), and discuss the future of our beloved riverfront in the capital city.
4. Visit Crosby Farm Park: Nestled at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, this hidden St. Paul gem is home to 534 acres of floodplain forest and oak woodlands tucked under the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Wetlands surround Crosby Lake while limestone and sandstone outcroppings line the north side of the park. While on your tour, John will discuss the long history of this special site along the river. From farm to marina, you'll hear about the demise of a project for two 24-story tall condominiums on the site which in turn gave birth to a riverfront environmental ethic as well as the MNRRA Headquarters and River Learning Center.

Owamni gift certificate. After your tour, finish your day along the river with delicious dinner and drinks ($250 gift certificate) at the newly opened Sioux Chef's Owamni - a full service indigenous restaurant - located on the shores of Haha Wakpa (Mississippi River) in the Water Works Pavilion building at Mill Ruins Park in Minneapolis.

Grand Northwoods cabin vacation

Spend a long weekend (5 days and 4 nights) relaxing in the Northwoods with family and friends at this beautiful lakefront log cabin. Situated on 4.5 acres with 350 feet of shoreline, this secluded retreat is on Long Lake #2 in Backus, MN between Brainerd and Walker - just three hours north of the Twin Cities.

This 8 bedroom, 4-bath cabin sleeps 18+ and boasts a large fully-equipped kitchen, lakeside great room, living room, in-house sauna, several decks, lakeside fire pit, play set, play house, relaxing pond with waterfall, beautiful dock with easy access to the lake, and the use of a fishing boat, kayak, paddleboard, and a canoe.

Reservation details: FMR staff will assist you in working with the cabin owners to schedule your stay in 2022.

Breathe Deep and Sing: Signed and framed original work by MN Poet Laureate Dr. Gwen Westerman

Dr. Gwen Westerman is a Dakota educator, writer and artist, and is Minnesota's new poet laureate. Gwen's work is rooted in the landscape of her ancestors, and her latest work, Breathe Deep and Sing, is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of people and the river. The winning bidder will receive a beautiful framed and signed typed copy of this special poem, which was created in honor of the river for this FMR event.

Value: Priceless

Two tickets to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

Renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. Now in its 63rd concert season, the SPCO has recently undergone transformational change with the opening of its new home, the Ordway Concert Hall, the addition of a new generation of players, and significant changes in its artistic vision. The SPCO is primarily an unconducted ensemble that performs a broad range of repertoire from Baroque to new music and works in close collaboration with a dynamic roster of Artistic Partners.

Details. The winning bidder will receive two vouchers for a SPCO performance. The vouchers expire June 30, 2023.

Note. At this time the MN Chamber Orchestra is requiring COVID-19 vaccinations or negative test results as well as masks required to attend SPCO performances at the Ordway.

Minnesota Center for Book Arts class and a selection of Graywolf Press books

The winning bidder of this item receives a gift certificate redeemable towards any virtual or in-person workshop at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. With a focus on bookbinding, printmaking, papermaking, paper marbling, and related arts, MCBA's workshops help you tap into instruction, creative time, and a community of makers. Most workshops are accessible to everyone--from complete beginners to advanced practitioners. For workshop listings and to learn more, visit: www.mnbookarts.org. The gift certificate is good through September 30, 2022.

In addition, you'll be taking home a selection of 11 Graywolf Press books:

• American Harvest by Marie Mutsuki
• Mockett Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth
• The Collector of Leftover Souls by Eliane Brum
• Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist and Other Essays by Paul Kingsnorth
• frank: sonnets by Diane Seuss
• Milkman by Anna Burns
• On Freedom by Maggie Nelson
• Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
• The Stars, the Snow, the Fire: Twenty-Five Years in the Alaska Wilderness by John Haines
• This Mournable Body by Tsitsi
• Dangarembga Urban Tumbleweed by Harryette Mullen

Great River Road Basket: Lake Pepin Edition

Experience a day along the beautiful Wisconsin stretch of Lake Pepin, a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River, an hour south of the Twin Cities. Lake Pepin is located in a valley carved by the outflow of an enormous glacial lake at the end of the last Ice Age. The lake formed when the Mississippi, a successor to the glacial river, was partially dammed by a delta from a tributary stream and spread out across the ancient valley.

This handmade basket includes everything you need to enjoy a day exploring this beautiful region of the river:

• Sailing for six (6) on Lake Pepin with WIMNSail, a Lake Pepin sailing company helmed by Captain Anderson. Beth will take you and your party aboard her 30 foot sailboat for 2-3 hours of adventure, relaxation and learning.

• A gift certificate to Stockholm Pie and General Store, named best café, best pie, and best dessert on the Mississippi River by River Travel Magazine.

• $200 dining certificate for the Harbor View Café, a seasonal eatery on Lake Pepin serving locally-sources New American fare in a homey, book-lined space.

• 2 bottles of wine from Villa Bellezza an Old World winery and vineyard, designed as s small Italian village, in Pepin, WI.

• A blanket from Cultural Cloth, a women-run social enterprise that features handmade home décor and textiles made by women artisans from around the world.

Two tickets to History Theatre

The History Theatre in St. Paul is a four-time IVEY Award-winning theater and is recognized nationally as a leader in producing historical work. For more than 40 years the History Theatre has produced brave, entertaining explorations of all the histories that make up our diverse community. The History Theatre entertains, educates, and engages through creating, developing, and producing new and existing works that explore Minnesota's past and the diverse American experience. Its work provides a unique lens which links our past to the present, explores our common heritage, and illuminates our understanding of what it means to be American.

Details. The winning bidder will receive a gift certificate good for two tickets to a History Theatre performance.

Note. At this time the History Theatre is requiring COVID-19 vaccinations or negative test results as well as masks required to attend performances.

Perennial Foods Basket

Are you curious about cooking with perennial foods? Wonder no more! FMR's Agricultural Policy Manager Peter LaFontaine has curated a basket of essential perennial foods and ingredients for your home. This is a perfect opportunity to help the river by helping yourself to a basket brimming with sustainable and ecosystem-friendly agricultural products.

Friends of the Mississippi River is leading a diverse coalition of partners who are working together to make clean water, perennial crops - like the items in this basket - economically viable for famers.

Perennial agriculture is the solution to many challenges we face from grain production today. Perennials are plants that can be left in the field to return for several years without the annual tilling that damages topsoil and leads to erosion and nutrient losses.

This basket includes:

• 14 oz bag of Kernza grain and 14 oz bag of Kernza flour: Kernza is a perennial wheatgrass with a delicious, sweet, nutty flavor, and can be used in baking, cooking, and brewing.

• 3 oz bag of roasted and glazed rosemary hazelnuts: Savory goodness. Gluten free. ? 3 oz bag of spicy maple roasted and glazed hazelnuts: Gluten free. Great as a snack or a salad sprinkle.

• 1 lb of hazelnut kernels: Grown by farmers in the Midwest. Great for baking, fresh-eating, confections, and anything else you can imagine. Roasting for 15 minutes at 275 brings out the full taste and aroma.

• 8 oz bottle of hazelnut oil: From American Hazelnut Company out of Gays Mills, WI.

• 500 mL of camelina oil: Three Farmers Camelina Oil is your salad oil, your cooking oil and your healthy Omega 3 supplement wrapped into one great tasting product.

• 5 oz jar of elderberry creamed honey: Missouri honey and River Hills Harvest Freeze Dried Elderberries spun together on the Giofre Apiaries farm where the honey was collected.

• 10 oz jar of elderberry jelly: made with River Hills Harvest pure premium ElderBerry Juice, lightly sweetened using pure cane sugar with just a hint of lemon. Jars are recyclable.

• The Perennial Kitchen cookbook by Beth Dooley: James Beard Award-winning author Beth Dooley provides the context of food's origins, along with delicious recipes, nutrition information, and tips for smart sourcing. More than a farm-to-table cookbook, this book expands the definition of "local food" to embrace regenerative agriculture, the method of growing small and large crops with ecological services.

Perennial Foods Basket

Are you curious about cooking with perennial foods? Wonder no more! FMR's Agricultural Policy Manager Peter LaFontaine has curated a basket of essential perennial foods and ingredients for your home. This is a perfect opportunity to help the river by helping yourself to a basket brimming with sustainable and ecosystem-friendly agricultural products.

Friends of the Mississippi River is leading a diverse coalition of partners who are working together to make clean water, perennial crops - like the items in this basket - economically viable for famers.

Perennial agriculture is the solution to many challenges we face from grain production today. Perennials are plants that can be left in the field to return for several years without the annual tilling that damages topsoil and leads to erosion and nutrient losses.

This basket includes:

• 14 oz bag of Kernza grain and 14 oz bag of Kernza flour: Kernza is a perennial wheatgrass with a delicious, sweet, nutty flavor, and can be used in baking, cooking, and brewing.

• 3 oz bag of roasted and glazed rosemary hazelnuts: Savory goodness. Gluten free.

• 3 oz bag of spicy maple roasted and glazed hazelnuts: Gluten free. Great as a snack or a salad sprinkle.

• 1 lb of hazelnut kernels: Grown by farmers in the Midwest. Great for baking, fresh-eating, confections, and anything else you can imagine. Roasting for 15 minutes at 275 brings out the full taste and aroma.

• 8 oz bottle of hazelnut oil: From American Hazelnut Company out of Gays Mills, WI.

• 500 mL of camelina oil: Three Farmers Camelina Oil is your salad oil, your cooking oil and your healthy Omega 3 supplement wrapped into one great tasting product.

• 5 oz jar of elderberry creamed honey: Missouri honey and River Hills Harvest Freeze Dried Elderberries spun together on the Giofre Apiaries farm where the honey was collected.

• 10 oz jar of elderberry jelly: made with River Hills Harvest pure premium ElderBerry Juice, lightly sweetened using pure cane sugar with just a hint of lemon. Jars are recyclable.

• The Perennial Kitchen cookbook by Beth Dooley: James Beard Award-winning author Beth Dooley provides the context of food's origins, along with delicious recipes, nutrition information, and tips for smart sourcing. More than a farm-to-table cookbook, this book expands the definition of "local food" to embrace regenerative agriculture, the method of growing small and large crops with ecological services.

Original artwork: "Fire on the River" by Patti Walsh

This one-of-a-kind painting was created by Minnesota abstract artist Patti Walsh in honor of our great river. "Fire on the River" is acrylic on canvas and measures 21.5" x 17.5" with frame.

Artist statement. My work is filtered through my road-weary sometimes jaded and warped mind with a unique "woman-elder" perspective. It's pure feeling, mainly allowing chaos to self-organize into a form that might be understood visually - as I evolve and learn to understand that visual art expresses what we know without words but with experiences and sensory understanding.

As I approach a new piece of work. I typically have a process where colors are decided and I just let loose on the canvas with nothing in my logic mind and let my angst, joy, frustration, silliness, or a thousand other feelings dictate the movement of the work. It's enjoyable to learn how people perceive the finished pieces and tell me what they feel I might have been thinking; sometimes they're spot on, sometimes not so much; I love for people to get their own feelings from my work and interpret in their own ways.

Artwork details.

A pair of handcrafted, quality Red Wing Heritage boots

A bespoke gift from our friends downstream! Since 1905, Red Wing Shoes has been making footwear by hand, steps from the Mississippi River in Red Wing, MN. With every pair, they deliver on an enduring commitment to quality, attention to detail, and durability.

The winner of this item chooses the size and model of one pair of boots currently available on the Red Wing Heritage website, redwingshoes.com/heritage, with a value of up to $400.

Included with the boots are three pairs of colorful and comfortable handmade wool and bamboo socks. This special donation comes courtesy of our FMR staffer Monica Bierma's 91 year-old mother who has been knitting since she was four years old. The handmade socks are machine wash only and women size 8.

Mesmic Movement gift certificate and Patagonia gear

Located in downtown Saint Paul, Mesmic Movement offers yoga, meditation, Jikiden Reiki, and Thai massage. Mesic Movement owner Emily Rose began her business with the goal to recognize movement of body, mind, and energy, as well as the movement of our society and culture, and believing those things are deeply connected. With a focus on mental health and mindfulness in every class, Emily Rose invites presence and purpose into every style that she teaches.

This package includes a $100 gift certificate to Mesmic Movement, as well as two Patagonia Upcycle Pouches. The limited edition, handcrafted, small Patagonia Simple Pouch is repurposed from upcycled Patagonia rainwear into a functional, weather-resistant, one-of-a-kind bag - perfect for carrying all your essentials when headed to the yoga studio.

Enjoy a basket filled with fun local and river-themed treats, libations, and puzzles. You and a friend can explore St. Paul with gift cards to Bang Brewing and Candyland or simply stay home and enjoy River Road wine by the fire while you work on a Mississippi River puzzle or two. This cotton rope basket includes:

• $25 Candyland gift card
• 2 Bang Brewing growler tokens
• 1 bottle of River Road Wine Chardonnay
• 1 bottle of River Road Wine Pinot Noir
• 1 jigsaw puzzle of the Mississippi River
• 1 puzzle of Lower St. Anthony Fall Lock and Dam

Array of Patagonia products for your next adventure

Founded in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia is known for its ardent environmental ethic and quality gear. To ensure all of your outdoor adventures are properly outfitted, this package includes a variety of Patagonia products:

• Black Hole Pack 25L: A burly daypack with just the right amount of space to haul your daily essentials, with the durability you expect from our Black Hole bags. Made with 100% recycled body fabric, lining and webbing. Color: Crater Blue

• Black Hole Pack 32L: A midsize workhorse in the Black Hole collection. Perfect for organizing your daily commute and rugged enough to haul around the globe. Made with 100% recycled body fabric, lining and webbing. Color: Abalone blue

• Black Hole Duffel 55L: A go-to Black Hole Duffel. This workhorse organizes your gear and has enough space for a fun weekend away or a well-organized extended trip. Made with 100% recycled body fabric, lining and webbing. Color: Abalone blue w/ink black

• Black Hole Cube large: A mini gear closet ready to organize essentials no matter where you're headed; made with 100% recycled body fabric, lining and webbing. Color: Classic Navy

*Pictures are the actual color and style of the items.