A great crowd turned out to attend our annual meeting this morning. Board member elections were held, with Dave Burrill, Kori Hennessy, Dipankar Mukherjee, Lee Wallace, and President Becky George all approved to keep serving on our board for a 3 year term.

We gave Outstanding Business Achievement awards to Patrick's Cabaret, It's Greek To Me, Wellington Management, and Bryant-Lake Bowl for all the years of hard work they've put into making Lake Street great. Community Partnership Awards went to Susan Hunter-Weir and Friends of the Cemetery, for all they do to make local history come alive, and Metro Transit, for the 21 Hop & Shop and all the other great projects they've done with us on Lake Street

Our panel of Jay Walljasper, Mary Keefe, and Mike Temali held a very interesting discussion on the current trends in the area, their plusses and minuses, and where we go from here. Look for a full report in our next Lake Line newsletter. Thanks to all who came.

The Latest on Lake:

March 19th: Lake Street Construction Meeting
2:00 PM, 105 West Lake Street (Champions)
County & City project staff discuss the latest construction updates and listen and respond to business concerns. First construction meeting of the year.

Beginning March 20th: Puntila & His Hired Man Matti, by Frank Theatre
26th & Hiawatha (City of Minneapolis Public Works yard)
The play "revolves around a wealth landowner, Mr. Puntila, who is humane, caring and generous when he is inebriated, but when he suffers his 'attacks of sobriety' becomes mean, petty and selfish."

March 24th: "Crime Prevent Through Environmental Design" Discussion
6:00 - 8:00 PM, 3010 Nicollet Ave. S. (5th Precinct Community Room)
Learn about how to design an environment to reduce crime, use lighting to increase safety, and many other issues. RSVP to thomas.thompson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.

March 24th: Connecting the Dots: Strategies for Community Artists
6:30 - 8:00 PM, 4137 Bloomington Ave. S. (Center for Independent Artists)
Featuring City of Minneapolis guest speaker Reggie Prim, Community Arts Consultant.

March 25th: Out Rage Us Cabaret, at Patrick's Cabaret
9:00 PM, 3010 Minnehaha Ave.
"Out Rage Us celebrates an enigma: a golden age of artistic freedom in increasingly repressive times; not unlike the cabaret scene in Weimar-era Berlin, but with a distinctly local and contemporary flavor."

March 28th: Early Morning with Elizabeth Glidden
7:30 - 9:00 AM, 4762 Chicago Ave. S. (Turtle Bread)
State Representatives from the area will be giving a mid-season report on the 2008 legislative session.

Beginning March 28th: The Rabbit Hole, at Jungle Theater
2951 Lyndale Ave. S.
"Becca and Howard Corbett have everything a family could want until the accidental death of their four-year-old son leaves the couple drifting apart." Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize.

Through March 30th (extended): Eleanor's Cabinet, at Open Eye Figure Theatre
7:30 PM Fridays and Saturdays, 4:00 PM Sundays, 506 East 24th Street
"Funny, sad, warm and very kid-friendly. That says it all." -Star Tribune

Through May 10th: Minneapolis 55408, at Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Ave. S.
"Intermedia Arts proudly presents the 12th annual installment of MINNEAPOLIS 55408, the multimedia, multi-artist exhibition that displays new works from Minneapolis’ most creative zip code."

Every Tuesday: Informational Meetings at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
7:00 PM, 2924 4th Ave. S.
Cristo Rey welcomes 8th and 9th grade students and their parents to learn more about the school as a possibility for 9th and 10th grades. For appointments call 612-545-9704. A college prep education for students from families of low income. Transportation/financial aid available.