Trick-Or-Treat in Downtown Osseo This Saturday!

The shorter days and cooler temps of fall here in the Upper Midwest signal the coming of one of most cherished childhood holidays…Halloween! Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of costumes, treats, and trick-or-treating up and down Osseo’s Central Ave on Saturday, October 26, 2013.

This is an all-ages and family friendly event in which kids are invited to dress up in their Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat at local Osseo businesses. We’ll start at the Osseo Community Center (located at 415 Central Ave, Osseo MN) at 12:00 Noon. From there, we’ll make our way downtown to local businesses for some trick-or-treating. We’ll conclude back at the Osseo Community Center for more treats and some fun Halloween themed games, complete with prizes!

A photographer will also be on hand taking free pictures of the scary, spooky, creative and fun-filled costumes. The event is free for everyone and is sponsored by the Osseo Lions Club. The Osseo Fire Dept will bring out the fire trucks to lead the parade of costumes through downtown as well.

Hope to see everyone in costume this Saturday! Happy trick-or-treating!

 

Riley Grams, City Planner, City of Osseo

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37th Annual Osseo Lions Roar Festival This Weekend

This weekend marks the 37th annual Osseo Lions Roar Festival (September 6 and 7) in downtown Osseo! This is an all ages, family friendly event put on by the local Lions Club to celebrate the City of Osseo held each year during the first weekend after Labor Day. The Osseo Lions have been active in the community for over 70 years, and take great pride in serving the community in which they live and work. The Lions Roar Festival is a time to bring the community together, let your hair down, and have some good old fashioned fun!

The event takes place in downtown Osseo, located in 3rd Street NW. Event set-up begins this week as crews block off the west end of 3rd Street NW starting on Friday, September 6 to prepare for the festival. Crews will also begin setting up the carnival area (located in the Premier Bank parking lots) on Friday afternoon. Business access will be available until Noon on Friday and the street will be closed to all traffic through Saturday, September 7.

The festival kicks off on Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM and into the evening, as the Urban Myth Band takes to the music stage from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The music stage will be located at the intersection of 3rd Street NW and 1st Avenue NW. The Lions Club will also host the annual food tent. The menu includes all the local favorites: grilled pork chops, hot dogs, Polish sausage, roast beef sandwiches and huge turkey legs. All food tent products will be provided by local businesses. Coke products and bottled water will be served by Boy Scouts Local Troop 211.

The ever-popular Beer Garden (located in 3rd Street NW) will feature strong beer and wine (including Budweiser, Michelob Golden Light, Lime-A-Rite and Straw-Ber-Rita, Barcardi Silver Raz, a selection of wines, and non-alcoholic Sprecher Root Beer). Of course, you must be 21 years of age to drink, and all beer/liquor vendors will card each patron.

The Lions Roar community parade, considered the highlight of the Lions Roar Festival, will begin at Noon on Saturday. The parade features over 100 groups from local and area businesses, to Osseo city leaders, marching bands, and much more. The parade route follows the same route each year, starting at the intersection of 5th Ave SE and 2nd Street SE. The route travels north along 5th Ave SE to 1st Street NE, where it turns west and travels along 1st Street NE. When the route reaches Central Ave, it turns north and travels through downtown Osseo, before turning west again at 6th Street NW. The parade ends at the Osseo Senior High School parking lot. There will also be a free ice cream social following the parade in the OHS parking lot.

The party continues Saturday afternoon and into the evening, as two more musical acts take center stage. The Papa Nut Band will play at the music stage from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, followed by the Moose Knuckle Brothers Band from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

In addition to those great events, the Lions Roar Festival will host a wide range of new activities this year. There will be a NEW carnival beginning in 2013 and the rides will be located in the Premier Bank parking lot. Additionally, the following events will take place during the 2013 Lions Roar Festival:

BINGO under the Premier Bank Drive Thru, Saturday 3-7 PM, Presented by the Osseo Band Boosters

Art in the Park and Sidewalk Sale, Friday Noon-5 PM & Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM, Located at Boerboom Park and along Central Ave, Presented by the Osseo Business Association (click here to register for the Art in the Park Sale)

Book Sale at Osseo/Hennepin County Library, Located at the Hennepin County Library in Osseo City Hall, Friday Noon – 4 PM & Saturday 9 AM – 4 PM, Presented by the Friends of the Osseo Library

Lions Roar 5K Run/Walk, Saturday 11 AM start, Presented by the Osseo High School Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams (click here to register for the 5K Run/Walk)

The Lions Roar weekend is always a festive and fun event showcasing the City of Osseo. Lions Roar helps build community involvement and makes Osseo a fantastic place to live, work or shop. Hope to see you this weekend!

 

Riley Grams, City Planner, City of Osseo

 

 

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Construction Begins on the Osseo Five Central Project

As many Osseo residents have no doubt already learned, the Osseo Five Central project has revved up in the last few weeks, and full blown construction will begin within the next few days. After years and years of planning, including some tough national and regional economic times, the City of Osseo Staff and City Council members are thrilled to see this project come full circle.

The City has teamed up with The Beard Group, a local developer overseeing the project whose company started back in 1990, to construct a 3-story, 71-unit market rate apartment building on the Block 6 redevelopment site, just north of Osseo City Hall. Osseo leaders have spent over ten years buying up residential properties on the Block 6 site with the grand vision of constructing a multi-tenant project with the aim to bring more residents to the City’s downtown core. As the dominoes began to fall into place on the redevelopment site, The Beard Group stepped up and proposed the Five Central concept to City officials. Many variations of the project were presented, and the final concept plans were approved by the Osseo City Council late in 2012.

This spring and summer, the remaining vacant homes and old gas station on the corner of Central Ave and 5th Street NW met the wrecking ball. It took all of one day to reduce the old residential homes to rubble, as crews wasted no time clearing the area for construction. At the same time, utility and sewer work began in 6th Street NW to upgrade the infrastructure needed to support the new development. Xcel Energy will begin to remove the overhead power lines and bury them underground shortly, which will help visually clean up the development site. With the vacant homes out of the way, construction crews will start digging to begin work on the underground parking facility.

The need for this project is clear. The City has long wanted to bring more people to its charming downtown business core to help support the small businesses that occupy the flower lined corridor. Certainly adding roughly 100 or more residents adjacent to the commercial districts will accomplish that. Because the apartments will feature all high-end appliances and finishes, both millennials and baby boomers will be attracted to this project. Apartment renters want to be able to walk to amenities, and they generally like the connection and proximity to parks and day-to-day commercial businesses. The Beard Group recently completed similar projects in blighted areas in downtown Hopkins (Marketplace and Main) and Robbinsdale (Broadway Court) with great success as the rental housing market continues to skyrocket.

The booming rental market can be felt in other area cities. Many suburban downtowns in the west metro are being rebuilt as cities strive to revitalize their cores by capitalizing on the latest development trends. Many new projects, including the Osseo Five Central project, are underway in an attempt to bring density and dollars to sagging suburban centers. The Star Tribune recently ran an article showcasing the Five Central project. Attracting different populations (baby boomers, millennials and Generation X) to live and spend money in downtown districts is something many cities are trying to achieve as the economy continues its slow climb out of the recession.

So what can residents expect on the Five Central construction site in the coming months? Well, for starters, more and more construction equipment and workers. A project of this size will generate roughly a crew of 40-60 workers at its peak time. The full build time is expected to take around one full year, depending on the winter weather and other factors. The Beard Group is expecting to cut the ceremonial ribbon on the Osseo Five Central project sometime in the summer of 2014. Demand for leasing the units has already been strong. If you are interested in learning more about the units or want information on how to sign up on the waiting list, you can contact Ben Beard at 952-930-0630 or by email at benb@beardgroupinc.com.

If you follow the City of Osseo on Facebook (Facebook.com/DiscoverOsseo), be sure to check out the updated Five Central construction photographs album throughout the next year for great visual updates of the work being done on site.

 

 

Riley Grams, City Planner, City of Osseo

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Meet Your Neighbors During Osseo Night to Unite – Tues Aug 6

Join your neighbors and local law enforcement officials for the 5th annual Osseo Night to Unite on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 starting at 6:00 PM. The Osseo event is just one of many throughout the State of Minnesota. The Minnesota Crime Prevention Association has partnered with communities throughout the State to celebrate and strengthen neighborhood and community partnerships. Night to Unite is sponsored by the Minnesota Crime Prevention Association, AAA of Minnesota/Iowa and local law enforcement communities, including the City of Osseo Police Department and Fire Department.

Neighborhood groups can register with the Osseo PD to serve as official Night to Unite parties, allowing all residents the opportunity to meet and greet their neighbors. This year, the City of Osseo has seven registered parties spread all over the City. Each party is unique in how it celebrates Night to Unite (examples include BBQ’s, ice cream socials, live bands, kids events, and much more), but all have a common theme, bringing neighbors together for a fun evening.

The Minnesota Night to Unite was started in an effort to get to know one another in your neighborhood, to build neighborhood involvement by bringing Police Officers, Fire Officers and communities together, and to raise awareness of crime prevention and local law enforcement efforts.

The Osseo Police and Fire Departments team up to visit each registered party throughout the City, usually visiting with party goers for a half hour or so. Neighborhood children get the opportunity to meet their local Police and Fire members, take turns crawling inside the Police squad cars or Fire trucks, spray the water hose from the fire truck, and generally have a great time meeting these local heroes. This is a great opportunity for Osseo residents to get to know the individuals behind the badges on a more personal level.

The Night to Unite event has been a massive success, not only here in Osseo, but across the State of Minnesota. Last year there were seven registered parties with an estimated 300 people participating City wide. The Night to Unite event is not only beneficial to the citizens, but also for the City as everyone has an opportunity to come together through conversation and cooperation.

If you have any questions on this years Osseo Night to Unite, you can contact Osseo Police Department Officer Anthony Mortinson (amortinson@ci.osseo.mn.us or 763-424-5444).

 

 

Riley Grams, City Planner, City of Osseo

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