So Much North Loop News! Welcome to Our Volunteer Correspondents
North Loop has no shortage of news to share; it’s enough to staff a whole real-life newsroom. Instead, we have volunteer feature writers who try to keep up with all that’s happening in the neighborhood. So far, the North Loop Neighborhood Association “press corps” includes NLNA board members Gwen Hollins, Ali Odenthal and Louis Raymond, volunteers Mike Binkley and Amber Woller and NLNA president Mary Binkley.
Some are motivated by their love of North Loop. “I see it as a privilege as well as a responsibility to do whatever I can to help the North Loop continue to thrive,” said Raymond.
“I enjoy the fact that I can stay up to date on neighborhood topics that are important to me and help answer questions from other residents,” added Odenthal.
Raymond’s interest in art and music matched perfectly with all the North Loop galleries and live music options, earning him the title of Culture Correspondent. His first story was about the Open Loop exhibit at Form+Content Gallery (running through May 9), and he has an upcoming story on Hewing’s Rooftop Concert Series launching later this month to kick off the summer months.
NLNA Board Member Louis Raymond, left, speaks with Open Loop Juror Kylie Linh Hoang and Artist Isaiah Okongo at the exhibit’s opening in April.
Gwen Hollins wants to write about everything from art, recreation and safety to features on problem-solving and “people getting unstuck.” Her first story covered the beautiful quilt exhibit at 801 Gallery. Hollins traveled outside of North Loop to meet the Quilt Artists at their convention in Cold Spring, Minnesota. “It was exciting to watch them assemble their pieces into something spectacular,” said Hollins. The exhibit has been extended to May 16, so there’s still time to see it.
Some of the quilts on exhibit at 801 Gallery covered in Gwen Hollins’s story.
Given how anything about dogs generates interest in our dog-rich neighborhood, Ali Odenthal raised her hand to become the official Dog Park Correspondent. “As a dog owner, I enjoy writing stories about the dog park and dog-related events,” said Odenthal. She’ll cover the progress of making the new North Loop dog park a reality. Work on the new location may begin later this summer.
NLNA Board Member Ali Odenthal, third from right, attends a February community engagement meeting revealing the new dog park location.
Amber Woller checked the “say yes” box for feature writing at the Annual Meeting in January because she knows the impact of good storytelling. “At a recent work event, it pained me to watch a co-worker throw away the six-pack rings from some drinks without cutting them apart,” explained Woller. “Back in 8th grade, I wrote for my school newspaper on how that specific shape of plastic affects wildlife. The fact that the image stayed with me all these years proves the power of a well-told story.”
For her first story, she interviewed the daughter of the real Mrs. Meyer, who started the cleaning products company bearing her mother’s name.
Volunteer Writer Amber Woller interviewed North Loop author and entrepreneur Monica Nassif, left, for her story about Nassif’s book about her mom, Mrs. Meyer, and the company that bears her mom’s name.
As the only actual reporter on the team, Mike Binkley, a retired TV newsman, will continue to cover new business openings and other “breaking news” items, after having done so professionally for 35+ years. From 2018 until now, Mike has mostly been the only volunteer writing articles for our website and social media.
“We have a lot of creative talent in this neighborhood and I’m really grateful for the other volunteers who’ve stepped up to share the North Loop story,” he said.
The press corps (including this writer) all agree the volunteer gig is harder than it looks. In addition to gathering the facts, interviewing people and writing the story, it also takes time to get photos and write captions for social media posts.
“My advice to anyone considering volunteering would be to be creative and add your personal voice to your piece to showcase all the talents in our neighborhood,” Odenthal.
“Jump right in!” exclaimed Raymond.
If you enjoy writing and love North Loop, please drop a line to info@northloop.org to learn more. There are feature-writing guidelines to help you get started, and yours truly is here to help.
— By Mary Binkley, NLNA President