Dear Cedar friends,

Are you sick of me yet? I know I am. How about this time, some of you write to me?

I am working on a project about Minneapolis, and it got me to thinking
about my favorite places in the city. But enough about me. I would like
to hear from you. What are your favorite places to hear music or eat
good food or drink tea? What are the places that make you want to stick
around the Twin Cities?

Especially now that the weather is nice, I’ve got an itch to explore.
Who’s with me? Don’t forget to explore new kinds of music. The Cedar
can help you with that, you know. And don’t forget to show your
appreciation. You know the Cedar loves you, but you know what they say
about one-sided love.

If you are planning on making a contribution, make it now. With your
help, we might make our goal of $10,000 and have McKnight match it all.

Whew!

Anyone who made it down to Kimya Dawson last night knows
that it was a wild night! I was really glad to see so many new faces at
The Cedar (especially so many kids and families).

It's possible that I had too much fun, and I was only working! I hope everyone else did too.

As
we near the end of the week here, you may need to take a minute to kick
back, relax, and watch a funny video. And you don't even need to leave
this site! Just head over to the "videos" page and check out our new
video "Double is Better." You may recognize a face or two...

The
reason for this hilarity and fun, is that during this month the
McKnight Foundation is matching all donations!!!!! This means your
contributions to The Cedar will count for twice as much during April.

Hello Internet world!

I wish I could say that spring is just around the corner, but I have my
doubts. Every time that I have decided it is going to get warm, put
away my mittens and cleaned up my bike, the sky drops a load of snow on
us.

But enough talk about the weather (that’s only for people who have
nothing to say, right?), let me tell you about more Cedar excitement.

Probably the biggest news right now is that the McKnight Foundation has
offered us a challenge. A CHALLENGE! What might this challenge be, you
ask? Well, for those of you who decide to accept, and make a donation
during March and April, McKnight will match your donation dollar for
dollar.

Here at the Cedar we were expecting a fairly normal weekend.Boiled in Lead on Saturday night and a sold-out Neal and Leandra Holiday showon Sunday. What we weren’t expecting was for Andrew Bird to add a third show tohis Twin Cities stint, and for that show to be at the Cedar on Sundayafternoon.

Despite the unusual afternoon schedule and last minuteplanning, everything seemed to work out really well. As usual, our amazingvolunteers were ready and willing to come in, even on extremely short notice. Ihope they know how much they are appreciated.

Another exciting event this weekend was Hard Times’triumphant return. The cafe opened its doors at midnight on Saturday, andpatrons were consistently lined up down the block for what seemed like hoursafterwards. Everyone just seemed so thankful to have Hard Times back. The crowdwas all smiles.

The snow may have slowed down your morning commute, but anyone who was at the Brave Combo Holiday Dance Party last night knows that things are still going strong at The Cedar!

I hope everyone who came out enjoyed themselves-it sured seemed like you did! Even for those of us who couldn't join you and dance, it was great just to see the excitement and energy of the crowd. 

Last night was also part one of my very first winter biking adventure. I made it both ways safely, and mostly dry. It is so exciting to be able to get to work in 20 minutes, even with snow on the ground.

While you're enjoying this seasonal snow, don't forget about our end-of-the-year campaign! If you were hoping to snag some extra Cedar swag (by being among the first 100 donors of $50 or more) you better get a move on!

Hello again.As you probably know, we have officially launched our campaign Made Of Cedar. This means that my face is everywhere!It also means that there is a unique opportunity for donors. If you are among the first 100 to donate, you get to have your choice of three gifts!