Break out of the winter doldrums by attending the Como Community Council’s monthly Sunday Series, three presentations from February to April, all free and open to the public. Learn more about butterflies and moths and how to attract them, travel back in time with a neighborhood historian and pick up some new approaches for gardening with native plants.

First up is Heather Holm, a horticulturist who maintains the popular Restoring the Landscape with Native Plants blog. Her presentation, “Minnesota’s day-flying moths and butterflies,” is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. at North Dale Recreation Center, 1414 Saint Albans St. N.

Warm weather threatened last-minute venue change

Ciaran Kelly flies towards the puck at the 53rd annual Langford Classic. Photo by Lori Hamilton 

By Kristal Leebrick

Despite higher-than-average temperatures and some open patches of grass near one of the ice rinks, hockey was played outside under the lights at the 53rd annual Langford Park Winter Classic Jan. 5–8. The event, which includes both a hockey and basketball tournament, came close to moving the hockey games to North Dale Recreation Center, which has a refrigerated rink.

By Jonah Van Why

One thousand six hundred and thirty. Those are the number of miles separating Langford Park and ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., the two ice rinks that Kevin Wolf has, and will soon, call home. Born and raised in St. Anthony Park, 15-year-old Wolf is following a dream that started on the rinks at Langford some 13 years ago. 

Wolf signed with the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds in November and will move out West in April.

Six-foot, 6-inch 195-pound defenseman Kevin Wolf has signed with the Seattle Thunderbirds and will move out West in April.

  The Hokes (Sylvia, Mathias, Andreas and Robert) hope their diminutive library spurs a collective exchange of ideas in their neighborhood. Photo by Kristal Leebrick

By Kristal Leebrick

Two new libraries have quietly opened in the Como Park and St. Anthony Park neighborhoods since November. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and you don’t need a library card to check out a book. 

The approximately 2-by-2-foot wood-and-Plexiglas birdhouse-like structures are part of the Little Free Library initiative that began in 2009 in Madison, Wis. The program aims to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide.

Eight Como Park and St. Anthony Park residents and business owners have been placed on the city of St. Paul’s Neighborhood Honor Roll this year. Residents of each district in the city are encouraged to nominate neighbors who make their neighborhoods a better place to live, work and play. The award recipients were honored at a celebration at the University of St. Thomas on Jan. 20. Read about the honorees here.

St. Anthony Park library's silent Movie Night set for Feb. 24

Put Friday, Feb. 24, on your calendars and head over to the St. Anthony Park Branch Library, 2300 Como Ave., for the annual Silent Movie Night featuring Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and the world-renowned Norris Anderson, who will accompany the films on piano.

The event will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. in the lower-level auditorium. The movies are free, but the pop and popcorn will cost 25 cents.

Silent Movie Night is sponsored by the St. Paul Public Library and the SAP Library Association.

The St. Anthony Park Branch Library, 2245 Como Ave., has reduced its hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays. New hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

The schedules on other days have not changed. They are: Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 8 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sundays, closed.

The library will be closed Monday, Feb. 20, for President’s Day.