Nokomis East Business Association

Bringing Nokomis Days to life

The marketing team for Nokomis Days included (left to right)Kyle of Nokomis Life, Peter Stein of Steinography, Tesha M. Christensen of Longfellow Nokomis Messenger and Heidi Van Heel of hvh Engage!

Amy Viken (volunteer), Holly Pinkerton (volunteer), Elsie Greeley (volunteer and my niece), and Janet Kolterman (server) sell tickets at the Bull's Horn parking lot party on Sunday, Aug. 6. On tap this year was Bull Brand, a collab with Venn Brewing.

Ari Edgeton, age 12, assists his mom, Gillian McLaughlin, at Bitter Buffalo (4557 S 34th Ave.) on Aug. 6. People could do their own screen printing on t-shirts and flags during the event. McLaughlin's business moved from northeast Minneapolis into the Nokomis area about a year ago.

Local musician Josie Hasnik known as FINICK was one of four artists who performed at the opening concert behind Nokomis Tattoo on Friday evening, Aug. 4, 2023.

Annie and Fred DuBose hosted a pop-up at Bull's Horn to sell coffee on Aug. 6. SunBean Coffee will be opening this fall at 4553 34th Avenue S.

Samantha Richards and Benjamin Mielke hosted a carnival at Lady and the Beard.

Maria and Raul Morales of Nokomis Surplus brought back their sidewalk sale.

Sarah Friedman sells Babusya’s Kitchen cookbooks to raise funds for Ukraine relief efforts at the Oxendale's vendor fair.

Sarah Petzel and Becky Back organize the Nokomis Makers Market.

NEBA co-chair and volunteer Heidi Van Heel of hvh Engage! is a longtime resident of Nokomis East and operates a home-based businesses. NEBA is currently meeting on the third Wednesday of each month, 6 p.m., at the McDonald's Liquor community space.

Posted Wednesday, August 30, 2023 3:50 pm

NOKOMIS DAYS COMMITTEE

• Amy Greeley, Bull’s Horn

• Linda Simon, Fit to Live

• Tesha M. Christensen, Longfellow Nokomis

Messenger

• Natalie Lyon, Natalie Lyon Agency

• Nick Daugherty, McDonald’s Liquor & Wine

• Kyle, Nokomis Life

• Mike Welch, Nokomis Tattoo

• Becky Back & Sarah Petzel, Nokomis

Makers Market

• Peter Stein, Steinography

• Brittany Rudquist & Maria

Montanez-Rudquist, WebVolta

By Heidi Van Heel, co-chair, NokomisEastBA@gmail.com

They say it takes a village. We say it takes a special neighborhood. Add a small but dedicated group of volunteers and passionate businesses, and you have Nokomis Days.
Our Nokomis Days celebration isn’t new. But it’s the third year that the Nokomis East Business Association (NEBA) has taken it on after a 30+ year hiatus. It was also new to the latest group of NEBA volunteers behind its reboot.
As far as we know, the Nokomis East Business Association first came on the scene in the 1960s. Over the years, it’s seen a lot of members and businesses come and go. The organization has also had many ups and downs, including name changes, periods of inactivity, a pandemic, and an Uprising. It hasn’t been easy keeping an entirely volunteer-run organization going, especially over 60 years.
But one thing has always remained constant with NEBA – individuals and businesses with a deep love and commitment to our very special corner of the city. And, if you ask us, there’s no greater example than Nokomis Days.
This year, the Nokomis Days Planning Committee got to work in January. This team of volunteers met each month to put ideas into action for the August celebration. Businesses and service organizations from every corner of the Nokomis area also stepped forward, volunteering their time, talents, and resources to create a weekend-long list of festivities that brought the celebration to life.
And the hard work paid off.
Once again, you came out in full force to support your favorite local businesses and discover new ones you hadn’t realized were here. It was a remarkable weekend, especially since volunteers made it all happen – including each of the businesses that hosted events and specials all weekend.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this year a success. We hope you feel as fortunate as we do to be part of the Nokomis East community.
As we close the chapter on our 2023 Nokomis Days celebration, we’re already looking forward to 2024. So, save the date for the first weekend of August. And, if you need a distraction when the winter winds start to blow, contact us to learn more about our Nokomis Days Planning Committee by emailing NokomisEastBA@gmail.com.
NEBA co-chair and volunteer Heidi Van Heel of hvh Engage! is a longtime resident of Nokomis East and operates a home-based businesses. NEBA is currently meeting on the third Wednesday of each month, 6 p.m., at the McDonald's Liquor community space.