Mississippi Minute Film Festival

It wasn't until I had children that I became aware of just how many parks we had in Minneapolis.  

I never noticed how many white minivans there were in our neighborhood until we got one. 

As soon as we considered painting our front door we began to notice every great color combination people use when painting their home.

Since we began studying the Mississippi River, little tributes seem to pop up everywhere we look.  We are discovering so many wonderful connections to the river, a treasure right here at home.
Last night the kids and I went to the Mississippi Minute Film Festival.  I happened to see an advertisement for the festival in the newspaper, that morning, because now I look twice when I see "Mississippi River".  
The Mississippi Riverfront Partnership is a non-profit organization that works to support the social and the natural life along the Minneapolis riverfront (didn't know about them until we began this study).  They work with the city, the National park service, the University, the Historical Society, Watershed management and a host of other public and private organizations to enhance our life with the river.  Their hope is that when people have a reason to go to the river, appreciation for its value increases and the natural response will be to care for and protect it.
MRP sponsored this film festival, inviting anyone to produce a one-minute film about the river.  A panel of judges and the public participated in the voting, and last night was the showing of the winners.  One of our favorite museums, the Mill City Museum, hosted the event.  The first half hour was a series of speakers from various organizations associated with the river (which was really inspirational to hear, but slightly boring for the kiddos (however, delicious catered treats served as wonderful distraction from boredom)
To see what others see when they experience the river was the real treat. We didn't know about the festival in time to vote, but we all loved the Best in Show!

Awareness provides opportunity for more discovery.