St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society to meet

RIVER FALLS – The St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 at the River Falls Public Library (140 Union St.) in the main floor meeting room.

Magdalena Pala, presenter, has lived half her life in Poland and half in the United States. She will present a history of Poland, changes of state territory, and rise of multi-ethnic populations throughout the_centuries._Pala came to the US as a postdoctoral fellow and eventually joined the Department of Chemistry at UW– River Falls, where she taught for 20 years._ This meeting is open to the public. It will also be presented via Zoom to members who cannot attend the meeting. The Zoom link will be sent to members the week of the meeting. Please wear a face mask as advised by the St. Croix County Public Health Department for public_indoor_settings. If you have any questions, contact Darcy at 715-307-5149.

Submitted by Darcy Boock RIVER FALLS – River Falls artist Bonnie Rubinstein has been selected to create a site-specific work to complement the City’s recently updated electric substation on South Winter Street. Rubinstein’s design was chosen from five proposals received by the selection review panel consisting of the mayor, community members and city staff.

The proposed site for the artwork is along South Winter Street near the decommissioned power plant. This site is visible to vehicle and bicycle traffic on South Winter as well as pedestrians walking from the downtown district and the Lake George pathway. Funding for the project comes from the City’s percent for art program, “River Falls Creates,” which dedicates up to 1% of infrastructure costs for public art to complement the project at that or another site.

“Art is Power” was selected for its beautiful design, use of sustainable materials and suitability to the site. As the first project in the River Falls Creates portfolio, the selection review panel was pleased with each of the submittals, with Rubinstein’s metal representation of the flowing Kinnickinnic River and nature- based design chosen for this location. “We’re very excited to see this public art installed as an added feature to bring visitors to River Falls and to make use of the extensive walking trails through downtown and around Lake George.” Mayor Dan Toland said. “Public art adds so much to a community by promoting public interaction with public spaces.”

Rubinstein has a strong commitment to dynamic, creative, balanced design and has been an environmental advocate for business sustainability. Her work often has themes inspired by nature or abstract thought, and many pieces are water inspired. She has created large glass murals for the University of Wisconsin- River Falls and the River Falls High School as well as many national public art projects.

The artwork is expected to be installed around the end of the year. For more information, contact Jason Stroud, Assistant City Administrator at 715-426-3416.

Submitted by the City of River Falls