Powderhorn Lake wins second annual Facebook poll
_[_ (aka, Minne the Lake Creature) swims in today and stays through August
The Mona Lisa of Minneapolis lakes will grace Powderhorn Park this summer, beginning Wednesday, June 4. Fans of _[_ (aka, Minne the Lake the Creature) and friends of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation chose the South Minneapolis location by participating in a two-week poll on the Parks Foundation’s Facebook page.
Minne is a winsome floating sculpture and a free public art project supported by the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. Learn more and interact with her at Facebook.com/LakeCreature.
Powderhorn Lake Park, 3400 15th Avenue South, is a hilly and lush 68-acre park that features the 12-acre lake for which its named. Its lovely setting and large space make it a frequent site for festivals and events, including the May Day Festival, Powderhorn Art Fair and 4th of July Celebration.
How the lake was won
This is the second year that the Parks Foundation has asked Minne fans to choose her summer home. Last year, Minne fans strongly favored Lake Nokomis. In 2014, nine Minneapolis lakes were candidates for Minne’s watering hole: Brownie, Calhoun, Cedar, Harriet, Hiawatha, Isles, Nokomis, Powderhorn and Wirth.
Minne fans voted by “liking” the photo of their favorate lake. Powderhorn received about 30% of the nearly 1,200 votes – or 347 likes. Hiawatha came in a close second at 337 likes. The poll ran for two weeks, ending on Friday, May 30, at about 10:30pm.
A Minne history
Minneapolis first met Minne the Lake Creature in 2009. Minneapolis artist Cameron Gainer, inspired by the infamous 1934 “Surgeon’s Photo” of the Loch Ness Monster, created the 13-foot fiberglass sculpture and gave her the glypth _[_.
Minne has graced all nine of the 17 Minneapolis lakes and ponds she can. Until 2012, she moved up to three times per summer. Now she makes just one lake her home because of Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board regulations regarding invasive species require a two-week holding period when moving Minne between lakes.
Helping Minne means a lot!
Another consideration is cost – about $3,000 a year for transportation, off-season storage and summer installation. Fans of public art can help support Minne by contributing at MplsParksFoundation.org/Donate or mailing a contribution to Minneapolis Parks Foundation, 4800 Minnehaha Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55417.