Connect with us

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis man recreates local landmarks with Legos

Published

on

Minneapolis man recreates local landmarks with Legos


About a block from Lake Nokomis, there’s a coffee shop where customers come to escape the daily grind. But inside the corner cafe sits a tiny tribute to the neighborhood hangout.

Advertisement

How he got his start

The backstory:

Jeff Esler has been coming to Nokomis Beach Coffee for caffeine and conversation every morning for more than two decades.

Advertisement

Since he’s always had a love of Legos, about a year and a half ago, Esler made a small scale replica of his favorite coffee shop, complete with miniature versions of himself and his daily coffee klatch.

“I call it the last supper. It’s a bunch of us sitting around this table and each one of them, you can kind of recognize who the minifigures are. Most of my friends are like that’s great. Some of them are like I don’t look like that,” said Esler.

Mini Monte Carlo

Advertisement

Local perspective:

Another Lego model of the Monte Carlo restaurant in the North Loop is also on display at the coffee shop.

With accurate reproductions of everything from the outdoor signs and patio to the signature bar that goes all the way up to the ceiling, Esler’s attention to detail is jaw dropping.

Advertisement

“It’s one of my favorite restaurants. It’s been in Minneapolis since 1906 so it’s got a lot of history. It’s usually just my perspective. It’s not super accurate but it will end up looking a lot like the real places,” said Esler.

Building a hobby brick-by-brick

Dig deeper:

Advertisement

FOX 9 first met Esler nearly eight years ago, when he immortalized Nye’s Polonaise Room with Legos about a year after the beloved piano bar and restaurant in northeast Minneapolis closed its doors.

“It was a combination of I want something to do and I want one of these little projects so why not do Nye’s or something everyone recognizes. So that’s what I did,” Esler said at the time.

Advertisement

It is now one of a handful of Lego models in his mancave that includes Gluek’s bar in downtown Minneapolis, the home of the Jucy Lucy Matt’s Bar, the Split Rock Lighthouse along Lake Superior and a gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Cloquet.

Esler says each project takes thousands of bricks and 40 to 50 hours to build.

“I’ll sit down here at noon and all of a sudden it will be midnight and it will feel like an hour so its kind of fun to get really into doing things like that,” said Esler.

Advertisement

What’s next:

Esler’s latest Lego creation is the Riverview Theater in South Minneapolis, which is filled with mini figurines, including a row of Jokers from the Lego Batman set.

Advertisement

As much as he wants to keep them, Esler says part of him wants to sell or give his Lego landmarks away.

But he has no plans to stop recreating some of Minnesota’s most recognizable places one brick at a time.

“They are cool enough to be maintained. They have a little Americana. A little bit of history,” said Esler.

Advertisement

Maury’s StoriesMinneapolis



Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE

Published

on

Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE


Construction workers in Minneapolis on Friday called for developers to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave Minnesota and offer protections for their crews. Protesters at a separate demonstration on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis asked corporate businesses to end what they call cooperation with immigration enforcement.



Source link

Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer

Published

on

Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer


The story behind Anthony Edwards wearing a bright orange bracelet since last season has received a positive development, after Timberwolves fans learned Luca Wright has beaten leukemia.

Anthony Edwards, Luca Wright connection

What we know:

Advertisement

Last January, the 6-year-old Minnesotan met “Ant” for the first time following a game against the Detroit Pistons, proclaiming him to be his favorite player, and asking him to wear a bracelet that symbolizes leukemia awareness, resilience and support for those affected. During the interaction, the fan had created a sign with a to-do list: “1. Beat Cancer. 2. Be The Next MJ.”

Leukemia is a type of cancer that spreads throughout the bloodstream, infecting bone marrow and a person’s lymphatic system by rapid production of abnormal white blood cells that can’t fight infection.

Advertisement

Since then, the Wolves’ MVP has worn a bracelet that proclaims, “Love Like Luca” on it for every game he has played, vowing to wear it “until he hangs up his sneakers.”

Ant has gone on to explain how the gesture connected with him given that he lost both his mother, Yvette, and grandmother, Shirley, to cancer when he was 14 years old. The No. 5 jersey he wears currently is a tribute to them both.

Luca bracelet latest

Advertisement

Dig deeper:

More than a year later, Wolves fans have received the update they hoped for – now 7-year-old Luca has beaten his cancer.

What’s next:

Advertisement

Ant has since responded to the news with his own social media video, calling it “God’s gift” and saying, “Let’s do this Luca.”

No word yet on whether he intends to keep wearing the bracelet, though he’s previously said he has a stash of replacements near the team bench should one ever be broken.

Advertisement

The Source: Information provided by the Minnesota Timberwolves public relations department.

Minnesota TimberwolvesNBASportsPeopleEntertainment



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:

Published

on

Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:


A Minneapolis family is struggling to make sense of a tragedy that has left them heartbroken. 

Family tells WCCO 14-year-old Xavier Barnett and 23-year-old Akwame Stewart were killed Monday.

The brothers were very different, but equally loved. Barnett was a good student and athlete. Stewart was a painter, creative and thoughtful. Two brothers, loved and full of promise, gone. 

Police say the accused shooter is their cousin, 23-year-old Eddie Duncan.

Advertisement

Court records show Duncan was released on bail Monday on charges of fleeing law enforcement and possession of a gun modified with an “auto sear switch.”

Court records also show Duncan was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, but not until next month, on March 24.

Deasia Freeman, Barnett and Stewart’s sister, says this loss could have been prevented. 

“They all failed us. We got two innocent lives gone for no reason. Didn’t do nothing to nobody,” Freeman said.

Family members say the system and Duncan’s family let them down.

Advertisement

Freeman says Duncan’s family saw the warning signs and still bailed him out

“If you knew this man was thinking like this, y’all should have kept him in there and he should not even have bail,” she said. 

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says they noted Duncan was a public safety risk and asked for a high bail, much higher than a typical request. 

“In Minnesota, there is a constitutional right to bail, and the bail amount is set by the Court. Our office noted a public safety risk with Mr. Duncan and asked the judge to set bail at $70,000, or $35,000 with conditions; both of which are higher than we would typically request in this scenario. The judge set bail in that amount. Mr. Duncan posted $35,000 bail with conditions of release, as is allowed under the Minnesota Constitution, and was released from custody. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by yesterday’s violence. This was a terrible tragedy for this family and our community,” a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.

For Freeman and her family, the hardest part isn’t just the legal process but living each day without their brothers. 

Advertisement

Even in the heartbreak, she says the memories of the good days, the laughter and love they shared will carry them through.

“I wish I could get just one more phone call from them asking me where I’m at,” Freeman said as tears rolled down her face. 

Court records confirm Duncan left the scene of the crime and fled to nearby Brooklyn Center. There, a search warrant says Duncan “fired a gun at officers, striking two squads,” when police arrived. That’s when officers returned fire, shooting and killing him.

Three officers have been placed on critical incident leave as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension leads the investigation into Duncan’s fatal shooting.

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending