Mpls DID celebrates 10th anniversary with Birthday Block Party

The Mpls Downtown Improvement District celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Birthday Block Party on Nicollet between 6th and 7th on Wednesday, July 10. The celebration included free activities for the public, law enforcement and street outreach partners, a Mayor’s Office proclamation read by Minneapolis City Council Members and more.

The DID, which launched in 2009, works each day to make downtown Minneapolis greener, cleaner, safer and more vibrant. It’s DID Ambassadors—a staff of 75 during peak seasons—have provided more than 1 million pedestrian assists, picked up more than 315,000 bags of trash and tended to more than 167,000 plants since its inception, among other statistics.

The organization convenes stakeholders and downtown businesses and residents, works collaboratively with law enforcement and street outreach groups, provides safety workshops, activates Nicollet, assists in wayfinding and more.

To help celebrate on Wednesday, DID provided free activities including a nine-hole mini-golf course, a live DJ, the Storymobile and DID yard games, offered Arnold Palmer drinks, had food trucks on hand and hosted the Nicollet Makers Market.

In addition, four DID Ambassadors were recognized as being on staff since the very beginning: Dave Hallenberger, Todd Sanford, Mike Ladwig and James Armstrong.

City Council Members Steve Fletcher and Lisa Goodman read a proclamation from Mayor Jacob Frey’s office celebrating the DID’s efforts in its first 10 years and looking ahead to the future.

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