Originally published in the Park Bugle, September 2026.
August was a busy month around St. Anthony Park.
On the first Tuesday evening of the month, neighbors were gathering in two different corners of South St. Anthony Park. Along Seal Street, residents came together outside Seal Hi-Rise for National Night Out. Just down the road, people wandered through the SAP Community Garden, listened to live music, and explored everything growing during the annual Sip & Stroll.
And that was only the beginning.
Over the next ten days, neighbors headed into the woods and trails connecting our communities during NeighborWoods and spread blankets across Hampden Park for an outdoor showing of Mamma Mia!
Four gatherings in less than two weeks gave neighbors four very different ways to spend some time together.
At Seal Hi-Rise, SAPCC’s Equity Committee joined residents of the Hi-Rise, nearby townhomes, and neighbors along Seal Street for National Night Out on August 4.
The gathering was intentionally kept close to home, bringing together people who may live only a few doors or buildings apart but don’t always have an opportunity to meet. Neighbors shared food, caught up with familiar faces, and made some new connections along Seal Street.
The event was made possible in part through a $1,000 grant from the St. Anthony Park Community Foundation, supporting SAPCC’s continued efforts to create welcoming community gatherings in South St. Anthony Park.
Meanwhile, another summer tradition was underway at the SAP Community Garden.
The annual Sip & Stroll welcomed neighbors from across the community into the 1.8-acre garden for an evening of live music, conversation, and plenty to explore.
Visitors got a look at plum trees now thriving in the garden and the remarkable return of prairie grasses following a prescribed burn earlier this spring. Garden plots were full of summer growth as gardeners and volunteers welcomed visitors and shared what’s happening in one of St. Anthony Park’s longstanding community green spaces.
Nick Jordan and Mike Wilson returned after performing at last year’s Sip & Stroll, providing live music as neighbors wandered the garden, caught up with friends, and enjoyed a summer evening together.
Four days later, the focus moved from the garden to the woods.
On Saturday, August 8, our friends at Transition Town – ASAP welcomed neighbors into the “NeighborWoods” – the connected stretch of Breck Woods, the Trolley Trail, and the Lauderdale Nature Area linking St. Anthony Park with Lauderdale and Falcon Heights.
The well-attended afternoon brought together longtime trail users and people discovering the area for the first time. Neighbors explored the woods, learned about its trees and history, and got a closer look at a natural space connecting our communities right in our own backyard.
Then came movie night.
On August 14, blankets and lawn chairs spread across Hampden Park as SAPCC’s Equity Committee joined Saint Paul Parks and Recreation to bring the City’s Movies in the Parks series to South St. Anthony Park for a free outdoor showing of Mamma Mia!
Neighbors picked up free bags of freshly popped popcorn, visited food trucks, found a spot on the grass, and settled in for a movie under the summer sky.
It was a pretty good way to spend an August night.
“One of the things I love about these events is how easy they make it to be part of the community,” said John Maurer, SAPCC Treasurer and longtime Equity Committee member. “You can come for a movie, walk through the garden, or share some food with your neighbors. There’s no big commitment – just show up. That’s often how community starts.”
August reminded us that there are a lot of ways to bring a neighborhood together.
A garden can do it. So can a trail through the woods, a table of food outside an apartment building, or a movie and some popcorn in the park.
And if you missed one – or all – of them, don’t worry. September has plenty going on too.
SAPCC’s annual Ice Cream Social returns to Hampden Park on September 12, followed by the St. Anthony Park Community Garage Sale on September 18 and 19. SAPCC committees will also continue meeting throughout the month, including a September 29 Transportation Committee meeting where Metro Transit will return with the latest plans for the METRO H Line.
If August was any indication, there will be plenty of reasons to come out and meet a neighbor.
Learn more about upcoming events and ways to get involved at sapcc.org/.