Don’t forget to ask your employer if they offer an employee match to double your donation!

May 2026: Celebrating $1.8 Million awarded from the Minnesota State Legislature for the Berger Fountain yesterday! Celebrating with Neighbors, with Sen Scott Dibble, Rep Katie Jones, former Rep Frank Hornstein, MPRB Commissioner Jason Garcia, CM Elizabeth Shaffer and her Policy Aides David Berge & Martin Carlson and many of our invaluable MPRB Park Staff, especially Emma Pachuta our park planner and Andy Schilling our Berger Fountain Project Manager. In 2023 Rep Frank Hornstein submitted a bill to fund Berger. Thru the Legacy Arts & Cultural Fund we were awarded $200,000. Those funds paid for Damon Farber to build out the designs, the underground vault will be cleaned out and old plumbing and wiring removed and benches for the new Plaza to be purchased. From 2022-2025, we secured $1.3 million. From those funds & MPRB $ we paid Damon Farber (selected thru a competitive process) to do a Feasibility Study, a Community Engagement & Visioning process, develop an approved concept approved by community at the 2024 National Nite Out hosted by the Woman’s Club. Our 2026 fundraising goal was $1.5 million!  So we exceeded our 2026 goal by $300,000.

Next Steps:
• You will see the work on the Underground Vault
• MPRB will work with the State to contract the funds, put together a timeline, build up construction documents and bid out the Fountain and Plaza. Details on this will be posted as they are defined, but the 1st step is contracting.  That will set the timeline.

CLPC & Friends of Loring Park have a signed MPRB Memorandum of Understanding. With that we will develop a fundraising agreement which will include the use of the $1.8 million in State funding. This was a citizen-driven legislative approach between the Berger Fountain Task Force, CLPC and Friends of Loring Park, working indirectly with Senator Dibble and Rep Jones.

This demonstrates the power of people’s voices. As Senator Dibble said yesterday, ‘this public space will center on Peace, Welcoming, and a place for community to meet each other. Places like this are healing and needed in the community.

Thanks to Mark Stillman, the musician.  Thanks to Fawkes Alley Coffee for Refreshments. And great thanks to our Consultant Jonathan Swoyer, who completed the Project Description for the Capital Committee!

Thanks to all the Speakers and to Emcee Kevin Winge, Aquatennial Board Chair.

May 2026: After a decade-long campaign of community advocacy that has secured $1.3 million to date, Friends of Loring Park, Citizens for a Loring Park Community (CLPC), Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and the Berger Fountain Task Force announce the official start towards a new plaza in Loring Park and a fully restored Berger Fountain, once again bringing “Joy” to Minneapolis. This transformative project is centered on a fully restored, iconic Berger Fountain in Loring Park.

This project is more than a restoration; it is a fundamental act of community-building.

The beloved Berger “Dandelion” Fountain remains the centerpiece, while the project creates a fully accessible community gathering place where all are welcomed. “We aren’t just fixing a fountain; we are reclaiming the front porch of Loring Park,” says Lee Frelich, President of CLPC. “The new plaza will become that. A safe, well-lit and beautiful space where the community can gather, reflect and heal.”

Project Highlights:

• Accessibility First: Visitors with mobility challenges will be able to safely enjoy the fountain, removing barriers that have stood for decades.
• Safety & Light: One new feature is LED lighting (inactive since 2018), which serves as a bright beacon for the neighborhood and increases the sense of safety and welcome.
• Inclusivity: Our Loring Park space reflects our rich and diverse cultures of Minneapolis and Minnesota.
• Sustainable Design: The plan features sustainable plantings and a high-tech underground reservoir system to ensure the landmark is resilient and sustainable for the next 50 years.

Text Berger to 53-555 for donations.

In winter and spring 2026, a first phase of construction is planned for Berger fountain.  The work will focus on preparing the existing mechanical vault area below the fountain including disconnecting, demolishing, and removing old and worn fountain mechanical features in preparation for the eventual reuse of the vault with new equipment and connections to serve a renovated fountain.  This first phase will also include the purchase of site furnishings for the plaza area around the fountain.

-Andy Schilling, MPRB Project Manager