Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
No Fair!
We’re big fans of Fair State Brewing Cooperative here at Racket. Union-made beer? Cooperatively owned? You love to see it. (They also hosted our launch party and first three birthday events.) When we spoke with co-founder/CEO Evan Sallee after Fair State filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February of 2024, he sounded optimistic—they had a plan. But that plan didn’t work out. An email was sent out today to co-op members announcing that the brewery and taproom at 2506 Central Ave. NE in Minneapolis will be closing.
“The cooperative is no longer operating as a fully functional business, which is why the board has not held an annual meeting or board elections this year,” the email states, further explaining that when Fair State filed for bankruptcy last year, the brand, physical assets at the St. Paul production site, and assets in the Minneapolis taproom were purchased by Ranchers Beverage Co. “Unfortunately, revenues this year have fallen short, and outstanding debts remain significant.”
Fair State's last day will be Monday, December 8. RIP, Roselle. Sour pink beer never tasted so good.
Hola Arepa Says Adios, ICE
On Wednesday, the wonderful south Minneapolis restaurant Hola Arepa got a visit from two ICE agents. "We had an ICE scare yesterday and even though we’re afraid of the repercussions of being vocal, we feel that it’s also important to inform people that this is right at our front door," the restaurant's James Beard award-winning chef Christina Nguyen posted on Instagram Thursday. "ICE is not some far away boogeyman. They are here right now, spreading fear in our community."
According to the Instagram post, the Hola Arepa staff followed protocol "perfectly," and the agents left without detaining anyone. Nguyen, who's also behind the (also wonderful) Northeast restaurant Hai Hai, told KARE 11 that this is the restaurant's first ICE encounter in its 11 years.
The Instagram post is full of advice for restaurants in dealing with visits from ICE, including the fact that agents cannot enter a private area like a kitchen without a signed judicial warrant and having staff or other people film the activity. You can read the extremely helpful post in full below.
"We stand in support of our immigrant community, who are the backbone of this country," the Instagram post concludes. "Without immigrants, America is not the same place. Stay safe out there and take care of your neighbors."
The Guy Who Designed the Weisman Died
Frank O. Gehry, the world-renowned architect who died today at the age of 96, may be remembered by some as the designer of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, or the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. But do you ever drive past any of those? Probably not!
Here in Minnesota, we’ll remember Gehry for the Weisman Art Museum, which is pretty damn unforgettable. Since 1993, its glimmering metal shapes have loomed over the Mississippi, inviting fans and detractors alike to creatively describe what they see in its design.
It’s been likened to an exploding artichoke and a rocket ship. A visitor once wrote in the guest book: “There it stands like a silver knight guarding the East Bank from the MBA’s.” Former U of M president Nils Hasselmo once observed, “You know, it’s not a very Lutheran building.” (Those two quotes are from this 2011 MinnPost feature on former WAM director and chief curator Lyndel King.)
Gehry was about as famous as an architect can be—how many of his peers have appeared on animated TV twice? This Simpsons guest spot showed he could be a good sport about his designs, and he also showed up on Arthur as… uh, some sort of supportive animaloid version of himself.
So there you have it—a local angle for a man who designed some pretty remarkable angles.
SNL’s Carlton Connection
She’s not technically one of us, but Claire McFadden did graduate from Carlton College, making her one of us adjacent. This past October, she joined the writing team for the 51st season of Saturday Night Live; her “Emo Mom” sketch starring Amy Poehler has been a big hit.
But before all of that, the Evanston, IL, native spent four years in Northfield, studying environmental science with the goal of working in policy (she also interned for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign). But she struggled to find work after graduating, and eventually switched gears to comedy.
