Ray Jacobson, prominent local artist, Carleton College professor emeritus, and World War II carrier-based dive bomber, will be the guest speaker at the August Downtown Forum sponsored by the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC).

The Downtown Forum will be held Tuesday, August 7^th, 8 am, in the Riverview Conference Room of the Archer House, 212 Division Street. This month’s forum is an official event in the 4^th Annual ArtSwirl festival co-sponsored by the NDDC and the Northfield Arts Guild.

Ray, or “Jake” as he is affectionately known, will discuss art in Northfield, the impact of public sculpture, and his latest piece, “Harvest”, scheduled for completion and installation in 2008. This piece, celebrating Northfield’s milling history, will be placed on the bank of the Cannon River across from Ames Mill in downtown Northfield, as an artistic connection to our economic past, present, and future. The project is supported in part by Malt-O-Meal, the Sesquicentennial Committee, and the City of Northfield.

The NDDC is a non-profit community organization dedicated to the vitality of downtown Northfield. The Downtown Forum presents topics of interest to downtown stakeholders, but the public is invited and encouraged to attend as well. Coffee and cookies will be served.

For more information, contact Executive Director Ross Currier at 663-0319 or rcurrier@nddc.org.