The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC) will host its annual Partnership Celebration on Thursday, October 23rd from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Grand Event Center, featuring a presentation by noted author and community advocate Jay Walljasper. Designed to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of the NDDC and its many partners in the community, the special evening event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

A social hour with cash bar and refreshments begins at 6 p.m.; the program begins at 7 p.m., hosted by the staff and board members of the NDDC. Walljasper will begin his presentation at 7:30 p.m., followed by a booksigning of his popular hands-on guide to placemaking, “The Great Neighborhood Book”, available at area bookstores including Monkey See Monkey Read (425 Division Street South) and River City Books (306 Division Street). The audience is then invited to stay for dessert and conversation with Walljasper.

Based in Minneapolis, Walljasper is a Senior Fellow of Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and writes extensively on community and urban issues. A long-time editor of Utne Reader, he currently serves as Executive Editor of Ode Magazine.

In November 2004, PPS recognized downtown Northfield as one of “The 20 Best North American Districts, Downtowns, and Neighbors.” Other honorees included New York’s East Village, San Francisco’s North Beach, Vancouver’s Granville Island, and Toronto’s Kensington Market.

The NDDC is a non-partisan, non-profit community organization dedicated to the vitality of downtown Northfield. For more information on the event, call (507) 663-0319. The Grand Event Center is located at 316 Washington Street in downtown Northfield. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 663-1773.