2024 has been a year to remember for the Kenny neighborhood! KNA has had some of
the best turnout and participation at our events and activities throughout the year. There
is no better example of this than at our annual Ice Cream Social/Green Fair. Despite
some rain, we had more than 500 residents and others stop by Kenny Park to
participate in the festivities.
We scooped more than 600 servings of Sebastian Joe’s ice cream that evening! There
was also wonderful entertainment from the Crosstown Community Band, a balloon
artist, and rescue dogs.
In its second year, the expanded Green Fair offered more than a dozen organizations
sharing tremendous information on how to make your home and lifestyle more
environmentally friendly.
Events like the Ice Cream Social/Green Fair are really what KNA is all about — bringing
community together, having fun, providing information, and creating space for neighbors
to get to know one another. It would not be possible for a small organization like us to
put on an event like this without the countless number of volunteer hours, our fantastic
partners, and of course fiscal donations from residents and businesses.
KNA donations are down in 2024, so as we enter the end of the year, we ask that you
include us in your charitable giving. All donations to KNA are tax-deductible, and there
are many ways to give: a one-time donation, sustaining donor, estate beneficiary — you
can even donate to a particular cause or to general KNA operations. We cannot exist
and do what we do without support from the best community in SW Minneapolis.
Thank you for your support!
Kenny neighbors have spoken — through surveying and conversations over the years
— that environmental initiatives are top priorities. This, in part, is how the Green Fair
evolved to become a staple and a reflection of what our neighborhood values. KNA
hears you, and intends to allocate resources in 2025 (and beyond) to developing
programs and addressing environmental needs.
Polling over the last several months has identified the top three priorities that you all
would like us to focus on:
1. Add to Tree Canopy
We lost many trees in the storms this summer and we already knew there were areas in Kenny where there are opportunities to plant more trees. See the Extreme Heat Map Tool (arcgis.com) to visualize the metro heat map. Enter your address to see our neighborhood. The percentage of tree canopy in Kenny is currently between 30-40% coverage with an opportunity to add 10-20% to the tree canopy.
2. Develop program to reduce buckthorn around Grass Lake
Buckthorn is an invasive species that reduces native plants and degrades wildlife habitat and
contributes to erosion by outcompeting the plants that hold the soil in place. See “New
opportunity to help Grass Lake thrive” on page 15 for more information about buckthorn
and tentative plans for a new group called Friends of Grass to assist neighbors already
clearing and cleaning around the lake.
3. Advocate for Kenny hazardous waste drop-off event
Hennepin County holds events four times a year. In 2024, these events resulted in 172,236 pounds of hazardous waste collected from 3,345 households. This included 4,588 pounds of household batteries.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond and help us shape the future of
our organization’s priorities. KNA and our Environmental Committee will focus on what
the community feels important as we head into 2025 and beyond. We are already
planning programs and initiatives to implement immediately. We are coordinating with
other neighborhoods around a hazardous waste event. And we’re looking to allocate
funds to purchase trees this spring to give away to residents.
If you would like to be involved in planning, please contact us at
[email protected].
Your financial support is also necessary. Our residents are the ones who keep Kenny such an amazing community.
