I’ve posted about St Paul Hello’s Welcome Hat Ceremony several times over the last month or so but I realized that most of you have no idea what it entails or what happens. Today, I want to show you exactly what ‘radically welcoming’, looks like.

From the moment you walk in, you’ll know you belong. Whether you are brand new, a lasting transplant or someone who came back home, St Paul Hello and all the vendors you see aim to say, “Hi, welcome, we’re so glad you’re here.” As I said before, on the first Tuesday of each month, the Minnesota History Center hosts a night where the Saint Paul community gives those newcomers and returnees with a warm faux-fur-lined hat and highlights some of the resources they will need to navigate this big, scary place (just kidding, it’s only a little scary… at 1am, in Downtown, when your car won’t start – p.s. if that happens, call me, I’ll find help. ) Whether you’ve been here a few hours, a couple of weeks or a handful of years, we hope you feel at home. [Photos by By Rebecca Studios]