Play on Payne brings community, business support to St. Paul's East Side with summer-long events

Community members gather at Play on Payne on St. Paul's East Side, where families and neighbors share food, play lawn games and spend time together in a temporary outdoor plaza created to support local businesses and encourage community connection along the Payne Avenue corridor throughout the summer. Photo: Hunter Meyer, Visit Saint Paul

Instead of a single day of celebration, Payne Avenue is becoming a gathering place all summer.

An underused parking lot at 926 Payne Ave. has been transformed into "Play on Payne," an outdoor community plaza featuring seating, lawn games, books, free children's programming and World Cup watch parties aimed at bringing residents back to the East Side while helping businesses recover from the economic impacts of Operation Metro Surge.

The initiative, which runs through the end of August, is a collaboration between the East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC) and The Musicant Group. For ESNDC Executive Director Lisa Xiong, the project represents a deliberate shift in how the organization is supporting the neighborhood this year.

"We had anticipated continuing our annual parade, which has long served as a meaningful gathering for the community," Xiong said. "But in light of the impacts of Operation Metro Surge on our community, moving forward with a major celebratory parade just did not feel aligned with the current needs and realities of the corridor."

Instead, the organization chose a slower, more intentional approach focused on healing and rebuilding following Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement operation, which ran from December through mid-February. It resulted in more than 4,000 arrests across the Twin Cities. Many businesses along Payne Avenue temporarily closed during the operation out of concern for the safety of employees and customers, and many continue to report lower customer traffic months later.

"These events help rebuild resilience, restore a sense of energy and connection, and remind people that this is still a place to gather, support one another and spend time in community," said Xiong.

The temporary plaza was designed to encourage residents to linger along Payne Avenue, creating opportunities to visit nearby restaurants and shops throughout the summer rather than during a single event. Max Musicant, founder of The Musicant Group, said the effort is about helping people reconnect with a neighborhood they may have stopped visiting.

"When you're used to visiting a place all the time and then you stop doing that for many months, there are new habits that have been formed," Musicant said. "This is all about creating a joyful, fun place and events for people to come out and enjoy, but also reintroducing people and giving them reasons to go out of their way to visit Payne Avenue."

Youth play mini golf at Play on Payne on St. Paul’s East Side. Photo: Hunter Meyer, Visit Saint Paul

Play on Payne programming includes weekly multicultural story times for children, lawn and board games and a casual gathering space. One of the largest events is expected this weekend when Play on Payne hosts a free FIFA World Cup Final watch party on Sunday, July 19.

The event begins at 2 p.m. at Play on Payne Plaza and is co-hosted with the Sanneh Foundation. Organizers will offer free tacos to the first 50 attendees, complimentary chips and salsa, soccer activities for all ages and a sticker exchange where neighbors can trade collectible stickers. For those who prefer air conditioning, an indoor viewing option will be available across the street.

Musicant said the World Cup is a natural fit for one of St. Paul's most culturally diverse neighborhoods.

"We're really excited to offer a free, community-centric place for people to enjoy this multicultural event in such a multicultural community," he said. "I think there's no other event that would reflect Payne Avenue and the East Side more than a global sporting event and celebration."

Play on Payne is supported by an $80,000 grant through the City of St. Paul's Commercial Corridor Organization Assistance Program, along with funding from Rooted Philanthropic and the East Side Funders Group. Photo: Hunter Meyer, Visit Saint Paul