Reaching new heights at ValleyFair
The largest amusement park in the Twin Cities opens for the season on May 11 for season pass holders and May 12 for the public. They are debuting a new culinary experience that’s offering healthier options and items perfect for a summer picnic, including pulled pork sandwiches and salads such as pasta salad, potato salad and corn salad. The chaperone policy remains in place this season. All guests ages 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old.
St. Croix Valley is pottery central this weekend
Dozens of ceramic artists from all over the country are joining local artisans for the 32nd Annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. The 70 potters will set up at seven local pottery studios to display their creations. The tour runs May 10th through the 12th and the studios are all a short drive from each other. The tour is free and open to all to attend.
Mpls restaurant features homemade soul food
Three women behind the Food Bank Food Truck have opened a new restaurant serving classic soul food favorites along with new sides. Food Bank Eatery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the food truck will still be on-site at events this summer.
Model train club plans hobby show in MN
A museum dedicated to model trains is celebrating nine decades in the Twin Cities and will host a big hobby show this weekend. The Twin City Model Railroad Museum started in 1934 inside a St. Paul home. It’s now located at 668 Transfer Road, Suite 8 in St. Paul. The museum has 13,000 square feet of interactive toy train layouts. The museum is open Monday and Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The Model Railroad Hobby Show and Sale will take place at the Minnesota State Fair’s Education Building on May 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
40,000 tulips in bloom at the Arboretum
The showy tulip bloom is underway at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The bloom is expected to last at least another week if not two. There are 135 varieties on display. The bulbs were planted in the fall by a mix of staff and volunteers over 520 hours. To keep up with the status of the tulips keep an eye on the Arboretum’s social media pages. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is located at 3675 Arboretum Drive in Chaska. Online tickets are required in advance for all Arboretum visitors.
Choo Choo Bob’s moves to new Union Depot location
A beloved kids' toy store returned to St. Paul's Union Depot. Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store is now on the main floor of the historic transportation hub. The train-themed toy store and play area opened in 2005 on Marshall Avenue. Four years ago it moved to a temporary spot in St. Louis Park. Long-time employee "Engineer Paul" is still a fixture at the shop and does story time two times a week.
Minneapolis Cider Co. to host hobby horse contest
For Kentucky Derby weekend, Minneapolis Cider Company is going all in on the hobby horse craze after videos of a Finnish hobby horse competition went viral. There will be competitions throughout the day on May 4 and hobby horses provided. There will also be real mini ponies, pickleball, and Kentucky Derby-themed prizes. It’s also the Cider Company’s five-year anniversary.
Wings of the North spring pancake breakfast
This weekend, Wings of the North Aviation Museum is serving up breakfast with a side of history. The spring pancake breakfast is Saturday, May 4 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The WOTN Museum is located at Flying Cloud Airport near Gate H. The breakfast is a fundraiser for the nonprofit museum. The cost is $10 per adult, $25 for a family of two adults and two kids, $5 for additional kids ages 6 to 12, and free for kids age 5 and under. Museum admission is included with the cost of the breakfast.
Lakewood Cemetery's ‘Music in the Chapel’ concert series
The summer concert series kick off this weekend in an unlikely place. Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis is bringing back ‘Music in the Chapel.’ The concerts are held in the Memorial Chapel which was built in 1910 and is adorned with 10 million mosaic glass tiles. The space is small, seating 160 so many of the shows sell out. The concerts are held once a month through December. The first show is May 5 but it’s sold out. The next concert will be on June 2 with J.E. Sunde. They are also opening a new Welcome Center this week. The ribbon cutting and open house will be on Wednesday May t1 from 3-7 p.m. More info: https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/events-calendar/music-in-the-chapel/
Como Zoo has 50 million reasons to celebrate
Nearly 2 million people visit the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory every year. It is one of the last free metro zoos in the United States, and part of the reason it can be kept accessible to all is the fundraising efforts of Como Friends. They’re celebrating raising $50 million over the last 24 years by opening a new exhibit that shows all the improvements that have been made. The exhibit can be found outside of the entrance to the Fern Room.
Minnesota Zoo brings the cuteness with Farm Babies
The Minnesota Zoo is celebrating several new arrivals with the return of Farm Babies. So far, there are seven goat kids, one cria, one calf, a flock of chicks and many more on the way including lambs and kunekune piglets. Farm Babies runs through May 19. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tickets must be purchased online in advance.
Celebrated pastry chef opens Mpls restaurant
One of the country’s top pastry chefs has opened her first restaurant in Minneapolis. Diane Moua is a veteran of Bellecour, Spoon and Stable and received two James Beard nominations for Outstanding Pastry Chef. She’s branching out now, opening a Hmong-American eatery, Diane’s Place, in northeast Minneapolis. Visitors can pop in and get a coffee and pastry to go, or dine in with their breakfast and lunch menu. It’s located in the Food Building at the corner of Northeast Marshall Street and 14th Avenue Northeast. Diane’s Place is open from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. They are planning to add dinner service in the future.
'Art in Bloom' back for 40th year at MIA
Nature and art collide at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). "Art In Bloom" is back for its 40th year. There are 180 living arrangements to view, most inspired by pieces in Mia’s vast collection. The event runs April 25-April 28 and is free to attend. Last year's event brought 60,000 visitors to the museum.
St. Paul Art Crawl gears up for final weekend
The longest running art crawl in the country is gearing up for the biggest weekend yet. Hundreds of artists will be displaying their work at 26 different locations across downtown St. Paul and Lowertown. There are also classes, demonstrations and performances. Some of the featured venues for weekend three include Union Depot and the George Latimer Central Library. The crawl is put on by the St. Paul Art Collective. Check the website to see the hours for each location. The final weekend runs April 26 through April 28.
Taylor Swift’s surprise drop to Record Store Day
People started lining up at 7 a.m. outside of Electric Fetus Record Store in Minneapolis. Some were there for the Taylor Swift album, a few others wanted to get the new release from Pearl Jam and the rest were planning to spend the next 24 hours outside the store to be the first in the door for Record Store Day. Last year, Record Store Day was the highest sales day ever for Electric Fetus and they had been in business for 55 years at that time. The record store has 3,000 albums they’ll be putting out for Record Store Day. They open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 20.
Geek Craft Expo returns to Minneapolis
In 2016, the comic book writer behind Deadpool and Wolverine created a craft expo for the geeks. Now this market is held all over the country including the Twin Cities. The Geek Craft Expo is happening this weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It’s a curated market featuring handmade geek goods by local crafters and makers. Show dates and time: Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Corgi plushie maker at Geek Craft Expo
In 2016, the comic book writer behind "Deadpool" and "Wolverine" created a craft expo for the geeks. Now this market is held all over the country including the Twin Cities. The Geek Craft Expo is happening this weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It’s a curated market featuring handmade geek good by local crafters and makers. Show Dates and Time: Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday April 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Great Minnsect Show returns to the University of Minnesota
Insect enthusiasts have a reason to celebrate. The Great Minnsect Show will take place on Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free and open to the public. The Department of Entomology will host the event in the St. Paul Student Center North Star Ballroom on campus. Attendees can expect to have meet and greets with live insects, dabble in six-legged snacks and creepy crawly games like maggot races.
New program bringing musicians to Minneapolis animal shelter
Local music students have the opportunity to play for the most adorable audience through a new program called Play for Paws. The program is a partnership between Minneapolis Animal Care and Control (MACC) and MacPhail Center for Music. It started after MacPhail guitar instructor, Dr. Austin Wahl asked if he could play for the animals at the shelter after playing for the foster kittens at his house. He noticed how calm they would become when he was strumming and that was the start of Play for Paws. MACC was on board as this lined up with their goal to make the kennel environment less stressful.
Minnesota Card Show to bring out collectors
An event in St. Paul this weekend is bringing together quite the cast of characters including Dennis Rodman, Mike Tyson and the casts of The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks. They’ll all be signing autographs at the Minnesota Card Show. This is year two for the show and after the success of last year, they’re going big. They’ve moved into the St. Paul RiverCentre and will have more than 450 tables spread out over 100,000 square feet. The show will bring out collectors, dealers and enthusiasts looking to buy, sell and trade. The event runs April 18 (VIP night) through the April 21.