Things To Do

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/

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Boom Island Brewing in Minnetonka breaking out the consoles for a full day of Nintendo and brews themed to the games. There will also be a string quartet playing video game tunes followed by a DJ. The Nintendo Event is April 13 from 12:00 p.m. ? 11:00 p.m. On Sunday it?s the Geeky Craft Fair from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Boom Island Brewing is located at 5959 Baker Road in Minnetonka near 494 and Crosstown.

The sitcom "Friends" first aired 30 years ago and the folks at Travail Kitchen & Amusements were feeling nostalgic, so they?re bringing their love of "Friends" to the Basement Bar. The space has been transformed into an ode to memorable moments and locations in the show. Even the menu was created utilizing real moments from the sitcom. They?ve named it Buddies Bar and if they had to name the episode, it would definitely be "The One Where they Ate at Travail." The pop-up will run through June. It offers an 8+ course tasting menu that includes an ode to Monica?s famous lasagna and Chandler?s stolen cheesecake.

Karaoke gives people the chance to belt out their favorite tunes like a pop star. Take that idea and apply it to drums and you have Drumeoke. Can Can Wonderland provides the drum kit, the music and the stage on the first Thursday of every month. No experience is necessary to try it out and you do not need to sign up ahead of time. The next Drumeoke event is happening April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Red Room of Can Can Wonderland which is located at 755 Prior Avenue North, Suite No. 004 in St. Paul.

A spring Twin Cities tradition is underway now at The Galleria in Edina. The Floral Experience is the continuation of the Dayton?s flower show that had a 50-plus year run in downtown Minneapolis. The Galleria partnered with Bachman?s to fill the mall with 20 lush displays reflecting the theme, "Into the Deep." The displays took five overnights to set up with 20 garden designers on hand. The Floral Experience runs through Sunday April 7 and is free to the public. There is also free valet parking near the east entrance by C?v restaurant.

The Twin Cities Auto Show is underway at the Minneapolis Convention Center. There are roughly 400 cars to check out. Most of the cars are brand new and the prices range from $18,000 for the Mitsubishi Mirage to $325,000 for a Maserati in the color Digital Mint. There?s also an entire section of famous crime-fighting cars from movies and TV shows. The Twin Cities Auto Show runs through April 7, 2024.