Things To Do

A new traffic and parking plan has been implemented at Minnesota's Renaissance Festival. Rather than parking onsite day of, visitors will be required to buy a parking pass ahead of time or get to the festival via a park-and-ride or rideshare services.

It?s said that having a hobby can lead to improved mental health, and if you don?t know where to start, check out the fall catalogue for the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Classes begin Sept. 5. They are offering everything from ceramics to weaving, jewelry making, photography, flower arranging, painting and even the fiery ancient Japanese ceramics technique called Raku firing. The Minnetonka Center for the Arts is located at 2240 North Shore Drive. Class registration is open now.

The Western novel "Shane," published in 1949 has sprung to life on stage at The Guthrie Theater. Renowned playwright Karen Zacar�as uses this version to interrogate the assumptions and myths of the American West. The show is playing now and runs through Aug. 27. It stars William DeMerritt as Shane and Ricardo Chavira as Joe Starrett.

A successful music festival in Boston inspired the first-ever Uptown Porchfest. It will take place on Aug, 19 from 1-5 p.m. There are 30 different bands playing 19 porches. The porches are spread out over the Wedge Neighborhood so you can wander and enjoy different bands on every block. The event is free to attend. Because parking can be challenging in the area, attendees are highly encouraged to take public transportation, bike, walk or ride share.

The Heart of the Beast Theatre is hosting a troupe of domestic cats that can ride skateboards, play instruments and charm audiences. The Acro-Cats were created by animal trainer, Samantha Martin. The group has been on tour for 28 weeks and roll around the country in a giant tour bus equipped with a Cat-io fort for the 13 traveling felines. The show runs through Sunday, Aug. 13, at the theater on Lake Street in Minneapolis. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to local nonprofit, Ruff Start Rescue.

Line up the boats, it?s time for a parade. The Edina Model Yacht Club will have their boats out patrolling the waters of Centennial Lakes Park Sunday evening in Edina. The nonprofit club has been in existence since 1991. Today they have 80 members who operate remote-controlled vessels that range from battleships to sail boats, powerboats and even a Minion tug boat. Lighthouse Night and Torchlight Concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13. It is free to attend. The boats will be out starting around 5 p.m. The concert begins at 8:30 p.m. with the John Philip Sousa Memorial Band. The night concludes with fireworks.

It?s a concept filled with all sorts of flavors. Soke combines Korean BBQ and Japanese-originated ?hot pot? to give people the option of eating both in one sitting, rather than choosing one over the other.

This weekend, it's all about dinos at the Science Museum of Minnesota. All month long, they're putting the focus on ancient fossils every Saturday. And on Aug. 5, the museum kicks things off with a "roar" at Dino Fest.

The Luxury Home Tour, featuring 10 luxury homes, runs this weekend and next week, on Fridays-Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. FOX 9's Shayne Wells has the details.

Free summer concerts: From now through September, Green Minneapolis is hosting "Summer at Peavey Plaza." It's a free outdoor concert series, featuring over 100 performances including Phil Thompson.

This summer, you can let the theater come to you. The award-winning crew behind Open Eye Theatre has brought back the Driveway Tour series and added a new show. Molly and the Magic Boot is the newest story utilizing puppets. Open Eye Theatre has dozens of shows lined up all over the metro. Many of the performances are free and will take place in public parks, libraries and city centers. The dates and locations for those shows can be found on the Open Eye Theatre website.