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Archive for June, 2012

14th Annual Jazz Festival

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

PrintThe 14th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival is taking place this weekend in St. Paul. This free jazz celebration starts on Thursday, June 28, and continues through Saturday, June 30. Three stages in Mears Park will host some of the best jazz musicians in the region. Headliners include Francisco Mela, the Delfeayo Marsalis Octet, and the Bad Plus. Come out and enjoy the biggest jazz event in the Twin Cities.

Check out Joined at the Hip: A History of Jazz in the Twin Cities by Jay Goetting for more information about jazz music here in Minnesota.

Juhannus Celebration with Arnold Alanen

Thursday, June 21st, 2012

phpiWWCbYMidsummer or “Juhannus,” as the Finns call it, is a holiday celebrated around the  summer solstice. In Finland, families take the weekend to go to cabins and spend time with one another while the days are the longest and the sun is shining.

This weekend the Finlandia Foundation Northland Chapter is hosting a celebration in honor of Juhannus and Arnold R. Alanen, author of Finns in Minnesota. Alanen will be signing and selling copies of his book, and there will be Finnish musical performances.

The celebration will be held at Grace Lutheran Church (5454 Miller Trunk Highway) in Hermantown on Sunday, June 24, starting at 6:30 pm. Come join in the fun!

Kim Ode at Chum Rhubarb Festival

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

phpedrcAdThis Saturday, June 23, will mark the 8th Annual Chum Rhubarb Festival in Duluth, Minnesota. From 9 am to 4 pm enjoy games, crafts, musical performances, silent auctions, and of course delicious rhubarb delicacies.

Food booths around the festival will showcase all the different–and tasty!–ways to utilize rhubarb, including rhubarb lemonade, rhubarb brats and burritos, and various pastries and pies. Gardeners will be available to answer questions about growing rhubarb and to judge contests. Families will enjoy food and activities as well as learn new ways of preparing rhubarb.

Kim Ode, author of Rhubarb Renaissance, will be featured in an onstage cooking demonstration starting at noon, teaching guests how to make Confetti Salad. Before and after the demonstration, Ode will be selling and signing her book.

Admission is free for the festival, so make the trip to Duluth this weekend for the 8th Annual Chum Rhubarb Festival!

Minnesota’s First Black Museum Opens

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

phpbtjeUYFounder and director Roxanne Givens celebrated the dedication and grand opening of the Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center (MAAM) this past weekend. Givens, her cofounders, and 200 guests all gathered at the Coe Mansion, just south of Downtown Minneapolis.

Givens’s dream of opening a museum celebrating the black community finally came true. The museum’s goal is to educate and enlighten all people about the contributions of African Americans in Minnesota and the Midwest. The founders were inspired to showcase all the efforts and accomplishments made by the black community in Minnesota over the last 200 years.

Three interactive and participantphpFmk4bz-friendly exhibits cover the first floor of the Coe Mansion: Minnesota North Star Pioneers, Africa Folktales, and Black Baseball. Two additional exhibits will launch on the remaining two stories of the mansion: Black Settlers in Minnesota and Blacks and Native Americans in Minnesota. The Black Baseball exhibit teaches guests about the history of Negro baseball in Minnesota and its role in the Civil Rights Movement. For more history on that subject in particular, check out Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota.

In addition to interactive exhibits inside the museum, the MAAM also has “Trunk It” traveling exhibits featuring trained actors who travel to elementary and middle schools. The museum believes in reaching out to the community and teaching children in every way possible. Its staff partners with Minneapolis schools and hosts field trips and workshops.

This new museum will serve to educate and tell Minnesota’s story from a different perspective. Head down to the Minnesota African American Museum to learn more about Minnesota and those who helped build it.

Stewart Woodman’s Birdhouse Opening

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

phpU30b82Stewart Woodman, author of Shefzilla, will soon debut his second restaurant in the Twin Cities. The chef-owner of Heidi’s Minneapolis is ready to launch Birdhouse in Uptown. Starting with a soft opening this week, Birdhouse will serve breakfast, lunch, and brunch inside the restaurant as well as on the patio. The official opening of the restaurant is scheduled for late June.

The new restaurant, in the former Duplex space, will have a healthy menu focusing on “a lot of vegetables” and “a lot of vegetarian and vegan offerings,” Woodman told Minnesota Monthly. The restaurant will feature Ben Mauk as executive chef as well as other Heidi’s employees who have joined the Birdhouse team.

Stewart and his wife, Heidi, are extremely excited for their new venture. Be sure to keep an eye out for the new healthy food spot next time you’re in Uptown.

Also visit Woodman’s blog for more news about his activities in the city.

Fulton Brewery Hosts Tap Room and Food Trucks

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

Fulton BreweryFulton Brewery, located in downtown Minneapolis, opened last fall in a 1950s warehouse converted into a brewery and tap room for everyone to enjoy.

This local beer was created in 2006 by four Minnesota men working out of a home-made brewery in their garage. They have turned their fun hobby into a thriving business, offering four custom Minnesota brews. The Fulton boys believe in bringing the community together. Their beers are now making their way into bars and restaurants around the city, including the stands at Target Field.

This summer, the brewery is taking advantage of its location and working with local food trucks to become a fun stop for fans on their way to and from Twins games. Every game day a different food truck will be parked outside the brewery. For a complete schedule, visit the Fulton website.

Additionally, the brewery tap room is open on Fulton BreweryFridays from 3 pm to 10 pm and on Saturdays from noon until 10 pm. Enjoy the Minneapolis-made Fulton beer on their new deck. Visit on a food truck day and enjoy great local food with your beer.

Make your way to the brewery this weekend to enjoy good beer and food, a great atmosphere, and perhaps even a Twins game.