Spring events occurring across state
This is the Explore Minnesota Events Report from the Minnesota Office of Tourism.
Farm Babies will be featured at the Minnesota Zoo in APPLE VALLEY each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through April 21. Visitors will have a chance to meet baby chicks, piglets, lambs, calves, goat kids, bunnies and ducklings at the zoo's Wells Fargo Family Farm exhibit. Farm staff and volunteers will be available for questions and assist with "hands-on" interaction with the baby farm animals. There will be musical entertainment and children's activities Saturdays and Sundays. To find out more, dial 952/431-9500.
CHATFIELD will be the site of the 16th annual Trout Opener Classic on Saturday, April 13. Highlights will include a breakfast from 6-10 a.m., followed by a fishing contest for adults and children. To learn more, dial 507/867-3923.
DULUTH will be the site of numerous events and activities Saturday, April 20, including an Earth Day Fair at the Whole Foods Co-op, with environmental goods, outdoor and gardening gear; the 13th annual Fitger's 5k Walk and Run; an Art For Earth Day Gallery Hop at various galleries throughout Duluth; a Closer Look Workshop Series at the Glensheen Historic Estate, with demonstrations and a chance to try tatting, lace-making, weaving, embroidery and various other handicrafts.
The Shrine Circus will perform at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Friday through Sunday, April 19-21. To find out more about any of these events, dial 1-800-438-5884.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21, EAST GRAND FORKS will be the site of Cabela's Spring Fishing Expo and The Prime Steel Car Show. For further information, dial 218/773-7481.
Handmade In America will be held at the Grand Rapids Civic Center in GRAND RAPIDS on Saturday, April 20. Featured at this juried show will be more than 150 exhibitors of original handmade items by artisans from the throughout the Upper Midwest. And from Friday through Sunday, April 26-28, the Grand Rapids Civic Center will present the Outdoor Sports Swap Meet and Education Exhibition. Show-goers will have a chance buy, sell or trade anything related to outdoor sports, such as fishing, trapping, hunting and archery items. There will be exhibitors offering such items as antique fishing lures, motors, knives, furs, traps, guns, bows, arrows, collector magazines and more. Commercial vendors from bait and tackle stores, resorts and hunting camps will be on hand. There will be educational seminars on collecting sports-related items, and the value of fishing lures, reels and more. Items will even be evaluated for free. To learn more, dial 1-800-472-6366.
The Bluff Country Studio Art Tour will offered in southeastern Minnesota's Historic Bluff Country in HARMONY on Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28. This self-guided tour through scenic hills and river valleys features 24 studios filled with pottery, paintings, glass, wood, sculpture, basketry, jewelry, textiles, photography, metal and other media. To find out more, dial 1-800-428-2030.
The 54th annual Governor's Fishing Opener will take place in INTERNATIONAL FALLS from Friday through Sunday, May 10-12, with a large picnic at Smokey Bear Park in downtown International Falls on Friday evening, including a variety of family activities, entertainment and programs. To learn more, dial 1-800-325-5766.
The first Great River Birding Festival will take place within or between 13 Mississippi River Valley communities on Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12. Register at one of the headquarter sites, and for $2 you may participate in numerous activities and programs, including birding hikes, backwater birding, a butterfly walk, bird banding, backyard birding and feeding, birding ethics, live raptors, art exhibits, musical entertainment and more. One of the primary registration sites is at Staley Park, which is just north of LAKE CITY. For further information, dial 1-877-525-3248, or check out www.lakecitymn.org.
The Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Association Showgrounds in LE SUEUR will be the site of the 26th annual Pioneer Power Swap Meet April 26 and 27, with antique machinery, farm collectibles and a flea market. This is the largest show of its kind in the United States, featuring more than 1,000 vendors. To learn more, dial 952/758-4926.
The Salt Lake Birdwatching Weekend will be offered at Salt Lake, just west of MADISON, from Friday through Sunday, April 26-28. Birders from around the country attend this event to see more than 120 migratory bird species that are drawn to Salt Lake. Salt Lake is the most alkaline body of water between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Salt Lake. For further information, dial 320/598-7301.
The Minneapolis Convention Center in downtown MINNEAPOLIS will present the 40th annual Carquest World Of Wheels April 12-14. This is one of Minnesota's largest indoor automotive events, with celebrity autographs, motorcycle and BMX racing, fashion shows, world-renowned show cars, plus hundreds of locally owned and built show-quality trucks, hot rods, customized motorcycles, antiques and restored vehicles. To find out more, dial 952/925-4848.
The Mississippi Valley Partners 85-Mile Garage Sale will take place Friday through Sunday, May 3-5. Residents and stores from 13 historic river towns in two states clean house for this event. Communities participating include Lake City, Red Wing, Frontenac, Wabasha, Nelson, Pepin and Maiden Rock. To find out more, dial 1-888-999-2619.
The 20th annual Spring Season Spectacular Craft Show and Sale will be held at the Rochester Mayo Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday. Featured will be nearly 200 exhibitors of fine arts and crafts. To find out more, dial 651/457-8980.
Also in ROCHESTER on Saturday and Sunday will be The Spring Thing at the Graham Arena, with roughly 140 arts and crafts exhibitors. To learn more about this event, dial 507/282-7354.
The Landmark Center in downtown ST. PAUL will present Skandia from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. This Scandinavian Festival will include music, dancing, a variety of food, demonstrations, speakers, and vendors featuring everything from lefse and lutefisk to folk dancing and woodcarving. To find out more, dial 651/292-3225.
The American Craft Council Show will be held April 12-14 at the Touchstone Energy Place at River Centre in ST. PAUL. Featured will be beautiful creations by approximately 250 of the finest artists in the nation. For further information, dial 952/346-6696.
From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 4, there will be a Traverse Des Sioux Historic Site Open House at its new location one mile north of ST. PETER. The program will begin with a formal ceremony recognizing the new trails, interpretive markers, kiosks and prairie restoration. Speakers will talk about the history of the site, and an American Indian blessing will be offered. Site tours will be given throughout the day. For more information, dial 507/697-6321.
Canterbury Park in SHAKOPEE will be the site of a Spring Festival Friday through Sunday. Highlights will include select exhibitors offering fine "American Made" products in a festive marketplace. There will be national and local entertainers performing continuously, including folk and country singers, cloggers, bluegrass music, jugglers and magicians. To learn more, dial 952/445-RACE or 1-800-340-6361.
The Times, Home, Sport and Craft Show will be held at the Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center in Thief River Falls on Saturday and Sunday. To find out more, please dial 1-800-827-1629.
The Vergas Maple Syrup Festival will be held at the Vergas Community Center on Saturday. Highlights will include the art of making maple syrup, as well as a pancake feed, a chainsaw carver, a video, and stories told by a folksinger playing her dulcimer. For further information, dial 218/342-3107.
The WAUBUN Community Center will be the site of a Flea Market and Craft Fair beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. To find out more, dial 218/935-2573.
The Watkins Administration Building in WINONA will be the site of Winona's Antique Appraisal Fair from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Five Twin Cities antique appraisers will be on hand to appraise items. The cost is $3 per item, with a maximum of three appraisals allowed. Admission is free. The proceeds will go to benefit the Winona County Historical Society. For more information, please dial 507/454-2723.
And, just some of the upcoming concerts and performances in the TWIN CITIES vicinity will include: Big Head Todd and The Monsters at the Quest Club in Minneapolis, today; The Minnesota Dance Festival at the Fitzgerald Theatre, Friday and Saturday; Ray Charles at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, April 10; Brooks and Dunn at the Target Center, April 12; Lord Of The Dance at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, April 19-21; David Copperfield at the Historic State Theatre, April 26-28; The Dave Mathews Band at the Target Center in Minneapolis, April 29; Gordon Lightfoot at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, May 2; Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul, May 4, 11 and 18; Champions On Ice 2002 Olympic Tour at the Target Center, June 28.
For further information on any of these performances, contact Ticketmaster at 651/989-5151.