April 30, 2012, Monday - Mayday Eve Celebration at Open Book

Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm (Check-in and silent auction start at 6:30pm. Program starts at 7:00pm.)

Location:  Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South

The first of May is traditionally celebrated with dancing, singing, and ringing of bells to wake the earth from its slumber and prepare for the arrival of warmer weather.

Join Vital Aging Network for an invigorating welcome to summer and a chance to connect with others in a vital network for people 50+. This is the second in a series of get-togethers. Program cost is $15.

Featuring Kairos Dance Theatre
Kairos is an award-winning, inter-generational company that uses dance and storytelling to create community.

More Information.

April 30, 2012, Monday - Gallery Talk: Alexander Campos at MCBA

Time:  7:00pm

Location: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Book Arts Roundtable:   Gallery Talk: Alexander Campos

Center for Book Arts (NYC) Executive Director Alexander Campos will give a curator's talk on "Multiple, Limited, Unique", which closes the following day (5/1). For more information on the exhibition, visit our Current Exhibitions page.

April 30, 2012, Monday - 1862 Civil War Commemoration Postage Stamp Unveiling Ceremony at Ard Godfrey House

Time: 12:30pm – 1:00pm

Location:  Ard Godfrey House, 28 University Avenue SE

Starting in 2011, the U.S. Postal Service launched a stamp series to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which engulfed the nation from 1861 to 1865. A souvenir sheet of two stamp designs is being issued through 2015 for each year of the war. The Civil War: 1862 (Forever®) postage stamps depict two pivotal Civil War battles from 1862; the Battle of New Orleans and the Battle of Antietam. The U.S. Postal Service will unveil the Civil War: 1862 stamps at a ceremony at the Ard Godfrey House on Monday, April 30.

The ceremony is free, open to the public and will be held rain or shine. The Ard Godfrey House is located at Richard Chute Square at University Avenue and Central Avenue S.E, just across the Third Avenue bridge from downtown Minneapolis. Stamps are issued in sheets of 12 and will be for sale at the event. For info: 763-607-1150.

April 29, 2012, Sunday - Scratch vs. Mix: Which Brownie is Better? at Mill City Museum

Time:  2:00pm

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 South 2nd Street

 
Fee: Programs included with museum admission of $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17; free for MHS members.

See how history is revealed in food in the Baking Lab. Museum staff demonstrate making brownies from scratch versus a mix and share the history of the development of baking mixes. Visitors will be able to taste the results and vote on their favorite, learn home baking tips and take home a copy of the recipe.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Beauty and Brains Event at Behind the Scenes

Time:  1:00pm - 5:00pm

Location:  Behind the Scenes (BTS) Women's Clothing Boutique, 1026 Washington Avenue

BEAUTY AND BRAINS

BTS cordially invites you to come indulge in delicious frivolities of the beauty kind.

Stop by our downtown location, conveniently located at 1026 Washington Avenue South, and enjoy an afternoon of personal shopping, skin consultations, hair consultations and make-up application.

The best part? Do it all the while sipping on chilled wine and sampling tasty treats.

We're partnering with Dress For Success and request you bring accessories (bags, jewelry, belts, shoes) for those in need -- and as the BTS owners say, "accessories are every girls best friend."

Ladies, we cannot wait to doll you up!

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Taste Twin Cities Food Tours Heart of Minneapolis Tour

Time: 2:30pm - 5:30pm

Location: Begins at LaSalle Plaza (800 LaSalle Plaza), located on Hennepin Avenue between 8th & 9th Street; ends at Metro Building (80 9th Street South).

Weave your way through the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis on a food adventure!  Enjoy VIP service at some of the newest and hottest award winning restaurants and learn the art of local beer making.  Visit quaint eateries that have pride in local ownership, including a favorite since 1932.  You'll leave the tour with a tasty experience of the best food finds Minneapolis has to offer while learning the history of downtown and soaking in the local culture.
 
Sites you will enjoy:  Broadway Theatre District, Mary Tyler Moore Statue, the tallest building in Minneapolis, a building modeled after the Washington Monument, the largest structure ever moved on rubber-wheeled dollies and much more...

Reservations.

Follow Taste Twin Cities on Facebook and Twitter.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Andrew Bird: Fever Year Afterparty at Aster Cafe

Time: 10:00pm - Free Admittance

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street

ANDREW BIRD: FEVER YEAR AFTERPARTY

Featured Entertainment:  Prolific Twin Cities indie musicians
Martin Dosh and Jeremy Ylvisaker have chosen a few of their favorite bands to host a night of indie goodness in celebration of Andrew Bird: Fever Year.    Including: Ghostband, Jake Hanson, and Neil Weir.

This event is in conjunction with the 2012 Minneaplis St. Paul International Film Festival. Click here for film info and ticket purchases.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - FLO(we){u}R Opens at The Soap Factory

Time:  7:00pm - 11:00pm

Location:  The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St. SE

Featured Artists: Joe Madrigal and Amber Ginsburg

FLO(we){u}R highlights a little known detail of American history. Beginning in 1914 terra cotta factories, which produced the decorative facades on buildings in downtowns across the United States, were commissioned to make ceramic test bombs for the military. Historically, the ceramic bombs were filled with baking flour and dropped from airplanes. The white marks made by the broken shells allowed early pilots to calibrate their targeting. The Soap Factory’s location in Minneapolis’ historic milling district lends rich context to the humble materials filling each bomb.

The Soap Factory’s gallery space will house a full scale bomb manufacturing facility and all aspects of production will be on display, from clay mixing through molding to drying. Over the course of the project, labor will accumulate in the form of dummy test bombs. Two variations of the terra cotta dummy bomb will be produced based on original WWI blueprints. One model is fired for use as a seed shaker. The second model is un-fired will be used for test launches and a one time seed dispersal at the end of the exhibition. These seeding will leave new white blooming mark on the landscape.

During FLO(we){u}R, the audience will not only be able to see production in process; they will be able to interact with the dummy test bombs in multiple ways. Deviating from the military’s intentions towards accuracy and destruction, the interactive and performative elements will address dispersion and formation. Ginsburg and Madrigal use history and metaphor to insert a poetic undoing of the bombs’ military past. Gallery visitors are encouraged to fill bombs with a custom dispersal mix of flour and white blooming seed mixes. This mix will be scattered throughout Minneapolis by on artist-led seed walks throughout the Minneapolis Park system or by bicycle on seed rides. In this way, the artists reverse the military precision of aerial targeting and allow for a more open-ended random dispersal.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - DNA Day at Central Library

Time:  11:00am

Location: Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall

DNA Day: Find Your Inner Neanderthal

Registration required, begins Mar 31. Register online or call 612-543-8000.

Lynn Fellman creates art that combines genetic data with creative imagery. Fellman will discuss basic genetic concepts, how art can uniquely express science concepts, and why many of us may find Neanderthal genetics in our DNA. Q&A session will follow. Find related books and more at the Library.

This project is funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - 'Eco-Papermaking: Handmade Recycled Paper' Family Workshop at MCBA

Time:  12:30pm - 2:00pm

Location: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Avenue South

For families with children ages 6 and up.

Eco-Papermaking: Handmade Recycled Paper with Aki Shibata

Turn newspaper into new-paper! Experience the process of papermaking from beating the pulp to pressing out your final sheets. Then use other papermaking tools to create uniquely designed paper that you can utilize for a variety of projects. Dress for mess with water-safe shoes.

$30 ($27 members) per adult/child pair; $15 ($14) each additional participant

April 28, 2012, Saturday - 'Eco-Upcycled Books: Repurposing Everyday Objects for an Original Book' Family Workshop at MCBA

Time: 10:00am - 11:30am

Location: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Avenue South

For families with children ages 6 and up.

Eco-Upcycled Books: Repurposing Everyday Objects for an Original Book with Aki Shibata

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! We can reuse and repurpose so many materials nowadays -- we can even do it for bookmaking! Explore our stock of recycled book materials and learn how to "upcycle" them into whole new handmade books. A creative way to think green!

$25 ($23 members) per adult/child pair; $13 ($12) each additional participant.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Guest Chef: Rhubarb Renaissance with Kim Ode at Mill City Museum at Mill City Museum

Times: 1:00pm and 2:30pm

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street South

Fee: Programs included with museum admission of $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for MHS members.

Writer and baker Kim Ode celebrates the publication of her new book, "Rhubarb Renaissance," with demonstrations in the Mill City Museum Baking Lab. In a lively re-introduction to this versatile vegetable, more than fifty creative recipes highlight uses from savory to sweet. After each demonstration copies of "Rhubarb Renaissance" will be available for purchase and Ms. Ode will be available to sign copies of the book. Kim Ode is a feature writer for the Star Tribune’s Variety section and the author of Baking with the St. Paul Bread Club.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Midwest Photo Safari: "Minneapolis Nights" St. Anthony Main

Time:
The session begins 1/2 hour before local sunset. Your confirmation lists the exact starting time.

Location:
Join us on historic Main street near St. Anthony Main for a 90 minute to 2 hour photo safari running Saturday evening only.

Before we begin, we will have a short presentation covering basic principles of low light/night photography. When darkness sets in, this area comes alive with interesting lights. We will help you capture stunning night images you are sure to want to frame.

This safari is best done with a digital SLR or a better quality digital point and shoot with advanced scene modes. Your Safari guide / photographer will be carrying a Sony digital point and shoot to demonstrate the techniques we will be covering. For this safari, a sturdy tripod an absolute necessity... Midwest Photo Safari can provide pro-quality rental tripods on request. A remote shutter release is also very handy to have along, or you may use the "self timer" feature of your camera.

More Information and Registration.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Prohibition and Organized Crime in Minneapolis at Central Library

Time:  3:00pm

Location: Central Library, Special Collections Room, 300 Nicollet Mall

Prohibition and Organized Crime in Minneapolis

Beth Johanneck, author of "Twin Cities Prohibition," will explore early organized crime in Minneapolis, and will share the fascinating history and characters of this era.  Live Prohibition-era music will be featured before the program.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Latin Dance Night at Crooked Pint

Time: 9:00pm  $10 Cover

Location: Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Avenue South

Latin Dance Night with Sensación Latina – a 7-piece band that plays Latin rhythms including Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue, Bachata, Cha-Cha and more.

April 28, 2012, Saturday - Village Green 21st Annual Splash Day Benefit for Ronald McDonald House at Mill District City Apartments

Time:   12 Noon -- 3:00pm

Location:  Mill District City Apartments (a Village Green community), 225 Portland Avenue South

Village Green 21st Annual Splash Day Benefit for Ronald McDonald House

Each year, Village Green apartment communities give back by collecting pledges to officially open the pool season on behalf of a local charity.

This year's Splash Day tradition will feature Village Green associates and residents taking a plunge into chilly waters on behalf of The Ronald McDonald House. Along with the official Splash, the free event will feature food and beverage, music, a raffle and a silent auction to raise funds for The Ronald McDonald House. Village Green's Splash Day first began 21 years ago with a dare. Because they traditionally open their apartment community pools in early April, often before swimming-friendly weather, a manager accepted a dare to take the plunge, but only if pledges were made for donations to a worthy cause. Since then, Village Green has donated up to $65,000 a year with Splash Day efforts from each of its regions.

If you cannot attend the event, but want to make a donation, please make checks payable to The Ronald McDonald House, and mail to Stefanie Balsis, 1367 Willow Street, Suite 161, Minneapolis, MN 55403.

April 27, 2012, Friday - Book Arts Roundtable: Daniel Kelm at MCBA

Time:  7:00pm

Location: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Book Arts Roundtable: Daniel Kelm

Take a walk through the career of visiting artist Daniel Kelm, one of the most innovative bookbinders working today. Kelm brings the mind of a scientist (Kelm trained as a chemist at the University of Minnesota, and taught chemistry at the college level) to the bookbinder's realm of materials and structures.

April 27, 2012, Friday - Live Music at Crooked Pint

Time: 9:00pm  $5 Cover

Location: Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Avenue South

Tonight:  Hookers $ Blow

Rocking dance grooves from 60s and 70s R & B. With a rotating cast, the band is literally a super group of Twin Cities musicians.

April 26, 2012, Thursday - 2012 Miller Lite Vikings Draft Party

Time:  4:00pm - Conclusion of First Round

Location:  The Metrodome

Be part of the excitement as the Vikings select their first round Draft Pick.  Show your horns with thousands of other Vikings fans as the Vikings are moving their annual Draft Party to Mall of American Field at the Metrodome.

Tickets:  $10 in advance, $15 at the door.  Free admittance for children age 5 and under - General Admission Only

For further updates regarding activities, current and former players attending, autograph sessions and purchasing of tickets log on to vikings.com. 

April 26, 2012, Thursday - Dining Out For Life at Neighborhood Restaurants

When you dine out on Thursday, April 26, these participating neighborhood restaurants will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Aliveness Project and Rural AIDS Action Network:

Aster Cafe

eagleBOLTbar

Ginger Hop

Red Stag Supperclub

Sawatdee

Spill The Wine

Spoonriver

Wilde Roast Cafe

Zen Box Izakaya