Posted August 19, 2009 9:25 pm
Explore Minnesota Events Report: August 19, 2009
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This is the Explore Minnesota Events Report as of Wednesday, August 19, brought to you by Explore Minnesota Tourism.
Check out our events calendar for more information on many of these and other upcoming events.
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Just some of the highlights this week include the 71st Annual Cornfest Celebration in the city of Ortonville, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, Heritage Days and the Serpent Lake Arts Festival in Crosby, the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival in Duluth, and the Lake Itasca Region Pioneer Farmers Show held just north of Park Rapids near Itasca State Park.
Southern Minnesota
The 48th Annual Buttered Corn Days Celebration & Grand Parade will be held Friday and Saturday, August 21 & 22, in Sleepy Eye. Highlights include free buttered corn, live entertainment, children’s games, crafters, vendors, a parade, corn-eating contest, bingo, and a raffle. To find out more, dial 1-800-290-0588, or check out www.sleepyeyechamber.com
The 71st Annual Cornfest Celebration will be held throughout the city of Ortonville, Friday through Sunday, August 21-23. Featured will be a parade, kiddie parade, Arts in the Park, games, live music, an air show, car show, sailing regatta, street dance and concert, fireworks display, ice cream social, chili cook-off, hole-in-one contest, free hot buttered sweet corn, and 5K & 10K races at the National Wildlife Refuge. For more, dial 1-800-568-5722, or visit www.bigstonelake.com
The Paradise Center For The Arts in Faribault will be the site of the Paradise Blue Collar BBQ & Arts Fest on Saturday, August 22, with a BBQ contest, an Ugly Grill contest, large block party, bar stool racing, live music, a community talent contest, dunk tank, mullet contest, bingo, a beer garden, original artwork and unique creations! Admission is free. To learn more, dial 507/332-7372, or check out www.paradisecenterforthearts.org
The 18th Annual Czech Heritage Festival will be held in the town of Bechyn on Sunday, August 23, with ethnic foods, authentic music, folk dancers and other entertainment. There will also be various children’s activities and a farmers market. Bechyn is located 10 miles northeast of Redwood Falls. For further information, dial 320/826-2451, or visit www.czechfest.com
The Freeborn County Fairgrounds in Albert Lea will be the site of the Big Island Barbeque, Friday and Saturday, August 28 & 29. This Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned competition will feature cooks from throughout the Midwest and as far away as Texas competing for Best Overall Cook in various categories. In addition, there will be stage entertainment and door prizes. Admission is free! To find out more, dial 1-800-345-8414, or check out www.bigislandfestivalandbbq.org
The 1st Annual Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah will be held Friday through Sunday, August 28-30, in the city of Henderson to celebrate the migration of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird as it heads to Central America for the winter. Featured will be bird-banding, tours of area hummingbird gardens, presentations and information about landscaping with native plants. There will also be children’s activities, book signings, and a vendor mart. Admission and parking are free. For more information, dial 507/248-3824, or visit www.hendersonmn.com
Twin Cities Greater Metropolitan vicinity
Chisago City will be the site of Ki Chi Saga Days, Friday through Sunday, August 21-23. Featured will be the area’s largest arts and crafts fair, lots of food booths, live entertainment, dances, a Sunday parade, and other fun activities. To find out more, dial 651/257-1177, or visit www.chisagolakes.com/kichisago
St. Michael Daze & Knights will take place in St. Michael’s Town Square, August 21-23, with a carnival, car show, parade, bands and music acts, a business expo, citywide garage sales, petting zoo, bingo and pig roast. To learn more, dial 763/497-2041, or check out www.stmichaelfestival.com
The Renaissance Festival grounds, located three miles south of Shakopee off Hwy 169, will be the site of the 39th Annual Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day, August 22 through October 4. This is the country’s largest Renaissance-themed festival, with 12 stages, 250 artisans and 500 entertainers! For rates, times and special weekend themes and activities, dial 1-800-966-8215, or visit www.renaissancefest.com
A Fiddlers Festival will be offered at Minnesota Pioneer Park in Annandale on Sunday, August 23, with fiddler performances, dancing, fiddle contests, jam sessions, and a pork chop meal. For rates and times, dial 320/274-8489, or check out www.pioneerpark.org
The Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul will be the site of the Minnesota State Fair, Thursday, August 27 through Monday, September 7. This much-anticipated event is one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the country, attracting more than 1.6 million visitors annually! Highlights include 11 nights of big-name grandstand entertainment, over 75 performers on five free stages, nearly 70 midway rides, extreme rides in Adventure Park, thousands of agricultural, livestock and creative competitions, shopping galore, some of the most unique and state-of-the art exhibits in the country, and over 450 foods including more than 50 delicacies on-a-stick! For more information, dial 651/288-4400, or visit www.mnstatefair.org
And just some of the upcoming concerts and performances will include:
BonTaj Roulet: Bonnie Raitt & Taj Mahal at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand in St. Paul, August 27
Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, August 29
Kelly Clarkson at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, August 30
Jackson Browne at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, August 31
American Idols Live! Tour 2009 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, September 1
Lil Wayne at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, September 1
Loggins & Messina at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, September 1
Randy Travis at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, September 1
O.A.R. with special guests Slightly Stoopid and Brett Dennen at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, September 2
Casting Crowns at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, September 3
Mary Poppins at the Historic Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, September 3-20
REO Speedwagon & Styx at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand in St. Paul, September 5
WWE Presents Raw Live at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, September 5
Aerosmith & ZZ Top at the Xcel Energy Center, September 8
Regina Spektor at the Myth in Maplewood, September 11
Snow Patrol with Plain White T’s at the Myth, September 11
Hank Williams, Jr. at Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel in Prior Lake, September 13
Todd Rundgren at the Historic State Theatre, September 15
Pet Shop Boys at the Historic State Theatre, September 16
Insane Clown Posse at First Avenue in Minneapolis, September 17
Rascal Flatts at the Xcel Energy Center, September 19
Boz Scaggs at the Historic State Theatre, September 24
Kings of Leon at the Target Center, September 28
Moby at The Myth in Maplewood, October 1
Wilco at Roy Wilkins Auditorium at the St. Paul RiverCentre, October 2
Creed at the Target Center, October 6
So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour at the Target Center, October 7
The Decemberists, Laura Veirs & The Hall of Flames at the Historic State Theatre, October 9
Rob Thomas at the Xcel Energy Center, October 11
Taylor Swift at the Target Center, October 11
Metallica at the Target Center, October 13
David Sedaris at the Historic State Theatre, October 14
Howie Mandel at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, October 18
Imagination Movers at the Target Center, October 24
Celtic Thunder at the Historic State Theatre, October 29
Miley Cyrus at the Target Center in Minneapolis, October 29
Monsters of Folk – Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, & Jim James at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, October 29
David Gray at the Historic Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, October 30
The Tragically Hip at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul, November 3
Joan Rivers at The O’Shaughnessy in St. Paul, November 4
Wynonna at Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel in Prior Lake, November 6
An Intimate Christmas with Lorie Line – The 20th Anniversary Show at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, December 1
An Intimate Christmas with Lorie Line – The 20th Anniversary Show at the Historic State Theatre, December 12 & 13
Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, December 18-20
For further information on any of these performances or events, please contact Ticketmaster at 651/989-5151
Central Minnesota
The Otter Tail County Historical Society’s Home Brewers’ Festival will be held Friday evening, August 21 at the Fergus Falls VFW, with samples from more than 20 wine and beer makers. There will also be a beer making information and demonstrations, a silent auction of homemade wine and beer, and delicious appetizers. For rates and times, dial 218/736-6038, or visit www.otchs.wordpress.com
Heritage Days and the Serpent Lake Arts Festival will be held in the city of Crosby, Friday and Saturday, August 21 & 22. Highlights include arts and craft vendors, a car show, pet show, live music, a pie social, and lots of other great food! For more information, dial 218/546-8131, or check out www.cuyunacountry.net
The town of Verndale, located just southeast of Wadena, will be the site of the England Prairie Pioneer Club Show Days, Friday through Sunday, August 21-23. Events include a Gospel Music show, oat threshing and lumber sawing, a kiddie coin hunt, tours of the museum and exhibit buildings, blacksmith demonstrations, a petting barn, barrel train rides, a steam engine, pottery making, rug weaving, and a flea market. Camping is available. For further information, dial 218/631-1345, or visit www.england-prairie.org
The 44th Annual Threshing Bee will take place at the Threshing Bee Grounds in Donnelly, Friday and Saturday, August 29 & 30. Featured will be threshing, antique tractors, engines and machinery, a rural school and shingle mill, lumber sawing, tractor pull contests, horse and pony pull contests, plowing demonstrations, chain saw sculpting, a classic car show, black powder shoot, parade, open air church service, kiddie tractor pull, and kiddie parade. A variety of International Harvester tractors will also be on display. The town of Donnelly is located nine miles northwest of Morris. For more information, dial 320/246-3337, or check out www.donnellythreshingbee.com
Northern Minnesota
The Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival will take place at Lake Superior Bay in the city of Duluth, Friday and Saturday, August 21 & 22, with a traditional dragon boat race, as well as live music by popular regional acts, fireworks, and other entertaining festivities. For more information, dial 218/722-4011, or visit www.lakesuperiordragons.com
The 25-acre showgrounds located adjacent to the north entrance to Itasca State Park, just north of Park Rapids, will be the site of the 31st Annual Lake Itasca Region Pioneer Farmers Show, Friday through Sunday, August 21-23. Featured will be live music and entertainment, log handling, lumber-sawing, grain-threshing, parades, model engines and machines, tractors, vehicles, antique tools, art and craft demonstrations, and gas, steam and diesel engines and generators. In addition, enjoy museums, an antique tractor pull, kids’ pedal tractor pull, scale railroad rides, children’s activities, food and refreshments, and self-guided tours of the pioneer log house, country schoolhouse and 1887 church. For rates and times, dial 218/657-2233, or check out www.itascapioneerfarmers.com
The Northwoods Art Festival & Book Fair will be held in downtown Hackensack, Saturday, August 22, with more than eighty artists exhibiting and selling their fine artwork, as well as a book fair showcasing many local and regional authors and their creations. Face painting and a children’s painting area to paint will also be offered. For further information, dial 218/675-6052, or visit www.hackensackchamber.com
The Forest History Center in Grand Rapids will host a Minnesota Music and Story Telling Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, August 22 & 23. During the late 19th-century, a battle over the best use of the forestlands raged across the country. Come see costumed characters present their stories and arguments to influence the public of 1900, and enjoy lumberjack music and more! For rates and times, dial 218/327-4482, or check out www.mnhs.org/places/sites/fhc
The annual Potato Days Festival will be held in downtown Barnesville, Friday and Saturday, August 28 & 29. This unique family festival celebrates the potato heritage of Barnesville, and includes mashed potato wrestling, a Potato Scramble for the kids, National Lefse cook-off, classic car show, historic wagon tours, street fair, large parade, the 5 & 10k Spud Run, kids’ games, regional potato food specialties, a Strongman competition, and contests in potato cooking, picking, peeling, sewing and stacking. Barnesville is located west of Detroit Lakes. To find out more, dial 1-800-525-4901, or visit www.potatodays.com
Timber Hall Grounds in the town of Embarrass will be the site of the annual Embarrass Regional Fair, Friday through Sunday, August 28-30. Highlights include exhibits, live music and dancing, crafts and concessions, a horse show, Mud Run, demolition derby, the Flying Finn 10k Run, and a dog show. Embarrass is located roughly 35 miles north of Virginia. To learn more, dial 218/984-1011, or check out http://www.embarrassfair.com
Please Note: Information has been provided by event contacts. Please confirm dates, location and event status prior to travel. Explore Minnesota Tourism grants you permission to distribute this information freely to friends, family and others for personal use. However, any republication of the materials, full or partial, in electronic, print or other format, must prominently include the following statement: “The information in this report is provided courtesy of Explore Minnesota Tourism.
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One Response to “ Explore Minnesota Events Report: August 19, 2009 ”
September 9th, 2009 at 1:45 pm Bryan - ClickCrosby
Thank you for posting these events. We’re planning to visit sometime
in the future (hopefully soon) and this list will certainly be helpful.