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Weekend on Lake Street 5/14-5/16
May 14, 2010
We’re thrilled to see the sun again today, and even more happy it’s forecast to stick around through Sunday. And what better way to enjoy the weather than at the outdoor Lyn Lake Street Festival on Sunday? Things kick off in the morning with the Rides of Spring bike rally, and live music from local bands throughout the afternoon, with Har Mar Superstar headlining. While you’re there, look for the many Lake Street businesses that are sponsoring, like The Alt, Fuji Ya, Galactic Pizza, Smitten Kitten, and of course Top Shelf, one of the leading organizers of the event.
Also outdoors, on Saturday the Midtown Farmers’ Market is in full swing. They’ll have live music at 9 and 11 AM, and story time with East Lake Library at 10:45 AM. There’s a long list of produce and other food and goods to be found this week. On the list: strawberries, mushrooms, tomatoes, wild ramps, bread, eggs, meat, pickles, and jam, bedding plants, coffee, baked good, pottery, candles, crocheted hats and purses…you get the idea.
One more! In the late morning and early afternoon on Sunday, there’s a groundbreaking ceremony at the Danish American Center. The ceremony will happen right after the program “We Were All Danes”, which starts at 11 AM.
Theater
Patrick’s Cabaret presents Noche Hispana Seis on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoon. Music, dance and video come together again at Patrick’s Cabaret to show off the cultural diversity of the Twin Cities. Paulino brings together talented local artists for a weekend where the common thread is golden: la cultura hispana. Don’t miss it!
Jungle Theater continues its highly-acclaimed run of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. It’s got so much by now it’s hard to pick out any one article, but here’s the latest from the Star Tribune, profiling two of the lead actors.
At Bryant Lake Bowl, it’s the dark comedy Wormwood and stand up cabaret Last Laugh on Friday night. Saturday, it’s another dose of Wormwood, followed by Dragmanity: PAGEANT!!!, presented by Esme Rodriguez. And Sunday afternoon, it’s A Studio Cabaret, a variety show highlighting musical styles from Broadway to classical to pop to jazz and rock.
Music
Bryant Lake Bowl has indie-folk artist Ben Connelly, called “one of the best songwriters in the Midwest” by MPR, on Sunday night.
On Friday night, Pictures of Then headlines at Sauce Spirits & Soundbar, with Kill Me Kare Bare, The Sextons, and The 4 On The Floor. Saturday night, Sauce has Me And My Arrow, with Fort Wilson Riot, Leisure Birds, Obchod Na Korze, Jeremiah Nelson. And on Sunday night, Sauce plays host to the Lyn Lake Street Fest Afterparty, with F**k Knights, The Millionth Word, Communist Daughter, DJ Denver Dally, plus a secret guest.
Weekend on Lake Street 5/7-5/9
May 07, 2010
Don’t let the rain get you down! There’s plenty to do on Lake Street this weekend, both inside and out, that should cheer you up straight away.
Theater
Patrick’s Cabaret promises to be very interesting this week. Octogenarian Inge Cassidy, who starred in the Fringe Fest hit Osama Kinkaid, Painter of Terrorism and last year’s Inge Cassidy is OctoMom at Patrick’s, returns to host a new variety show: ArtWurst! It features “Inge Cassidy as herself; singer/writer Joan Calof as Inge Cassidy reading stories by Tom Cassidy; Cheap Theatre’s Erica Christ presents The History of Cake featuring Todd Liljenquist; opera chick Hayley Malone raises your rafters; and Tom Cassidy asks his Mom why she can’t be more like the way she is played by Joan Calof (and other poems).” And that’s just the first half!
Further west, Jungle Theater continues its run of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which is getting widely praised by critics everywhere. City Pages called it stunning, intense, and vivid, the Star Tribune said it had brilliant performances, and the Pioneer Press said that Jungle’s take on the play was “searing” and “definitive”. It runs through the end of this month.
On Friday and Saturday night, Bryant Lake Bowl hosts Wormwood, “a dark comedy about insanity, depravity, and death, with lots of cool hallucinations.” For the late show on Saturday, the winners of Women Stand Up and Shoot: A Comedic Film Competition will be announced, and the top 10 films will be screened.
Art
Friday night is the opening reception for Highpoint Center for Printmaking’s Access/Print Project. The project hosts 8 outstanding teen artists each school year, providing instruction in printmaking and mentorship. The teens receive 70 hours of studio access and create new work for this exhibit. It’s on view through May 22nd.
Music
Friday night, Sauce Spirits & Soundbar welcomes the 757s for a CD release, with Porcupine and Con-Queso. Saturday night it’s Blue Sky Blackout, with BNLX; You, You’re Awesome; and Chris Pavlich (of Two Harbors). And Sunday it’s Brian Just Band, with Kasey Anderson and Alex Masters.
And on Friday, Bryant Lake Bowl combines art AND music with Art in the City: Hip Hop and Paintings. Featuring OptionTwo w/DJ Episteme and Wesley Opus and Botzy w/ DJ Bandage.
Books
Saturday at 1:00 PM, Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore hosts local fantasy author Tate Hallaway (who has also published as Lyda Morehouse), who will sign and discuss Honeymoon of the Dead, the fifth in her fantasy series about a witch bookstore owner from Wisconsin.
And Sunday at 4:00 PM at Magers & Quinn, poet Judith Harway reads from her book All That is Left. This book “explores the legacies, both intended and accidental, passed down through three generations of a fictional immigrant family.” She’ll be joined by Minneapolis poet Tim Nolan.
On The Street
The rain should let up in time for the start of the Midtown Farmers’ Market (open rain or shine!). This weekend features bedding plants and brunch. There’s a chill in the air, but spring and the Midtown Farmers Market have most definitely returned.
And Lake Street has one more Cinco De Mayo Festival lined up and ready to go! This one will be outside at 4th & Lake and will feature pony rides, children’s games, folk dancers, food, drink, and many bands throughout the day. It’s on Sunday from 11 AM – 7 PM.
See you on Lake Street!
Oral History
April 27, 2010
We’re on a history kick this year. We know many people with long and deep roots in this area, and many more who enjoy hearing about days gone by, what’s changed, and what’s stayed the same. Some businesses have been around for decades, like Ingebretsen’s, Roberts Shoes, and Schatzlein Saddle (which is now over a century old). Others have sprung up on the same ground as some old favorites. With all that in mind, we’re recording the memories and stories of long-time residents, so we’ll always have them.
Our very first interview is with Joyce Krook, who was the community relations specialist with Abbott Northwestern and Allina for many years. She grew up at Lake & Hennepin in the 1940s and 1950s. Here’s part 1 of the interview with her, which mostly has to do with what it was like to grow up next to the Minneapolis Ice Arena.
You can read more online about the Minneapolis Arena, and the Rainbow Building. Stay tuned for part two and for more interviews!
Weekend on Lake Street 4/23-4/25
April 22, 2010
We’re gearing up for a massive weekend next week, but there’s plenty to do now as well!
Theater
On Friday and Saturday nights, Patrick’s Cabaret hosts Bisexual Cabaret, as part two in its GLBT series. Featuring: a reading by Jacqueline White, Katherine Glover-Storytelling, Brooke Murphy and her band Saliva’s Wedge, Gabriellla Santiago-Skit/Lecture, Howard Lieberman-Storytelling, Deja Stowers-One Woman Theater.
Bryant Lake Bowl is busy with three showings of The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus and two of Vilification Tennis presents: A Tribute to Moms (Especially the fat ones), to be found throughout Friday and Saturday. The Rockstar Storytellers: Young Adult closes out BLB’s weekend on Sunday night.
And Pangea World Theater wraps up its co-production of Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba with Teatro del Pueblo. It’s across the river at SteppingStone Theatre in St. Paul.
Books
Sunday afternoon at Magers & Quinn, Colleen Baldrica reads from her book Tree Spirited Woman., “a narrative that takes the reader through one woman’s intimate transformation from the death of her maternal grandmother to the establishment of a new and guiding friendship with a wise and mystical woman.”
Music
Friday night at Sauce Spirits & Soundbar, it’s a CD release party for Toma The 3rd, with Speed’s The Name Kitty Rhombus, and National Bird. And Satuday night it’s The Mood Swings, with Kill to Kill and Mercurial Rage. The shows are, as always, 21+.
Puppets!
It’s the last Saturday to participate in one of In the Heart of the Beast Theatre’s puppet parade schools. “A hands-on, intensive course in learning how to make a parade at HOBT and in the streets. Join the MayDay Staff Artists to envision, build and rehearse the MayDay Parade.” The parade is coming the very next weekend!
Brunch
There are several great places to grab brunch on Lake Street. Don’t forget that Midtown Global Market nows offers it on a rotating schedule between their various vendors on Sundays. This Sunday it’s Cafe Finspang, which is serving up Swedish waffles with lingonberries and whipped cream, fresh fruit Salad and Walnuts, and tea or coffee. Sounds delicious!
Lake Street is “Best Of the Twin Cities”
April 21, 2010
City Pages’ Best of the Twin Cities 2010 just hit the Internet, and as usual Lake Street and its businesses cleaned up in many categories, well over a dozen this year. We’re here to guide you through all of them!
People & Places
First, and my personal favorite, Metro Transit Route 21 takes the win for best bus route. “If you want to ride a bus and get somewhere, it’s the 21 or nothing, the bus line that’s about the journey as much as the destination.”
Best Place to Hang Out with the Kids: Midtown Global Market. “The perfect distillation of Lake Street’s entrepreneurial immigrant surroundings.”
Best Lake: Lake Calhoun. We’re lucky to have such a nice slice of nature so close by!
Shopping & Services
Best Used Bookstore: Magers & Quinn. “The Uptown anchor has it all: an attractive space, roomy layout, friendly staff, and convenient hours.”
Best Mystery Bookstore: Uncle Edgar’s. Easy choice here!
Best Bike Shop: Freewheel. Their Midtown shop has been a great addition to the Greenway.
Best Store for Sex Toys: Smitten Kitten. Again, who else could you possibly choose?
Food & Drink
Best Japanese Restaurant: Fuji-Ya. The Twin Cities’ first Japanese restaurant is still on top!
Best Wine List: Barbette. They got their win for a great selection of sparkling wine.
Best Pizza: Galactic Pizza. Everyone loves the superhero deliveries and the electric cars they arrive in!
Best Taco: Carne Asada from Los Ocampo. “The asada, ordered “Mexican-style,” comes with a tight little pile of grilled steak, diced onion, and a bunch of bright-green cilantro resting cutely atop two soft, warm corn tortillas, flanked by lime wedges and a little spray of thinly sliced radishes.” Wow, that sounds good. You can find them both in the Global Market and at their own spot on Chicago & Lake.
Best Burrito: Pineda Tacos. It is indeed huge and delicious, and you have two chances to get one on Lake Street, at Hiawatha and at 3rd!
Best Happy Hour: Il Gatto, in Calhoun Square. Great deals on wine, well drinks, and domestic tap beer.
Best Neighborhood Bar: Merlins Rest. Good whiskey, beer, pub quizzes, traditional British pub food…what more could you want?
Arts & Entertainment
Best Improv Comedy Theater: ComedySportz, in Calhoun Square. 20+ years and going strong, with many chances for audience participation!
Best Stage Design: Joel Sass, the Jungle Theater. “Joel Sass took the reigns of the theater in 2009…and showed that his own considerable talents stretched to design as well.”
Best Midnight Movie: The Room at Uptown Theatre. Sounds delightfully disastrous.
Best Storytelling Event: Two Chairs Telling. “ Once a month, two skilled spoken-word performers are given a stage together, and everything else—the themes addressed, the tone, and the stories told—is up to the pair to decide.” This series started at the Jungle years ago and is now hosted by our friends a few blocks to the north at Open Eye Figure Theatre.
That’s all we spotted this time around! If we’re missing any, be sure to let us know in the comments. And think of this as a great reason to try out anything you see here that you’ve meant been meaning to go (or go back!) to.
Weekend on Lake Street, 4/16-4/18
April 15, 2010
This coming weekend promises to be a big one. Saturday will be Hymie’s last day at their current 33rd & Lake location. Don’t worry, they’re not going far! In a few weeks they’ll be up and running at 39th & Lake, right next to the Blue Moon. The picture there is their new sign at In the meantime, they’ll be going out with a bang, as Saturday is also National Record Store Day. They’ll have big sales and many live performances throughout the day. Buffalo Moon, Jezebel Jones & Her Wicked Ways, Stepped Reckkoner, Ford Road Five…the list goes on. Not to be missed by any vinyl fan.
Extreme Noise Records is getting in on the Record Store Day fun as well. They’ll be opening early, at 9:00 AM, with breakfast treats from Cake Eater Bakery for their customers. Veggie dogs and soda will be available for those who come in after noon. They’ll have plenty of deals and special Record Store Day releases, too.
Switching gears, Earth Day is also coming up soon, and Midtown Global Market hosts their celebration on Saturday. Visitors are invited to meet the local farmers and producers who bring the food to their tables. Experts will also be on hand to offer guests energy saving tips and ways to “green-up” their every day lives. This year will also feature a Recycled Art Fair. All entries must be made up of at least 75% recycled materials. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place and all artwork will be on display at the Market through May 17.
And right there down on the Greenway, it’s Freewheel’s Bikers Bazaar Craft Fair. Over 20 localartists and crafters selling everything including, upcycled bike part jewelry, baby clothes, handmade wooden utensils, zines, paintings, hair accessories, bags and much much more.
Theater
Patrick’s Cabaret holds the Somewhat Sci-Fi Variety Show Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. “An evening of hip-hop modern, singing, waacking, performance art, comedy and freestylin. All works inspired by science fiction culture.” Cathy Wright, Bryce Davidson, Manboy(Erik Stoeckler), Anne Johnson and Nora Figi, Laura Rademacher, Tony Larson, B-Boy J-Sun, Laura Kirkeby, Hannah Lund, and Arturo Miles perform.
At Bryant Lake Bowl, The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus returns from its popular Fringe Festival run, with one show on Friday evening, and two on Saturday. Both nights, it’s followed by a new incarnation of Dykes Do Drag, “a Savers fashion show in Genderbenderville.” And Sunday evening, it’s the second performance for C-SICK, about the journey of Polly, one of over 5 million people infected with Hepatitis C.
And don’t forget about Pangea World Theater, co-hosting Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba along with Teatro del Pueblo. It’s playing for two more weekends at SteppingStone Theatre in St. Paul.
Music
Sauce Spirits & Soundbar has The Bitter Spills on Friday night, with Matthew Ryan and Brandon Sampson. Saturday it’s Estate with Beatrix *JAR and DJ Denver Dalley, and Sunday night it’s Sarah Winters, with Nikki Schultz, Greg Reese and Derek Luttrell.
Weekend on Lake Street, 4/9 - 4/11
April 08, 2010
A big event for Lake Street this weekend is Saturday’s Start Up in Uptown Shop & Walk. “As part of a partnership between the Uptown Association and the American Heart Association, Uptown Minneapolis will host a day of shopping, dining and relaxing to encourage everyone to ‘Start!’ living a healthier lifestyle by walking a little each day.” Dozens of businesses are offering discounts, and the first 200 people to check in at Cowboy Slims at 1320 W. Lake St. will get free gift bags and maps! Check out this Uptown Association webpage for a list of participating businesses, what they’re offering, and to download a free bus pass.
Theater
On Friday, Bryant Lake Bowl an offerings of Mint, presented by the Flower Shop Project, and a new edition of La Vie Theatre’s stand up comedy show Last Laugh. Saturday features Creative Laughter Club House for kids K-6 at noon, and another serving of Mint in the evening. Then on Sunday it’s the first show of C-SICK, “a haunting and enlightening journey of Polly, one of over 5 million people infected with Hepatitis C.”
A few blocks north of Lake Street, Frank Theater puts on Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis in the Open Eye Theatre space on 24th St. “Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes one morning to find that he has been transformed into a “monstrous vermin.” Life just isn’t the same after that.” The Star Tribune has the write-up.
And this one’s in St. Paul: our friends at Pangea World Theater are co-producing The House of Bernarda Alba. “Five daughters are forced into mourning by their mother. One by one they make a bid for freedom, with tragic consequences. Don’t miss Lorca’s critically acclaimed masterpiece brought to life by Pangea World Theater and Teatro del Pueblo.” Check the webpage for details.
Music
Sauce Spirits & Soundbar features Farewell Milwaukee, with Brian Just Band, Unwed Sailor, and Backstories, on Friday night. Saturday night it’s The Rockford Mules, with The Gleam and Crossing Guards. And Sunday it’s Central Division, with The Wiitala Brothers, Ten Ton Bridge. Doors at 9:30 for all shows, Friday and Saturday with a $5 cover, Sunday free.
(Sauce also features art this weekend. It has a Number 3 opening celebration early Saturday evening, featuring the works of Emily Hayes, Cassie Garner, and Jason Wasyk.)
Bryant Lake Bowl has some local music this weekend too. Saturday night it’s a CD release for Son of Lars’s new album, “The Ghost Cave of the Black Mountain.” The Daredevil Christopher Wright and Dewi Sant will be there too.
Get To Work!
In the Heart of the Beast Theatre needs help creating the MayDay Parade! They offer both a morning and an afternoon workshop Saturdays all through April, as well as evening workshops Tuesdays and Thursdays. Artists will help you select a theme and guide you in your work. Come to as many or as few workshops as you are able.
Other Ways To Party
Get to Old Arizona’s Spring Wine Tasting on Friday night. It’s an evening filled with palate-pleasing wines, fine cheeses and pintxos (small bites), while mingling with friends and neighbors in the intimate spaces of Old Arizona. All wines served during the evening will be available for purchase at the event. Like all events hosted by Old Arizona, profits from the wine tasting will go towards Old Arizona’s youth programs for teenage girls.
And on Saturday, celebrate Scottish heritage with a Tartan Day Party at Merlin’s Rest. Great music from local pipers, traditional Scottish foods, and drink specials!
Tragedy at McMahon’s
April 06, 2010
By now, everyone has likely heard about the horrible fire in the McMahon’s Pub building at 30th & Lake, that caused so much damage and was Minneapolis’s deadliest fire in over 20 years. We won’t go back through all the details here. Instead, we’ll direct you to McMahon’s homepage, to see their response to what has happened. Unfortunately, it appears the whole building will need to be demolished. But the McMahon’s team vows to rebuild, and has details about two upcoming fundraisers for the families who lost people. Our best wishes to everyone who is rebuilding after this fire.
Weekend on Lake Street 3/26-3/28
March 26, 2010
Theater
This is your very last chance to see Blithe Spirit at Jungle Theater! The show about a seance gone wrong ends its run on Sunday.
At Bryant Lake Bowl, Detour’s monthlong run closes with performances on Friday and Saturday. Later those same nights, it’s Villification Squares, where “the Vilification Tennis cast returns with its crazy popular game show theme! Enjoy a show that is all about your favorite game shows with a Vilification Tennis twist.” Then on Sunday, it’s The Rockstar Storytellers: Chick Lit, followed by Proletariat Bronze Variety Showcase Show, an evening of spoken word and special surprises.
Arts
Friday night features a gallery opening at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. South African Prints from the David Krut Print Workshop will debut from 6:30 – 9:00 PM. It will be on view through April 24.
After seeing some art, how about making some of your own? At Midtown Global Market on Saturday afternoon, Free Arts Minnesota invites families to create colorful murals during a special event focused on the theme of “Healthy Families.” One mural will be selected by a panel of celebrity judges to be spotlighted in a bus mural all month long, and the talented winning family will also receive a prize package.
Music
If it’s live music on Lake Street, it must be Sauce. Friday night, it’s the The Melismatics, with Virtual CH. Saturday, it’s Gospel Gossip, with Wussy, Zoo Animal, and Maudlin. Sunday, Hildur Vicoria plays, with Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps and Total Babe. All shows have 9:30 PM doors and are 21+; Friday’s and Saturday’s cost $5.
For live music of a rather flavor, head over to Old Arizona on Friday and Saturday nights. They’re hosting DV8D Septet, “an a cappella group specializing in an eclectic mix of pop, jazz, doo wop, and other genres of vocal music you know and love.”
The Triumphant Return of Kaplan Brothers
March 26, 2010
We just learned of some great news: Kaplan Brothers at 1414 East Lake will be reopening on Monday the 29th! They’ve been regrouping since December, when a nearby water pipe burst and flooded the store, damaging the building and a lot of the merchandise. It was an especially bad time for that to happen to them, since the weather was just really cold and bringing in people looking for hardy winter clothes. Thankfully, their commitment to remain on Lake Street was strong, and they’ve now gotten everything cleaned up and ready to go. Please drop in when they reopen and welcome them back!
