Visit Lake Street Blog
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!
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!
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!
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.”
Weekend on Lake Street 3/12-3/14
March 12, 2010
Fork the Fire
First, a reminder about dining out for a great cause this Sunday. Go to restaurants participating in Fork the Fire to help raise money to support Heidi’s and Blackbird, the two restaurants destroyed in the fire at 50th & Bryant. Participating Lake Street places include Chino Latino, Il Gatto, Herkimer, Moto-i, The Craftsman, Burger Jones. Check Fork the Fire’s website for all the details.
Theater
This weekend brings with it a very active theater scene in the Lyn-Lake area. At Intermedia Arts, there are two shows remaining for NE 2nd Avenue, a compilation of characters that make Miami their home. “The work conveys, with poignancy and humor, the profoundly rich and textured mix of Miami, in which distinct Cuban, Haitian, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Jewish, LGBT and African American influences emerge yet, interestingly enough, often in ways that reveal evidence of, often denied, cross-pollination.” Check out the great review it got from John Townsend in the Star Tribune. It’s on Friday and Saturday night.
Blithe Spirit continues its run at Jungle Theater. The play, about a seance gone very wrong, has three weekends left to go. It’s received raves from both MinnPost and the Star Tribune.
And this weekend at Bryant Lake Bowl, Detour, an adaptation of Edgar G. Ulmer’s classic 1945 film noir piece, is on Friday night, as is Last Laugh, an exciting evening of stand up comedy presented by La Vie Theatre. Women Stand Up! A Comedy Cabaret is on Saturday night, and Macbeth: The Video Game Remix shows both Saturday and Sunday nights.
Music
Pangea World Theater hosts an acoustic show of traditional Irish music on Sunday night. Paddy O’Brien and Chulrua play old instrumental dance music of Ireland: jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas, and slides. Chulrua translates fromthe Irish as “red back.” It was the name and distingushing feature of the favorite woulfound of ancient Irish hero Fionn MacCumhail.
At Sauce Spirits & Sound, Dearling Physique plays on Friday night, with Bella Koshka and Eric Lindley. Saturday night, it’s a CD release for Ernest Rhodes. One Be Lo, Wide Eyes, Gahed Indie, and DJ’s Last Word & oWrecks will also be there. And on Sunday, it’s Hardcore Crayons, with Tender Meat and Omnitrigger.
For the Kids
Over east, the East Lake Library hosts American Girl Stories on Saturday at 11:00 AM. For kids in kindergarten and up. Get to know your favorite American Girls. Kit, Kaya, Julie and their friends will come to life as we read about a different girl each month and discover history through their eyes with games and activities. This month is about Nellie, Samantha’s friend.
In Midtown, In the Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Saturday puppet show is Are You Thirsty?. Come explore a myriad of questions contained in a cup of water—one of the most precious and necessary shared resources of our planet. 10 and noon, with a make-n-take puppet workshop in between.
And over on West Lake, Bryant Lake Bowl hosts Creative Laughter on Saturday at noon. “A show for kids K-6 that creates an improv comedy experience with music, story, and movement. Come join John Haynes…formerly Mike of Martha and Mike’s Clubhouse for a show that will inspire you to creatively laugh.”
Odds and Ends
Old Arizona hosts a beer and cheese tasting on Friday night. Admission includes a tasting of no less than six varieties of beer, an assortment of imported and domestic cheeses and hot pinxtos (small plates . . . a little pinch of something). Full glasses of beer & wine may be purchased in the Café & Wine Bar.
And there are some good times this weekend at some of our local churches as well. St. Albert the Great continues their Friday fish dinners, with baked and fried tilapia, potatoes, meatless spaghetti, cole slaw, rolls, desserts and beverages. There’s bingo too! The dinners continue for three more Fridays.
And at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 15th Ave. & 28th St., they’re having a 325th Birthday Bash for J.S. Bach on Saturday. It’s a fundraising dinner that will benefit. benefit the church’s sustainability strategy. Corned beef brisket and cabbage, smoked, dry-rubbed beef brisket, coleslaw, potatoes, root vegetables, salads and desserts. Tickets: $20 ($13 from every sale will benefit the long-term strategy of our mission.) Call 651-459-7277 with inquiries and for reservations.
Yelp Drinks Week!
March 02, 2010
March 1st – 7th is Yelp Drinks Week, a “city-wide all day and all week long Happy Hour.” On Lake Street, Bryant Lake Bowl and Barbette are participating. The deals you can find there this week:
Bryant Lake Bowl — $3 domestic taps, $4 select taps, $4 house wines, $4 rail cocktails
Barbette — $3 PBR, $4 house wines, $4 domestic taps
Take advantage of those great prices while they’re still available!
Weekend on Lake Street 2/26-2/28
February 25, 2010
Three events coming to you this weekend only
Freewheel Midtown Bike Center’s Ride and Un-Wine-D. Saturday night starting at 5:00 PM. A 90-minute special cycle class led by Jeff Rosga, followed by a Wine & Beer Reception hosted by Freewheel. Note that this is a BYOB event — BRING YOUR OWN BIKE!
A huge sale at Tatters. They’re celebrating 30 years in business by offering a 50% discount on everything in the store, through all of Saturday and Sunday.
Midtown Global Market’s Black History Month Celebration. All day long on Saturday. The Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center (PPCWC) and KFAI Radio host. This celebration, entitled “Memphis to Maliâ€, will honor the historical, musical, cultural and artistic traditions of the African American community. There will be live entertainment, an art exhibit, book expo, and much more.
For a night (or day) out at the theater
For the kids, In the Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Saturday puppet show Land of 10,000 Lakes: Minnesota’s 150-year Connection to Water. What makes a shower and what keeps all the grass so green? Water of course! The water that we know so well…or do we? 10:00 AM & noon.
Jungle Theater’s Blithe Spirit, now entering its third weekend. When successful novelist Charles Condomine and his wife Ruth invite a local psychic to conduct a séance at their dinner party to gather material for his next book, they fully believe her to be a harmless fraud. But Madam Arcati successfully conjures up the ghost of Charles’ annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, who decides not to honor the vow “until death do us part.†The Star Tribune recommended it highly, saying that “sterling performances at the center of Noël Coward’s witty comedy make the Jungle’s staging soar.”
And Bryant Lake Bowl has four shows lined up. Friday night, it’s Master Works: the Rembrandt plays, where six directors translate six of Rembrandt’s work to the stage, and Inglorious Villifiers, where the Villification Tennis crew invites you to come and “celebrate your ignorance of all films that weren’t directed by Michael Bay.” Saturday night it’s Profile, an evening of dance and video vignettes with performances, and another round of Inglorious Villifiers. The Rockstar Storytellers close out the weekend with Self Help on Sunday.
Live music at Sauce
Friday night it’s Pictures of Then, with The Effects and Modoc. Saturday night it’s Ten Ton Bridge, with Mood Swings, Middlepicker, and Icy Shores. And Sunday night it’s Martin Devaney, with Brad Senne, Luke Redfield, and Minor Kingdom. Friday and Saturday have a $5 cover, Sunday is free to get in. All shows are 21+ and have doors open at 9:30.
Your Weekend Entertainment, January 8-10
January 08, 2010
This weekend will finally see temperatures climbing a little bit, and the Lake Street entertainment scene is heating up a bit too — it’s not the busiest weekend of the year but there are still activities to choose from.
Bryant Lake Bowl, for one, has a full schedule. Friday night it’s Party in the Rec Room with local author & actor Lorna Landvik at 7:00, and Last Laugh from La Vie Theatre at 10:00. Saturday at noon Creative Laughter Club House, for kids K-6, takes the stage. Later that night it’s another dose of Party in the Rec Room at 7:00 and Women Stand Up! A Comedy Cabaret at 10:00. And Sunday at 9:00 it’s “The Shirt Off My Back” Benefit, an evening with The Teddy Holidays. Attendees are asked to bring clothing for donation. Buy tickets
Magers & Quinn has an interesting event on Saturday, with Emergent Poets III. It features poets Julie Carr, Christine Hume, and Andrew Zawacki.
And Sauce Spirits & Soundbar has a full weekend of music scheduled. Friday night it’s High on Stress headlines, The Tisdales, The Hard Left, and Slim Dunlap. On Saturday it’s 20 Dollar Love, The Rockford Mules, Droids Attack, Tonnage, and Blue Ox. And Sunday, it’s DJs Imelda & Jaques Renault.
Your Weekend Entertainment, December 18-20
December 17, 2009
‘Twas the weekend before Christmas, and that means a lot of programming wrapping up for the year. That includes La Natividad from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, which ends with shows at 6:30 PM Thursday through Sunday. Only Thursday night tickets are still available, but there may still be some volunteer opportunities as ways to get involved and see the show!
Also on its last weekend up is Jungle Theater’s The Seafarer. It’s gotten great reviews from MSP Magazine, Daily Planet, Star Tribune, and others, so see it while you still can! Buy tickets
Some Christmas-themed shows are wrapping up at Bryant Lake Bowl too. Letters to Santa…Postage Due! has its last show Saturday at 7:00 PM, and A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix ends Sunday with shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM. Buy tickets
Christmastime also means Santa Claus! He’ll be at the Midtown Global Market on Friday and Saturday for free photo opportunities. That starts at 5:00 PM on Friday and noon on Saturday.
And non-holiday related but no less interesting for that, Magers & Quinn hosts Mitch Omer, the owner of Minneapolis’s Hell’s Kitchen, on Saturday. He’ll be discussing his cookbook Damn Good Food. “Omer reveals the recipes that have made his restaurant a pleasure seeker’s destination, including inventions like his tart, ethereal Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes; dark, wild Bison Sausage Bread; and sweet, creamy Mahnomin Porridge. These dishes have the hungry and eager queued up out the doors of Hell’s Kitchen, often for hours, but now you can make them at home.”
