Summer plans y'all.

photo from here

Summers in Minneapolis are glorious. people pour out of their homes into the greenest city i have ever seen. Planning a city around lakes and rivers ensured that every metro dweller lives within 6 blocks from a city park. (stat from '08 but i'm sure it still stands.) we pack a LOT into our short summer, and the only downside is that you simply cannot get to everything. there's too much! every night of the summer, there is free live music in one of the parks with a movie afterwards. there is a festival nearly every single weekend. it's nuts! last summer i think i got a little overwhelmed & paralyzed by all the options, so this year i am planning ahead. i've made a list of things that jumped out at me, and we're going to try and make it to as much as possible without it feeling like a chore. behold, the list as it stands now:

May 19: Art-A-Whirl

June 2: Edina Art Fair
June 3: Grand Old Day
June 9-10: Northern Spark
June 11: The Goonies at Lyndale Farmstead Park
June 15-16: St. Paul birthday getaway at the Covington Inn, w/lunch at W.A. Frost and Wits!
June 19: Celebrate NE Parade, 6:30pm
June 21: Super 8 in Powderhorn Park
June 23: Summer Solstice performance at Stone Arch 8:30pm
June 24: Pride Parade in downtown Mpls (& fun run beforehand)
June 28: Greycoats EP Release at the Kitty Kat Club
June 30: Time to Fly 10k at Harriet Island in St. Paul
June 30: The Bad Plus at Mears Park, 8:30pm

June 15-July 15: Broken Crow exhibit at XYandZ Gallery

July 3: Romantica at Nicollet Island Pavilion, 7pm
July 4: Firecracker 10k at Lake Minnetonka; Fireworks downtown at 10pm
July 5: Slovczech at Minnehaha Falls Bandshell
July 6: Greycoats at Wabasha Days, Ecolab Plaza in St. Paul
July 13: Willow at Lake Harriet
July 13-14: Z+L wedding weekend
July 15: Color Run 5k at State Fairgrounds
July 15: paddleboard demo at Lake Calhoun
July 18: Footloose in Matthews Park, Torchlight Parade downtown
July 19: Ferris Bueller in Powderhorn Park
July 20: The Sound of Music at Lake Harriet
July 21: Art Car Parade, Rose Garden at Lake Harriet; Aquatennial fireworks; Greycoats & Jeremy Messersmith at First Ave
July 24: Say Anything at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park
July 27: The Sixth Sense at Lake Harriet
July 28-29: Red Hot Art at Stevens Square Park

July 21-September 9: Artists in Storefronts in the Whittier neighborhood
July 30-August 5: vacation in Asheville, NC

August 8: The Muppets at Johnson Square Playground (for Matt)
August 13: Rogue Valley at Loring Park, 7pm
August 16: Greycoats at MMAA Patio nights
August 17: Wayne's World at Lake Harriet
August 18: Greycoats at West Bank Music Festival
August 24: S. Carey and O Brother Where Art Thou at Lake Harriet, Greycoats at Amsterdam Bar + Hall
August 30: Cat Video Festival at Walker Art Center, 8pm

August 8, 15, 22, 29: Mill City Live, $5 admission to concert and museum
August 18- September 30: Renaissance Fair. i've never been- could this be the year?
August 23- September 3: Minnesota State Fair

other fun things for any day:
Foshay Tower observation deck
hike the bluffs in Red Wing
Afton State Park
Franconia Sculpture Park with burgers & beer at Al's Saloon