Puppet Story Time
Saturday June 1
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
The Avalon Theater
1500 E Lake Street
Free
Kids and families, join In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT) the first Saturday of every month for puppetry fun and storytelling! This month puppet librarian Chelly will be joined by folk trio The Well Tree. See you at “The Avalon!”
Indigenous Food Lab Market
One Year Anniversary
Saturday June 1
11 AM – 1 PM
Midtown Global Market
920 E. Lake Street
Free
June 1st marks one year since the Indigenous Food Lab Market officially opened! We will mark the occasion with music, dancing, small bites, and gathering with friends and partners. For more information go to natifs.org/event/indigenous-food-lab-market-1-year-anniversary
Bach Tage at Mt Olive Music and Fine Arts
June 1 & 2
4 PM
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
3045 Chicago Avenue
Free
Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts presents two special events in association with its Seventeenth Annual “Bach Tage,” or “Bach day.” On Saturday June 1, a recital by cantor and organist David Cherwien will explore various settings of the VATER UNSER (Our Father) melody, Martin Luther’s paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer. The following evening, Bach’s Cantata BWV 101, which was built on the VATER UNSER hymn melody, will be performed as part of the service of Evening Prayer, along with a setting of the Lord’s Prayer by Heinrich Schütz. For further information on this event and the Music and Fine Arts program, email cantor@mountolivechurch.org, or visit mountolivechurch.org.
Democracy Center
Through July 28
Norway House
913 East Franklin Ave
Free
Norway House and its newspaper, The Norwegian American, welcome you to a new gallery exhibit, Democracy Center, at the Norway House. Through the exhibit, adults and children learn about the history of the 1814 Norwegian Constitution, largely inspired by the U.S. Constitution. For additional information see the article on the front page of this month’s alley, or go to norwayhouse.org/exhibits/the-norwegian-american-presents-the-democracy-center.
Book Launch: Taiyon Coleman’s Traveling Without Moving
Tuesday, June 4
6 PM
Moon Palace Books
3032 Minnehaha Avenue
Free
Please join Moon Palace Books to celebrate the release of Taiyon Coleman’s Traveling Without Moving. Using a powerful blend of perspectives that move between a first-person lens of lived experience and a wider-ranging critique of U.S. culture, policy, and academia, Coleman’s writing evinces how a Black woman in America is always on the run, always Harriet Tubman, traveling with her babies in tow, seeking safety, desperate to survive, thrive, and finally find freedom.
Taiyon J. Coleman is a poet, writer, educator, and associate professor of English and Women’s Studies at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. For event details, go to moonpalacebooks.com/events.
Lake Street Art Drop with Pablo Kalaka
Thursday, June 6
6 PM
Starts at Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake Street
Free
Head to Lake Street for a free monthly scavenger hunt featuring photo clues on social media and local artwork prizes! June will feature works by illustrator, painter, and muralist Pablo Kalaka (elkalaka.com). Here’s how it works: Follow @VisitLakeStreet on Facebook and Instagram. On the evening of the Art Drop, head to Midtown Global Market; we’ll start posting photo hints of the hiding places for these art treasures at 6pm! If you’re the first person to find one, it’s yours to keep (one per household, please). Lake Street Art Drop will be held every first Thursday through October with different featured artists. Go to visitlakestreet.com/artdrop for details.
Wish Work Puppet Series
Saturdays, June 8 & 15
10:30-11:30 AM
Open Eye Theater
506 E 24th Street
Suggested donation of $5-$10
June 8: Pet Puppet Fun: Goldfish, Dogs, and More! Enjoy several short puppet shows about pets including Norman the Goldfish, a dog that gets lost, and more. Stay after to make your own pet puppet!
June 15: The Way of the Monarch follows the spectacular metamorphosis and migration of the monarch butterfly. This beloved creature transforms from egg to larva to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly to international traveler. Stay after to make your own puppet.
Wish Work, a program of Hinterhands Puppet Company, presents puppet theater for young audiences focused on telling stories that work toward making the world the way we wish it to be.
Four Sisters Farmers Market
Thursdays
11 AM – 3 PM
1414 E Franklin Avenue
Free
Enjoy local food, handcrafts, and community at the Four Sisters Farmers Market every Thursday through October 31st! Four Sisters is an Indigenous-focused farmers market that strives to celebrate Indigenous pride, health, and well-being. We welcome and accept SNAP/EBT benefits, Market Bucks, Gus Produce Market Bucks, cash, and cards. In partnership with Hunger Solutions, Four Sisters can match up to $10 of SNAP/EBT benefits. Visit our facebook page to learn about weekly programming as the season progresses or visit nacdi.org/four-sisters-farmers-market.
Soul of the Southside
Juneteenth Celebration & Coliseum Building Grand Reopening
Wednesday, June 19
Noon – 8 PM
3010 Minnehaha Ave
Free
Immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of Black history, art, food, music, and artisans honoring the invaluable contributions of Black Americans. Now in its third year, Soul of the Southside will extend onto Lake Street from the historic corner that was set ablaze during the 2020 uprising following the murder of George Floyd.
This year’s festival will also celebrate the Grand Reopening of the newly redeveloped Coliseum Building at 2700 Lake Street. The historic building was damaged during the unrest and has undergone a 2+ year community-focused redevelopment with the goal of creating generational wealth for BIPOC small business owners on a site that bears the scars of the community’s pain. For festival details, visit soulofthesouthside.com. To learn more about the Coliseum Building redevelopment project, see redesigninc.org/portfolio/coliseum-restoration.
Prejudice & Pride—Swedish Film Queer!
Thursday June 20
6 – 8 PM
American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Free – Registration Required
Celebrate Pride at ASI with a special screening of Prejudice & Pride—Swedish Film Queer! From Mauritz Stiller’s filming of the world’s first gay romance in 1916 to Sweden’s new wave of Scandinavian transgender films, this documentary explores the highs and lows of the century-long struggle for queer liberation. Register at asimn.org/event/prejudice-pride-swedish-film-queer.
Rhythms in the North Kick Off
Friday, June 21
Noon – 8 PM
Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake Street
Free
On June 21, the day of the summer solstice, Alliance Française will partner with Douala Soul Collective to celebrate Fête de la Musique in Minnesota as Rhythms in the North. To kick off the festival, Midtown Global Market will host a day of performances by local musicians, including Wenso Ashby, Charmin and Shapira, Ina-Yukka, The Debbie Briggs Duo, Matt Jennings, Jamela Pettiford, John Penny, and more! Come by between noon and 8pm to welcome the solstice by celebrating our love of music in the community! Learn more about Rhythms of the North at rhythmsinthenorth.com.
Only Ugly Guys
June 22 – 30
Open Eye Theatre
506 E 24th Street
$10-$50 (Sliding Scale)
Only Ugly Guys, a play by Grant Sorenson and Kurt Engh, delivers a stark reflection on how affection manifests in a non-committal, algorithm-fueled culture. Told through four short stories from unique, unreliable perspectives, Only Ugly Guys experiments with what theater can be, using modern romance as its medium. Placing the audience in the role of voyeur, confidante, enabler, and friend, these scenarios interrogate, “When you have access to anything, what do you really want?” Age recommendation is 17 and up. For tickets and showtimes, go to openeyetheatre.org/only-ugly-guys.
Malmöflickorna
Thursday June 27
6 – 8 PM
American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Free
After more than 1800 performances in 37 countries, Swedish dance gymnastics group Malmöflickorna makes their Minnesota debut at ASI with support from USA Gymnastics. Don’t miss this rhythmic performance as we enter the US Olympic Trials! This event is part of ASI’s Free Thursdays After 3pm. For more information go to asimn.org/event/malmoflickorna.
Somali Independence Day Festival
Saturday, June 29
W Lake Street between
Blaisdell & Stevens Avenues
Free
In 1776, the Somali people became the first African nation to formally recognize the independence of the United States of America, a move that was reciprocated in 1960 when the new nation of Somalia was born. Come join us in celebrating Somali Independence Day and continue the strong ties between Americans, Somalis and the increasing number of people who call both countries home. There will be musical performances, food, games, and something for everyone to enjoy. For additional details about this event or the Somali Week Festival, go to somaliweek.org/events or visit the somaliweekmn facebook page.
Chicken Fiesta “Best In Show” Competition
Saturday June 29
Noon – 1:30 PM
Stewart Park
2700 12th Ave South
Free – registration recommended for chickens!
Get ready for a feathered fiesta at our Chicken Festival! Bring your own chickens and compete in the Best in Show Chicken Competition. Hop into the bounce house, get your face painted, and indulge in delicious bites from the food truck. Plus, meet adorable animals at the petting zoo. It’s a clucking good time at our Chicken Fiesta! There are limited chicken pens available, register at apm.activecommunities.com/minneapolisparks to make sure your feathered family member has a safe, comfortable place to be kept during the event.
Circle of Water Opening Reception
June 29
3 – 5 PM
Hennepin History Museum
2303 3rd Avenue S
Pay as you can
Join the Hennepin History Museum for an outdoor community celebration of a new exhibit, Circle of Water: Puppetry as an Agent of Change. In 1983, thirty people and two dogs embarked on a four-month odyssey of performance down the Mississippi River. Stopping at twenty-one cities, these artists sought to highlight the importance of water and the inextricable link between the great river and all beings who live near it. Their performance explored the history of the Mississippi River and water themes, combining the entertainment of the circus, the pageantry of puppetry, and the call to action of a protest.
The exhibit will be a colorful, whimsical, family-friendly, and educational experience featuring many of the puppets used in the original COWC production. For more information on the opening celebration, go to hennepinhistory.org/event/circle-of-water-exhibit-opening-reception.
