Things to do in the Twin Cities, the week of 12/2

Things to do for the Family

Top Pick: Universe of Light at Mall of America

      Daily the Mall of America will be transformed for a regular experience for shoppers. The Universe of Light has just opened and will be open indefinitely at this point. The show will run for nine minutes and will feature smoke, lights and music into an interactive experience, not for the epileptic. It will run Monday through Thursday at 7pm and 9:30pm, Friday through Saturday at 7pm and 10pm and finally at 7pm on Sunday at the South Entrance of Nickelodeon Universe. If you're schlepping the kids to the mall anyways to shop, might as well check it out and try to pass it off as a cheap ride.

"Holiday Dazzle" in Prior Lake is on Friday from 5-8pm and features a long list of activities. The event will feature Ice Carvings, carolers, live music, a bonfire, pony rides, live reindeer, pictures with Santa, laser tag, small town business booths, sledding, skating and fireworks. This city knows how to do it big! Pretty sure Prior Lake wins for most elaborate town holiday celebration.


"Norwegian Christmas on the Farm" in Brooklyn Park at the Eidem homestead. There will be bonfires, Christmas tunes, caroling, Victorian decorations, craft demos and Santa of course. Also there will be Norwegian pippakakut (Finnish ginger cookies) and polsa which Wikipedia describes as a dish "similar to taste and texture" of Scottish Haggis... yummy...



"Shakopee Holiday Festival" is this Friday from 6-8pm and features caroling, a bike parade, carriage rides, ceremonial tree lighting and an appearance from Santa himself. Photos with Santa are just $5.  CANCELED DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER


"Hill House Holidays" opens this Friday at the James J Hill House. Actors dressed to portray servants of the house during the 1st decade of the 20th century. So see what it was like to be an impoverished lower class for the holidays. Tours run every 30 minutes however reservations are recommended.

"Old-Fashioned Holiday Bazaar" opens at the Landmark this Thursday and runs through Saturday and for $4 admission you'll have access to over 75 booths featuring crafts and gifts from the Twin Cities finest artists. Hey it's all indoors at the very least.

"Hometown for the Holidays" is now open in Stillwater and besides seeing beautiful, scenic Stillwater all dressed up for the holidays you'll also have the opportunity to enjoy some holiday merriment. This weekend there will be free carriage rides, carolers as well as visits from Santa throughout the holidays including lunches with him at Dock Cafe.


"Pet Photos with Santa" at Mall of America are on Sunday. Pets of all kinds are welcome to take pictures of Santa. So make sure your pet cobra and tarantula are looking their best when you bring them in.

Things to do for Adults

Top Pick: Excelsior Brewing Launch Party

       This brewery is making it's debut on St Paul's side of the river and celebrating in style at The Happy Gnome in St Paul on Wednesday. 5 taps will be poured from the Excelsior Brewing repertoire. The Excelsior Brewing Launch Party starts at 5pm. Who doesn't enjoy having a few brews in the middle of the week?

    Darkness tapping at Pizza Luce in Richfield on Thursday at 4pm. Surly and Pizza Luce is a pretty lethal combination. Get your weekend going early.

Things to do for Foodies

Top Pick: McCoy's Beer Dinner with Fulton

   McCoy's Beer Dinner with Fulton Brewery is Thursday at 6:30pm. Come hungry, for $50 a person you'll be treated to a six course dinner paired with a different beer for each. That's worth it in retail for the beer alone; that's six craft brews!


"Brunch with Santa" is at Pinstripes this Sunday and the following. I technically could have put this under the Family section but there's not a lot of food-related events this week and Pinstripes is pretty good... close enough. Santa will be on hand from 11am-1pm, make sure to make reservations.

Activities for the Active

Top Pick: St Paul Ice Fishing &Winter Sports Show

   The St Paul Ice Fishing & Winter Sports Show is the largest Ice Fishing show in the country and opens at the RiverCentre this Friday and runs through Sunday. Over 190 exhibitors come to the RiverCentre to show off the best new tools and gadgets in the trade. Tickets run $9 for adults, $4 for children 12-6, and 5 & under are free so here's a good thing for Daddy to take the kids to on his own... maybe? You might have to work the angle but it's all there.

Races this week

     5K Cherry & Spoon Run in Minneapolis on Saturday at 8am-5K, registration is $25- through Friday


    5K Beer Run in Minneapolis on Saturday at 2pm- 5K, registration is $30- through Friday


    Jingle Bear Run in White Bear Lake on Saturday at 9am-5K, 9:40am-Kids fun run, registration is $35 and $10 for kids through Thursday.


   Reindeer Dash in Minneapolis on Saturday at 9:10am-Kids 1/2 mile, 9:30am- Run, 9:40- Walk, registration is $35 and $20 for kids and can be paid on race day.


   JCC Dreidel Dash in St Paul on Sunday at 12:30pm-10k, 1:15pm- 5k, and 2:15pm- Maccabee mini-mile. Registration is $40 for the 10k, $35 for the 5k and $20 for kids through Friday.


   Walk for the Philippines at the Mall of America is Saturday and runs 7-10am. the cost is $25 and proceeds will go to help rebuild.

Activities for the Arts

Top Pick: The Wizard of Oz at the Ordway

      It's lions, bears and tigers- oh my! (honestly where in the world do you find these three species living in the wild together?) The Wizard of Oz opens Wednesday at the Ordway. The literary, stage and film classic returns to the Minneapolis area. Opening Wednesday the show will run through December, 29th. Tickets will the gambit from a partial view obstruction at $35 a person to $120.


"Nutcracker" by Moscow's Great Russian Ballet is at the Orpheum this Friday and Saturday. A variety of dancers from all over the world bring this Christmas classic to life. Tickets start at $28. Prepare yourself for the tights.


   "The Christmas Founding" is now open through December 29th on The Minnesota Show Boat. The play loosely follows the story of a group of miners whom are left with an orphaned infant so basically like "Three Men and a Baby" but with miners, and Christmas.


"An Eventfully Christmas" starts this weekend at Mill City and features a play performed in the mill's elevator ride and features "The Ghost of Mill City Ghost's past." The ticket price is $14 for adults, $12 for college students and seniors and $10 for children ages 17-6 however the play is not recommended for children under the age of eight years old.

Unusual Activities

   "An Unscripted Minnesota Holiday" begins at Bryant Lake Bowl on Thursday and Friday and will run every week through the season. The crowd will provide, in mad libs style the names of the characters, the town and the event and the actors take the suggestions from there. Did I mention it's a musical and the singing will be ad-libbed as well? Tickets are $15 or $13 in advance.


"Holiday Geek Expo" is this weekend at the Double Tree Bloomington. All things nerdy appear to be on the agenda. Gifts for the nerd in your life will be abundant with a host of vendors and artists who pander to this sort of crowd. And shocker, there will be a costume contest.


"Erotic Art Craft Fair" - no you read that correctly. For all your handmade erotic crafts please see the Smitten Kitten on Friday from 8-11pm. There will be sex educators on hand to demonstrate craft activities... yea, I'm leaving it at that, as all I'm picturing is adults with macaroni shells, glue and glitter making... you're on your own from here on out.