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Twin Cities shopping and event highlights for this week.
Art WOW
Find art that’s bold and colorful, abstract and geometric, and minimalistic and clean at Lindstrom’s coveted Night Art Gallery. Inside the small lake town that sits just 45 minutes north of the Twin Cities, you can bask in the beauty of more than 300 pieces of original artwork in various styles and multiple mediums. No matter what taste you have, there’s something right up your alley at this late-night, art-filled spot. Through Aug. 31, Monday-Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. @ 12732 Lake Blvd., Lindstrom, nightartgallery.com
Thursdays on First & 3rd
For a day trip in the other direction, venture south for one of the last Thursdays on First & 3rd of the summer. This outdoor market and music festival shuttles in the showstoppers and boasts six musical performances in acoustic, funk & soul, and variety cover band styles. But in true Midwest Home fashion, you already know this event has more than 100 art, craft, and food vendors, too. It’s free, there’s food, and you can even bring your dog—what’s better than that? Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. @ First Ave. SW and Peace Plaza in Rochester, downtownrochestermn.com
The Great Minnesota Get Together
Check out the specialty sellers, vendors, and artisans around every people-packed corner and bustling block of the highly anticipated Minnesota State Fair. You’ll discover home décor in the Creative Activities Annex, outdoor gear in the Dairy Building, handmade goods in the West End Market, and even 20 boutique-style merchants at the Veranda in the Grandstand. Thursday through Sept. 3, fairgrounds open 6 a.m. to midnight @ 1265 Snelling Ave. N, St. Paul, mnstatefair.org
Gather & Plant Staghorn Fern Workshop
Tangletown Gardens, a Minneapolis garden center known for offering unusual and hard-to-find plants, lives up to their reputation yet again—this time, with the staghorn fern. This workshop takes the antler-like plant (typically found in tropical rainforests) and gives it a home in your Midwest (and very much deciduous) space. Learn the in’s and out’s, proper mounting methods, and how to create a staghorn fern masterpiece of your own. Saturday at 1 p.m. @ 5353 Nicollet Ave. S, Minneapolis, tangletowngardens.com
Sawdust Savvy’s Pick Your Project Workshop
How often do you get to be the planner, the designer, and the artist of the farmhouse-style, rustic-looking home décor you love? Take your pick between planked signs, round wood trays, framed pieces, and more custom wood art at the Pick Your Project workshop with Sawdust Savvy. But be quick—register here by midnight Thursday to hold your seat. Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. @ 234 S. Main St., Suite 7, Stillwater, sawdustsavvy.com
