Music
A Concert for Gun Reform featuring the choral work Requiem by Fauré will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at Hamline Church, 1514 Englewood Ave. Paolo Debuque will conduct the choir. Ju Young Lee will play the organ. Soloists include soprano Katie Boardman and baritone Douglas Shambo. Tickets are $0-$30, depending on what you can afford. All proceeds go to Protect MN.
Free lunchtime concerts are offered at noon on Wednesdays in the Landmark Center cortile. The hour-long shows will feature Mother Banjo on June 29 and the folk and rock music of Amanda Grace on July 13. Visit landmarkcenter.org.
Music in the Parks, free concerts in Mendota Heights, will continue with children’s favorite DJ Party Unit from 6-6:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, in Mendakota Park; and Up South from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, at Market Square Park.
The free concert series Bands on the Boulevard will be presented from 5:45-8 p.m. on Tuesdays in July on the lawn outside of the Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Pkwy. Enjoy live music, dancing, lawn games and children’s activities. The schedule includes Ellis Delaney and the OK Factor on July 5 and the Roe Family Singers on July 12. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. Food trucks and a cash bar will be available. No pets are allowed.
Bands on the Bluff, live music at the new Klas Overlook at Historic Fort Snelling, is being offered monthly at 7 p.m. Fridays. The heart-pounding rhythms of TaikoArts Midwest will be featured from 7-8 p.m. July 8. Admission is free. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. Refreshments will be available. No alcohol or pets are allowed. Parking costs $6. Call 612-726-1171.
Books
SubText Books, 6 W. Fifth St., will host free readings and discussions with authors Lynne Cox and Tales of Al, her book about the Newfoundland canine that is a member of Italy’s elite corps of water rescue dogs, at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 30; Jhani Randhawa and the poet’s debut collection, Time Regime, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 7; and Caryn Rose and her book, Why Patti Smith Matters, about the iconic rock singer and poet, at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Admission is free. Call 651-493-2791 or visit subtextbooks.com.
A Cracked Walnut poetry workshop will be held from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, July 2, in the first floor meeting room of the Highland Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy. Bring eight to 10 copies of an original poem to share. Admission is free. RSVP to donna@donnaisaacpoet.com.
Theater
Twelve Angry Men, a musical version of the courtroom drama about the jury in a trial of an alleged murderer, is playing through July 17 at Theater Latté Da’s Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE in Minneapolis. Peter Rothstein directs. Curtis Bannister, T. Mychael Rambo, James Detmar and Bradley Greenwald star. Tickets start at $35. Call 612-339-3003 or visit latteda.org.
Spittin’ Seeds, a new drama that moves between celestial realms and Saint Paul’s historical Rondo area to portray a neighborhood forever renewing itself, is being staged through June 26 at Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St. The first production in Penumbra’s two-year Ashe Lab Residency, Spittin’ Seeds conjures the fabric of a close-knit Black community and the timeless forces that guide and protect it. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Visit penumbratheatre.org or call 651-224-3180.
Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are turned on their heads in Applause Community Theatre’s The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. All 209 stories are combined in one rollicking drama. Show times are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25, at Dreamland Arts, 677 N. Hamline Ave. Tickets are whatever you can afford. Visit dreamlandarts.com.
Miss Robin Hood and her Merry Band of Thieves, a new twist on the classic legend, will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25, at the Lake Nokomis Community Center, 2401 E. Minnehaha Pkwy. in Minneapolis. The production by Classics Lost ’n’ Found Theater was written by Noreen K. Brandt and directed by Greg Bastien with original music by Coral Bastien. Admission is free.
Real Women Have Curves, a humorous tale of a Mexican-American teenager’s coming of age in a cauldron of cultural expectations, is being staged through June 26 by Teatro del Pueblo. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in Conn Theater at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave. S. in Minneapolis. Tickets are $15-$23. Visit teatrodelpueblo.org.
Opera Under the Stars is being performed by soprano Carole Schultz, pianist Elizabeth Chua and guests in Minneapolis parks. Bring lawn chairs or blankets, a picnic supper and enjoy the show at 7 p.m. Monday, July 4, in Mill Ruins Park at Mill City Museum, 704 S. Second St. Visit overdressedduo.com.
Glensheen, the blockbuster musical about the 1977 murder of Duluth heiress Elizabeth Congdon and her night nurse, will return from July 9-24 to the Minnesota History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St. The dark drama by Chan Poling and Jeffrey Hatcher stars Jen Maren as Marjorie Caldwell, the would-be heiress caught up in the murders. The cast includes Gary Briggle, Suzie Juul, Wendy Lehr, Randy Schmeling and Sandra Struthers. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. Tickets are $15-$70. Call 651-292-4323 or visit historytheatre.com.
Film
The 13th Minnesota Cuban Film Festival continues at 7 p.m. Thursdays through June 30 at the MSP Film Society’s Saint Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main St. SE in Minneapolis. For show times and tickets, visit facebook.com/MNCubanFilmFestival or call 612-824-6109.
Drive-in movies will be shown at dusk on select Fridays in Union Depot’s Lot D, 392 E. Kellogg Blvd. The schedule includes Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace at 9:30 p.m. June 24; Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark at 9:30 p.m. July 8; and Encanto at 9 p.m. August 5. Audio for the movies will be streamed over a radio channel. Refreshments will be available. Contests, quizzes and prizes will be part of the fun. Tickets are $15 per vehicle. Visit uniondepot.org.
Family
Summer Spark, family programs at Saint Paul Public Library branches, will continue with comedy and magic by the Amazing Brodini from 2-3 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the West Seventh Library, 265 Oneida St.
Historic Fort Snelling has reopened with a new visitor center, rehabbed cavalry barracks, expanded interpretive exhibits, Indigenous landscapes, scenic paths and stunning river overlooks. In addition to the fort’s century and a half as a U.S. Army post, the exhibits address the area’s long history as home to the Dakota, Ojibwe and other Native Americans. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Admission is $12, $10 for seniors and college students and active military, $8 for children ages 5-17. Call 612-726-1171.
Exhibits
Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Ave. S. in Minneapolis, is exhibiting the works of its own artist collective through July 30. Featured in the free show are the creations of 15 book artists. Visit mnbookarts.org.
More than two dozen artists will open their studios for a show and sale of original works on June 24 and 25 in the Rossmor Building, 500 N. Robert St. Paintings, photography, pottery and other art will be displayed from 6-10 p.m. Friday and noon-8 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
Walking tours of the historic areas in and around downtown Saint Paul are being offered at 10 a.m. Wednesdays. Led by Landmark Center volunteers, the tours are free with pre-registration. The schedule includes Saint Paul’s Origins Tour with storyteller J.B. Eckert beginning at the Robert Street entrance to Kellogg Park on July 6; the Rice Park Tour beginning at Landmark Center on July 13; and the Great River Tour beginning at Upper Landing Park on July 20. The Rice Park and Great River tours are also available virtually. For reservations, visit landmarkcenter.org or call Sydney at 651-292-3063.
Ninety fine artists and craftspeople from the Upper Midwest will display their works for show and sale from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, July 9, on the grounds of Saint Catherine University at Cleveland and Randolph avenues. The Art at St. Kate’s art fair is produced by Artists’ Circle and the Minnesota Textile Center. The juried event will include painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and jewelry as well as works in clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, paper, wood and mixed media. Live music and refreshments will be available. Visit artistscircle.org.
Dance
Saint Paul will play host to the XV Latvian Song and Dance Festival USA from June 29 through July 2. More than 30 events will fill the streets and auditoriums of the capital city with revelry celebrating the culture of that country on the Baltic Sea. One of the highlights will be the Grand Folk Dance Performance at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 2, at Xcel Energy Center featuring more than 700 costumed dancers. For a full schedule of festival events, visit latviansongfest2022.org.
Et cetera
The Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste will be presented by the French-American Heritage Foundation at 6 p.m. Friday, June 24, at the Sibley House Historic Site, 1357 Sibley Memorial Highway in Mendota. Named after the patron saint of Quebec, the traditional French-Canadian celebration will feature music, dancing, a bonfire with marshmallow roasting, and historical guides to answer any questions. Admission is $12. For reservations, call 651-452-1596 or visit dakotahistory.org.
Minnesota Salsa Fiesta, a celebration of Latin music ranging from raw rumba and classic danzón to modern timba, will be held from 6 p.m.-midnight Saturday, June 28, at the Mill City Museum, 704 S. Second St. in Minneapolis. The event will feature dance performances and a 20-piece salsa orchestra with such top talent as conguera Yolanda Rodriguez, vocalist Zuzel Balbín, trombonist Neiry Lorenzo, the string section from Charanga Tropical, and pianist and singer Viviana Pintado. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door. The after party with DJ Medicco spinning salsa, merengue, bachata and cumbia begins at 10 p.m. inside the museum. Visit mnhs.org/millcity or call 612-341-7555.
“Extraordinary Saint Paul Women” will be addressed in a virtual program presented from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, by the League of Women Voters Saint Paul. Speaking will be Minnesota Historical Society researcher Ami Naff and Saint Catherine University graduate Ava Griswold. Visit lwvsp.org.
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