Family Fest Schedule

Recommended Off-Campus Events

The Twin Cities are a critical component of a Macalester education and are filled with exciting and family-friendly events. Members of the Family Fest Committee have recommended a few such events for you.  If you have questions or are looking for additional suggestions, we encourage you to connect with us throughout the weekend.

Cindy Haarstad, Director of the Campus Center, recommends:

• Minnesota Zoo.  Apple Valley.  Daily @ 9am-4pm.  www.mnzoo.org.  The Minnesota Zoo opened in 1978 to educate the public about critical environmental issues. Today, the Zoo provides award-winning recreational, educational and conservation programs – locally, nationally and internationally. Check out the zoo's new exhibit, Russia's Grizzly Coast, and be amazed by the sea otters, amur leopards, wild boars, and grizzly bears.
• Mississippi River. Walk or run west on Summit Avenue 1.5 miles to the Mississippi River and enjoy Summit Avenue’s fine homes.  Follow Mississippi River Boulevard north or south to take in Minnesota’s gorgeous fall colors along the river.

Erin Miller, Admissions Officer, recommends:

• Coen Brothers Film Retrospective: The Man Who Wasn't There (2001, 35mm, 116 minutes).  Sat @ 7:30pm. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. $8.  The Walker celebrates the 50th Regis Dialogue and Retrospective with Minnesota’s own Joel and Ethan Coen in the 25th-anniversary year of their stunning debut, Blood Simple, and upon the release of their 14th feature, the locally filmed A Serious Man.  This film stars Billy Bob Thornton and won the directing duo their third Best Director award from the Cannes Film Festival. For more information visit http://calendar.walkerart.org/event.wac?id=5215
• Saint Paul Farmers' Market.  Sat @ 6am-1pm & Sun @ 8am-1pm.  Corner of 5th & Wall Streets, St. Paul. In addition to the flagship market in downtown St. Paul, the city operates 17 satellite markets in the metro area throughout the week. For more information visit stpaulfarmersmarket.com/markets/1/

Karlyn Wegmann, Reservations & Information Desk Manager, recommends:

• 9th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival.  Sat @ 10am-5pm @ Minneapolis Community and Technical College.  Local and national authors converge with book lovers for a full day of readings, signings, workshops and more. For more information visit raintaxi.com/bookfest/
• La Familia Latino Family Festival & Expo. Sat @ 10am-5pm.  RiverCentre Convention Center.  Free.  Features national and local Latino entertainment, foods, arts & crafts, education, technology, travel, books, culture, health and fitness, home and auto exhibitors. For more info call 651.665.0633 or visit http://www.aguilarproductions.com/lafamilia/lafamilia.htm.

Katie Agnew, Student, recommends:

• A Prairie Home Companion.  Sat @ 4:45pm @ The Fitzgerald Theater.  $48.00, $38.00, and $32.00. Limit 4 tickets per order for all Saturday broadcast performances. All ticket prices include a $2.50 facility fee. Tickets on sale now.  www.fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org/events/.  A Prairie Home Companion continues its fall season at The Fitzgerald Theater with a live radio broadcast. Join Garrison Keillor, Sue Scott, Tim Russell, Tom Keith, and the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band for two hours of live radio fun. The show's guest will be Neko Case. A limited number of Rush Seats will be available at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the show. 

• Bodies Exhibit.  Mall of America.  Fri, Sat & Sun.  BODIES ...The Exhibition features more than 250 real, whole and partial human body specimens providing an up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and other systems of the human body. These specimens have been meticulously dissected and preserved through an innovative process that gives individuals the opportunity to view the complexity of their own organs and systems like never before.
  http://www.mtn.museumtix.com/venue/venueinfo.aspx?vid=780&tab=G&pvt=bmoa

Lisa Landreman, Associate Dean of Students, recommends:

• Explore Grand Avenue.  www.grandavenue.com. Rich in local character and tree-lined charm, Grand Avenue invites you to meander down its sidewalks and take in the historic and the hip, the small-town and the urbane. It’s a long meander: Grand Avenue spans 30 blocks from the Mississippi River to downtown Saint Paul, passing the halls of academia, old homes burnished more beautiful by time, service storefronts that make a neighborhood hum, and shops - lots of original shops - all with decidedly unmall-like appeal.  And, the food! From tablecloth institutions to come-as-you-are little nooks, ethnic restaurants to bar and grills, high-octane coffeehouses to one-scoop-or-two ice cream parlors, Grand Avenue has a table waiting.

Melanie LaBrasseur, Department Coordinator – Campus Center & Campus Life, recommends: 

• John Roy.  Fri & Sat, 8pm & 10:30pm, Rick Bronson's House of Comedy, Mall of America, $19, 952.858.8558, www.houseofcomedy.net.  Chicago comic John Roy is a unique voice on modern urban life.  A city dweller all his life, John grew up in Chicago's ethnically diverse Rogers Park neighborhood, the son of an ex Jesuit who worked for Chicago's urban Loyola University, and a psychotherapist.  Growing up white and Catholic in a neighborhood full of African Americans, Orthodox Jews, Nigerians, Mexicans, Indians, Pakistanis, and every  ethnic and religious group imaginable gave John a unique perspective on getting along in a crowded world.  John’s life saving heart surgery and altruistic parents gave him an appreciation of the importance of comedy as a means to social change.  Chicago's rich cultural heritage, economic differences, and fast paced lifestyle contributed to his observations on how we get by in a changing world.

Michael Klitzke, Residence Hall Director, recommends:

• The St. Paul Art Crawl.  Fri @ 6-10pm, Sat @ 12-8pm & Sun @ 12-5pm.  http://www.stpaulartcrawl.org/.  The St. Paul Art Crawl is a great opportunity to enter into the world of practicing Twin Cities artists. This event allows for you to tour artist studios/lofts, interact with the artists, and enjoy some food and drinks along the way. It only happens twice a year and thankfully it falls over Family Fest this year! This is one of my favorite events in the area!

Sadie Bazur-Leidy, Student, recommends:

• Mat Kearney with special guest Diane Birch.  Sat @ 6pm, First Avenue Mainroom, Minneapolis, $20, www.first-avenue.com.  Mathew Kearney is an American/Christian singer-songwriter. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of 4 top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart.  He has toured with John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, The Fray, Jason Mraz, Meiko, Cary Brothers, and Train; and headlined VH1's first ever "You Oughta Know Tour" in the spring of 2007.

Sedric McClure, Multicultural Counselor & Summer Program Coordinator, MAX Center, recommends:

• Science Museum of Minnesota.  www.smm.org.  Special Exhibit – Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Discover the unforgettable story of the most famous ship of its time. Travel back to 1912 to experience the legendary story of RMS Titanic through photographs, sound, and over 200 genuine artifacts recovered after 80 years on the ocean floor. Complete your journey by visiting the Omnitheater's domed, giant-screen to see Titanica, a moving film that takes you to the wreck of the Titanic, almost 3 miles beneath the surface.

Thanks for visiting Macalester & the Twin Cities! 
We hope you’ll join us again soon!

Sincerely,
The 2009 Family Fest Committee