August in the Twin Cities is a time for the Minnesota State Fair, easily the best state fair in the state. August is also the attack of the Art Fairs. The Art Fairs have intensive advanced waiting lists and competitions; they should be called Art Superiors.

Minnesota has the sunniest August in the country. -- Olympics Schedule -- Pick Blueberries  -- Pick Raspberries
Senator Barack Obama will be in town August 6th, but it's a private fundraiser.
<<    Twin Cities Calendar -- AUGUST 2008     >>
S M T W Th F Sa





1  total solar eclipse
     (during the night)
    Lynyrd Skynyrd
    Sickpalooza
 		2  Jim Lee
    Judas Priest
    Nine Inch Nails
    Police Car Show
    Rubber Soul
    Run for Oromia
 3   Inline Marathon
      Martin Short
      Warped Tour
 4   Ting Tings
 5   night out
     Chaka Khan		 6   Lake Hiawatha Festival
     Wild Sweet Orange

 7
 8   Coolio
     Flogging Molly
     Scorpions
     Sick of Sarah
     Vikings
 9  Flogging Molly
    Melissa Etheridge
    Pizza Luce Block Party
    Sheryl Crow & James Blunt
    Vanessa Carlton
10  Bloomington Jazz 11 12  Perseids Meteor Shower
      Tippi Hedren

 13  Chris Isaak
   Johnny Winter		 14   Acoustic Beatdown
 15  Glamorama
      Jordin Sparks & Jesse McCartney
      Kenny Loggins
      Morris Day
      Movie: Star Wars-Clone Wars
      Movie: Tropic Thunder
      Richard Lewis
& David Brenner
16 Full Women's Moon
     Art & Jazz
     Clean Mpls for the RNC
     Hmongland
     Snail Run
     Vikes @ Baltimore
17  Art in the Park
      Japanese Lantern
      St Paul Triathlon
 18   Loni Anderson 19 
 20  Great Lake Swimmers
 21  State Fair
 - 3 Doors Down
          Flobots
       Kristi Yamaguchi		 22  State Fair
      -Brad Paisley & Jewel
      ArtCar
      Foshay Soiree
      One for the Team		 23  State Fair
      -Backstreet Boys
      Laughing Liberally
      Pat Benatar
      Strange Lights
      Vikings
24  State Fair
 -Jonny Lang & Buddy Guy
      Saliva
25  State Fair
  -Dierks Bentley
  & Miranda Lambert
 26   State Fair
     -Paramour

    Maroon 5
& Counting Crows
    Parachutes
 27  State Fair
   -Gnarls Barkley
      8 is Enough		 28  State Fair
 -Mark Schultz
      The Pines
      Vikes @ Dallas
      
 29  State Fair
      Grand Friday Night Fights
      NBC's Last Comic Standing
      Washington Week		 30  State Fair
      -Black Crowes
      Billy Bob Thornton
      Gopher Football
      MN Lynx
31  State Fair
     American Idols Live
     Donna Summer
     Liberty Parade
     Lowertown Block Party
June 6 - Sept 7 - kids - Blooming Butterflies, Como Zoo - pictures
June 13-Aug 24 - show - Star Wars, Science Museum
July 18-Aug 31 - play - Hedwig, Jungle Theater
July 31-Aug 10 - Fringe Festival, various Minneapolis
Aug 1-3 - art fair - Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis (Aug 2-3 - free MTC art fair bus)
Aug 1-3 - fair - Canadian Days, Little Canada
Aug 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 - comedy - The Lion, the Witch, & the War Hero or Is McCain Able?, Brave New Workshop
Aug 2-3 - art fair - Loring Park Art Festival, Minneapolis (free MTC art fair bus)
Aug 2-3 - art fair - Powderhorn Park Art Fair, Minneapolis (free MTC art fair bus)
Aug 1-3, 11-13, 15-20 - baseball - Twins, Metrodome
Aug 2, 7, 10, 22 - soccer - Minnesota Thunder, National Sports Center, Blaine
Aug 2, 16, 30 - interactive movie - Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mounds Theatre
Aug 3-10 - fair - Stockyard Days, New Brighton
Aug 3-5, 7-9,14-16, 18-20 - baseball - St. Paul Saints, Midway Stadium
Aug 4-10 - fair - Dakota County Fair, Farmington
Aug 5-9 - comedy - Emo Phillips, Acme Comedy Company
Aug 7-9 - music - We Fest, Detroit Lakes
 Aug 7-10 - softball, volleyball - Huff n Puff, Lake Elmo
Aug 8-10 - pow-wow - Pow-wow, St. Peter's Church field, Mendota (bring chair or blanket)
Aug 8-10 - fair - Irish Fair, Harriet Island, St. Paul
Aug 8-24 - Olympics in Beijing  (schedule, NBC schedule)
Aug 9-10 - comedy - Larry the Cable Guy, Mystic Lake
Aug 9-10 - show - National Gun Collecting Show, Minneapolis Convention Center
Aug 10-17 - fair - AfriFest
Aug 15-17 - fair & mud volleyball - Heritage Days, Broadway Av, St. Paul Park
Aug 15-17 - craft fair - Har Mar Mall
Aug 15-17 - powwow - Shakopee Mdewakanton Wacipi 2008, Prior Lake
Aug 15-Oct 5 - play - Little House on the Prairie, Guthrie Theater
Aug 16-17 - fair - Festival in the Park, Mounds View
Aug 16-17 - fair - St. George Greek Festival, 1111 Summit Av, St. Paul
Aug 16-17,  23-24, 30-Sep 1, 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28 - fair - Renaissance Festival, Shakopee
Aug 18-19 - art fair - The Village - a multicultural arts festival, Ventura Village, Minneapolis
Aug 18-25 - show - American Presidents - Life Portraits, Sears Court, Mall of America
Aug 21-Sep 1 - Minnesota State Fair, St Paul
Aug 21-Sep 21 - play - Fences, Penumbra Theatre
Aug 22-24 - fair - Stiftungsfest, Norwood Young America
Aug 22-24 - fair - Woodbury Days, Woodbury
Aug 23-24 - craft show - Plaza 3000 Mall, Maplewood
Aug 28-Sep 20 - play - 3 Way, Hennepin Stages
Aug 29-Sep 4 - fair - Civic Fest, Mpls Convention Center
Aug 30-31 - music, dance - Spark 24, Peavy Plaza & Orchestra Hall
Aug 31 & Sep 1 - fair - Block Party in Lowertown, Black Dog Cafe, St. Paul

"If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" - Lynyrd Skynyrd plays the Grand Casino in Hinckley on Aug. 1st.
And if they ask you what song you want to hear (and you know they will), make sure you shout out "Free Bird!"
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"One life. I'm gonna live it up." - Judas Priest rattles the Myth in Maplewood on Aug. 2nd.
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"There's no one like you. I can't wait for the nights with you." - the loud poetry of the Scorpions rocks the Myth on Aug. 8th.
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"A happy couple enters the bar, dangerously close to one another..." - Sheryl Crow has some fun at the Northrop Auditorium  on Aug. 9th.
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Art Superiors - more than just Minneapolis Art Fairs
Loring Park Art Festival - Aug. 2-3, 2008 - - park with downtown Minneapolis skyline
ceramics + drawing + fiber + fiber-nonwearable & wearable + glass + jewelry + leather + metal + miscellaneous + mixed media 2D & 3D + mosaic + painting + paper + photography + print making + sculpture + wood
Powderhorn Park Art Fair - Aug. 2-3, 2008 - - wooded park with tents circling  Powderhorn Lake
clay + digital art + drawing + fiber + glass + jewelry + leather + mixed media + painting + paper + photography + print making + sculpture + wood
Uptown Art Fair - Aug. 1-3, 2008 - - blocked off Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street
ceramics + drawing + fiber + glass + jewelry + mixed media 2D & 3D + painting + photography + printmaking + sculpture + wood
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Minnesota State Fair           Minnesota Renaissance
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Blueberries - Pick It Yourself! (usually July - early August) ●call first ☎
Champlin - Bauer Berry Farm - 10830 French Lake Rd (County 121), Champlin, MN 55316 - 763-421-4384
Forest Lake - Berry Patch - Manning Trail & County Road 50, Forest Lake -  651-433-3448
Forest Lake - Covered Bridge Farm - 18655 Forest Blvd (Hwy 61), Forest Lake, MN 55025 - 651-464-0735
Stacy - Blue Heaven Berry Farm - 23454 Japura St NE, Stacy, MN 55079 - 651-462-4004 or 651-491-7733
Stillwater - Blueberry Fields of Stillwater  - 9450 Mendel Rd N, Stillwater, MN 55082 - 651-351-0492
● Or pick up Minnesota produce at one of the 83  Minnesota Farmers' Markets,  St. Paul, & Minneapolis
● Blueberry Pros - Like strawberries, blueberries are an excellent source of flavonoids, especially anthocyanidins, known for their antioxidant capabilities.  Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University ranked blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity compared with 60 fruits and vegetables. They found that blueberries may reverse memory loss and loss of coordination.   They also have found that blueberry may increase human lifespans and heat tolerance, since a blueberry extract increased the lifespan and heat tolerance in roundworms.
● Blueberry Cons - Blueberries contain moderate levels of oxalates, which should be avoided by people with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Like other berries, pesticide residue should be washed off before eating.
● Pick Your Own Advantages - The freshest fruits and vegetables generally have the highest nutritional value. There are approximately thirty species of blueberries; pick-your-own fruits do not have to be specially bred to withstand transportation across the country or across the globe; they can be better tasting berries. Most of the farms listed above grow blueberries developed through the University of Minnesota for the Minnesota climate. Many of the farms listed above allow customers to bring their own containers, which is an opportunity to use recycled containers. And it offers an interesting, outdoor activity and exercise.
 
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Raspberries - Pick It Yourself! (Summer-bearing usually July - August) ✿ call first ☎
Afton - Afton Raspberry Company - 1421 Neal Av S, Afton, MN 55001 - 651-436-7631
Delano - Apple Jack Orchards - 4875 37th St SE (Wright County Road 32), Delano, MN 55328 - 763-972-6673
Forest Lake - Berry Patch - Manning Trail & County Road 50, Forest Lake -  651-433-3448
Greenfield - Knapton's Raspberries - Highway 55 (11 miles west of I-494), Greenfield, MN 55357 - 763-479-1184
Maple Plain - Homestead Orchard - 1080 County Road 92, Maple Plain, MN 55359 - 612-290-8024
Northfield - Lorence's Berry Farm - Dakota County Road 23 (aka Cedar, Foliage Av),  (7 miles North of ) Northfield, MN 55057 - 507-645-9749
Northfield - Silkey Gardens LLC - 5561 115th St, near Dundas, MN - 507-645-4158 or 651-357-5092
✿ Or pick up Minnesota produce at one of the 83  Minnesota Farmers' Market,  St. Paul, & Minneapolis
✿ Raspberry Pros - Raspberries are an excellent source of flavanoids, vitamin C, fiber, manganese, and ellagic acid.  Ellagic acid is a potent antioxidant that protects chromosomes from damage, as well as blocking cancer causing pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) found in cigarette smoke and toxic chemicals such as benzopyrene.
✿ Raspberry Cons - Raspberries contain moderate levels of oxalates, which should be avoided by people with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Like other berries, pesticide residue should be washed off before eating.
✿ Pick Your Own Advantages - The freshest fruits and vegetables generally have the highest nutritional value. There are approximately twenty species of raspberries, but most commercially grown raspberries are Meekers. Pick-your-own fruits do not have to be specially bred to withstand transportation across the country or across the globe; they can be better tasting berries.
Hopes and Dreams: Stuck on AutoDrive
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Twin Cities Calendar   September  |  October  |  November  |  December
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