MINNEAPOLIS -- The definitive sign summer is winding down: The Minnesota State Fair begins Thursday, August 26th. So happy Mother Nature is giving us a break for the start of the Great Minnesota Get Together with the 70s and lower humidity.
Di and I will be broadcasting live at the red KARE barn throughout the run. Come on by and join us in the audience for KARE NEWS@4 pm. We have all kinds of fun things cooked up for the live show.
Determined not to waste a moment of what remains of summer, it was another full weekend chasing fun. Went to the Friday night opening of the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's new production of the Elvis inspired "All Shook Up". No one can top PR pro Kris Howland and co-owner Michael Brindisi's red carpet welcome. The show was fun and amazingly, they are able to cram almost all of the late King's best songs into the two and half hour show.
Then on Saturday night the fun continued on the streets of Nordeast Minneapolis for a high octane installment of Pedaling With Pat. We hopped on board Pedal Pub which is without a doubt the most fun I've ever had on four wheels! This is also arguably the best way to experience the charms offered by the plethora of neighborhood bars in this Minneapolis neighborhood.
The fun started at Psycho Suzy's motor lounge with pizza and a beer. Then at around 7:00 p.m. we met our cool driver, Ross, at the Pedal Pub car barn which was located nearby. Party planner extraordinaire Kurt Paben designated hats for a theme. Talk about creative, the toppers included everything from a darling dalmatian dog hat to elegant My Fair Lady toppers. I wore reindeer horns-- not very imaginative, but heck, it was something!
Having good music is also important to keeping the energy going on this adventure. Musicologist Philip Eidsvold packed his I-pod full of great tunes. Our group of revelers serenaded unsuspecting neighborhoods with everything from Wayne Newton's, Danke Schoen to Madonna's Holiday and Peter Paul and Mary's If I Had A Hammer.
We covered a lot of ground in three hours. Navigator Sarah Klimek mapped a course that took us to such venerable Northeast Minneapolis establishments as Dusty's, Vegas Lounge, Lush, Mayslack's, Deuce, Deuce and a final stop at the Gastof Zur Gemutliche. The key is to spend about 15 minutes at each place and then move on.
My other suggestion if you plan a Pedal Pub excursion: Fill it up. As many as 16 riders are allowed. This helps with sharing the cost, and more importantly, the pedal power. Yeah, you have to work a little on this one.
I highly recommend this experience.
The finale to our weekend of fun was a trip to the Twins game on Sunday night. We watched our guys clip the Angels wings with a 4-0 win. What a perfect way to spend a warm summer night. Kudos to anyone who had a hand in planning Target Field. From its spectacular views to ease of use, this is the best thing to happen to downtown Minneapolis in a long, long time.