Happy Diwali and unleash your inner Bunyan: Your weekend planning guide
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Celebrate the Hindu festival of lights and labor like a lumberjack this weekend.
From free events to family fun to adults-only, here's a roundup of events to get you out of the house — or not.
Free: Lace up those skates
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Sure, there's no snow and it's not freezing outside yet, but that doesn't mean you can't go ice skating outdoors.
Southdale in Edina has created an outdoor skating rink in its parking lot for the holidays. It opens this weekend and runs through Jan. 3. Don't worry: Mpls.St. Paul Magazine reports it's chilled so it shouldn't melt in warmer weather.
Worried about freezing? Don't — skaters can take a break in the warming house inside the AMC theater.
There aren't any skate rentals, so be sure to bring your own.
For families: Happy Diwali!
Celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at Midtown Global Market and Coffman Memorial Union in Minneapolis.
The Midtown Global Market's celebration runs from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday and includes food samples, live music, henna, activities for children and Bollywood dancing.
The Coffman event is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Free for those with a University of Minnesota card; $5 for those without.
Bonus: Learn all about boogers and farts and the science behind our body's craziest functions at Science Night Jr: Gross Out! on Sunday. MPR News' Tom Weber and the Brains On! podcast crew are staging a few science projects at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.
Tickets are $12-$45; student discount tickets are available with a valid student ID.
For adults: Very superstitious
It's Friday the 13th this Friday so if you're superstitious, make sure you don't open an umbrella inside your house or break any mirrors.
Speaking of mirrors, the Victorians believed that if you saw yourself in a mirror in a room where a person had recently passed away, you would die shortly after.
You can learn about the superstitious life of Victorians by taking a flashlight tour of the Fairlawn Mansion, an authentically restored Victorian mansion, in Superior, Wis.
The tours start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and leave every half-hour. Bring a flashlight.
Cost is $9 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and students.
Indoors: Breakfast beyond cereal and toast
Head on over to the Germanic-American Institute Saturday morning for a Euro-style breakfast buffet.
Frühstück includes German rolls, cheeses, cold cuts, eggs, spreads and more.
Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for kids.
Groups of eight or more should RSVP.
Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, hit up the Danish American Center in Minneapolis for æbleskive breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage and æbleskiver (Danish pancake balls).
Cost is $9 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 to 12; kids younger than 5 are free.
Æbleskive breakfast today! 9:30am to 12:30pm. Come hungry!
Posted by Danish American Center on Sunday, October 18, 2015
Outdoors: Timberrrrrrrr!
Here's your chance to make your Paul Bunyan dreams a reality while doing a bit of good for the environment: Help cut and stack scotch pine that have encroached onto restored prairie at the Helen Allison Savanna Scientific and Natural Area in Anoka County on Saturday.
Warning: The work is expected to be physically demanding. Here's a list of things to know before volunteering at Nature Conservancy preserves.
No advance sign-up is required but large groups should notify the site steward.
