Back from hibernation

Have a better weekend in Minnesota 

View this email as a web page Hey folks, After a brief hibernation, The 'sotan is back with some weekend fun recommendations. I'm Anna, the new digital engagement editor here at MPR News. My plan is to deliver a roundup of Minnesota-centric events to your inbox towards the end of each week. That way you'll know what you can do with your weekend beyond camping out on your couch, under a blanket, with a warm beverage (heck, that might not be a bad idea this weekend with the chilly temperatures coming our way.) But! We do have some warm gatherings happening this weekend, including the first-ever Sauna Village at the Great Northern Festival. Since I'm new to MPR News, I'd love to hear what unique events you are looking forward to here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. From the prairies of southwest Minnesota (where I was born and raised) to the banks of the Mississippi (not far from where I live now) and even way up on the North Shore (my favorite place to visit), email me your recommendations for quirky town festivals, hot dish cookoffs, minnow races or whatever events matter to you and your community. I'll gather up the best suggestions and share them here. Speaking of festivals: Icebox Days in International Falls, an annual celebration staged in what the world knows as the "Icebox of the Nation," is this weekend. It features frozen turkey bowling, the locally-invented "smoosh" races, a toilet seat toss and the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run. Stay warm! — Anna Haecherl, MPR News, ahaecherl@mpr.org The Great Northern Festival There is no lack of things to do at the Great Northern Festival in the Twin Cities. Here's a sampling of Great Northern events from the MPR News arts team. To see the rest of the festival's programming, visit its webpage. Winter Play Looking for more to do? Check in on our series exploring how Minnesotans play outside in the winter. Scott Wakefield, president of the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association, shares some tips on trying snowmobiling without breaking the bank. 'Bon Appétit!' The Fargo Moorhead Opera company debuts a Julia Child-esque opera star: Mezzo soprano Holly Janz will be in the kitchen and on stage in the one act opera, "Bon Appétit!" Shows are Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28, both at 7:30 p.m., at the TAK Music Venue in Dilworth, Minn. Sweet treat The spirit of Dorothy Molter, the last legal non-Indigenous resident of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, comes to life onstage in the play "The Root Beer Lady." The show runs through Feb. 19 at the History Theatre in St. Paul. Art Hounds have ideas to exercise your art brain A discussion Friday with artist Sam Robertson about his new book, The Illustrated Old Testament. Performances by the group Cumar , which blends West African and Irish dance and music. And the Saturday workshops "Weaving Water" that teach about dying fibers with locally harvested indigo and the role of water in the process. '40 Below' documentary follows the frozen competitors in 'the world's toughest race' A new documentary titled "40 Below: The World's Toughest Race," features competitors from around the world in Minnesota's infamously chilly ultramarathon, the Arrowhead 135. The course runs 135 miles along a snowmobile trail from International Falls south to Tower, Minn. Competitors can run, ski or bike. Did a friend forward this to you? Subscribe! Preference Center ❘ Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Minnesota Public Radio 480 Cedar Street Saint Paul, MN, 55101