Wednesday November 11, 2009
Yesterday I blogged about toy store Creative Kidstuff enticing adults with mimosas, and today I heard of an event at Wild Rumpus childrens' bookstore in Minneapolis that's even more tempting for grown ups than kids.
One-time St. Paul resident, indie/folk musician Haley Bonar will be in store on Monday, November 16 for a special musical performance for the release of her children's EP, Sing With Me. Haley's music is regularly played on the Current so hip mamas and papas will likely enjoy this show as much as the kids will. The event is during Wild Rumpus' weekly Tail Time story time at 10.30 a.m., and it's free. Tail Time is very popular even without music stars, so get there early.
Wednesday November 11, 2009
This Friday, November 13, local toy store Creative Kidstuff will be opening their newest location in St. Louis Park. The store, in the new Shops at West End development, is Creative Kidstuff's seventh store in the Twin Cities, and their largest.
Creative Kidstuff has been a favorite destination for holiday toy shopping and birthday gifts for over twenty years. The local-grown chain has six other locations, in Edina, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, St. Paul, and Woodbury, and the original store in Minneapolis' Linden Hills.
Tots are bound to love the giant cat that welcomes shoppers into the St. Louis Park store, but the store knows how to temp the grown ups too.
On November 21, early birds or night owls can shop kid-free at each of Creative Kidstuff's seven stores, enjoy mimosas in the morning or wine and dessert in the evening, and revive free gift wrap on every purchase. Reservations are required by calling the store you'd like to shop at, and it's for adult only, before and after the stores's regular opening hours.
Monday November 9, 2009
While the stores are going to be full of turkeys until Thanksgiving, if you want to be sure of the perfect turkey, you'll need to order it now. And that's especially true if the perfect turkey is a Minnesota-raised turkey, a free range turkey and an organic turkey.
Stores and co-ops and butchers are taking orders for Thanksgiving turkeys from now until mid-November. Here's where to get organic, free range Minnesota turkeys in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Monday November 9, 2009
About half a million Minnesotans will be going deer hunting this weekend for the season opener, and between them shoot 200,000 deer during the season. In recent years, hunting restrictions have been liberalized in parts of Minnesota to lower deer populations, but when hunters shoot more deer than they will consume, what can be done with the surplus carcasses?
Since 2007, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Health has been running a program for hunters to donate deer carcasses to food shelves.
Participating meat processors take the carcasses, cut and wrap the meat which is then sent to a nearby food shelf to be distributed to needy families. Venison is considered to be a healthy source of protein, having a low fat and cholesterol content, and can be used in much the same way as beef - how about venison chilli?
Over 30 meat processors in Minnesota are participating in the program. To donate a deer, it must be a whole carcass, field dressed, with the hide intact. It must have been hunted legally and have a Minnesota DNR registration tag. There is no cost to the hunter - they have to sign a donation form, and then the venison can go to feed hungry families.
