The Bakken Museum, a museum of electricity and magnetism on the west shore of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, is hosting an evening event in their beautiful gardens on Tuesday July 8.

Guests can party in the garden from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. There will be food, wine, live music, art, garden tours, and the chance to play with interactive exhibits at the museum.

Apparently the wine will be electrically charged. Yikes!

Admission to the event is $7. Visit the Bakken website for more information on the event, and a buy-one-get-one-free admission coupon for the event. Members of the Bakken Museum get in free, and parking at the museum is also free.

• The Bakken Museum
• More July Events in Minneapolis and St. Paul

This has to be some of the best free entertainment anywhere in the Twin Cities.

The Twin Cities River Rats, a very talented group of water skiers, perform every Thursday night during the summer on the Mississippi River. Spectators can watch pyramids, ballet lines, 50 mph barefoot skiing, and even the boats can dance. The photo is of the very impressive Junior team. You should see what the big boys and girls can do!

The show is in between the Broadway Avenue and Plymouth Avenue bridges, just north of downtown Minneapolis. It's free, but they appreciate donations. There's plenty of space to sit on the river bank, and there's plenty of parking. So bring a chair or blanket and a picnic, and I can promise that you will enjoy the show!

The River Rats will also be performing several times during the Aquatennial later this month.

• The River Rats Show Schedule
• More July Events in Minneapolis and St. Paul

_{Photo Clara James}

Independence Day is this Friday. There's fun, festivals and fireworks in cities across the Metro Area. What's happening near you? Here's a list of fireworks, and other celebrations that are happening in the Twin Cities to celebrate the Fourth.

And since today is July 1, you might be planning what events for you and your family would like to attend this month. Here's a calendar of festivals, events, parties, parades and more in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the Twin Cities metro area.

Have a fun July!

The last two years have been wonderfully mosquito-free, but this year, as you probably know, the mosquitoes are back, and they are hungry. I'll spare you the details of where they've bitten me so far.

The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, who survey and control mosquitoes and other bugs in the Twin Cities metro area, say that this year is on course to be an average, bug ridden one. MMCD is currently spraying and fogging neighborhoods to kill mosquitoes across the Twin Cities. There's an interesting feature on MMCD's website for residents to sign up for email alerts for when MMCD is planning to spray in their neighborhood.

Here's more resources for avoiding, repelling, and controlling mosquitoes, and other biting bugs.

Mosquito Repellent: There's DEET, and there's natural repellents. Here's advice from About.com's Chemistry expert's on natural mosquito repellents, and here's what our Alternative Medicine expert has to say about keeping bugs away with natural products.

Controlling Mosquitoes: There's a lot you can do in your yard and around your house to limit where mosquitoes can breed. About.com's Insect expert has lots of tips and advice for controlling mosquitoes in your home and yard, and About.com's Landscaping expert shares many simple ways to make your yard unattractive to mosquitoes.