Half-way through a hot summer, many events are still to come!

Earlier this summer, the 14th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival, held June 28 - 30 in Saint Paul, set a new record attendance!

Now it’s on to the second annual Lowertown Roots Music Festivalin Mears Park, Saturday July 28th. This year's Roots Music Festival performers include the soulful gospel sounds of Mike Farris, the hard rockin’ Tex Mex band Los Conocidos, jazz pianist Butch Thompson, and the bluesy fiddle playing Minnesota bluegrass band the Barley Jacks with Brian Wicklund. Admission is free, and some local clubs/restaurants will have music on Friday and Saturday evenings. 

In August, Circus Juventas, North America’s largest youth circus, will present their all-new production Showdown. It's a rip-roarin’ Wild West adventure by 70 advance level performers including aerialists, the Wheel of Steel, a 7-man pyramid on the high wire (Circus Juventas is only the third youth circus in history to perform this feat), jugglers, dancers, and more. Performances are August 2–19, and tickets range from $17.50 to $30 with discounts for youth, seniors and groups. Circus Juventas always sells out so don’t wait to get your tickets.

The weekend after Labor Day Weekend, the annual Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music Festival will be held in Mears Park. More information soon.

And to wind down the summer festivities, Festa Italiana returns to Harriet Island September 21st and 22. A dozen great Italian restaurants are booked, cultural exhibits have been expanded, and a third stage has been added. Don't miss the Wheels of Italy car show, the St. Paul Yacht Club's flotilla, gondola rides on the Mississippi, shopping for Italian wares, a police escorted “Tour the Town” charity motorbike ride conducted by the Ducati Owners of Minneapolis, and the outdoor Catholic Mass Saturday afternoon at 4:30. Admission is free. 

For more information on any one of the above events, download a press release on the Media Resources page.

Perfect 10 Summer Event Season

As we celebrate the 7th day of 80+ degrees after a summer of unpredictable highs and lows, I feel very lucky.  All four of the outdoor events on my summer calendar (Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June, the new Roots Lowertown Music Festival in July, Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music Festival plus the premiere of Festa Italiana in September) benefitted from great weather and with no sign of rain. We all know the impact of steamy hot/cold and chilly days and downpouring rain. Several popular Twin Cities events were hit hard this year. Yes, I am lucky and thankful summer 2011 dates were nearly perfect.

Update on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 9:29PM by Connie Shaver

It's Give to the Max Day, the easiest way to donate to non-profits. I had a list and budget; a few click and I was finished.

A new summer music festival in Mears Park!

This summer, a new free music festival is coming to Mears Park in downtown Saint Paul! The Lowertown Roots Music Festival will be held Saturday, July 30, and will feature music and artists with a cultural distinction native to the U.S.—Blues, Country, Bluegrass, Gospel, Zydeco, Tejano, Native American and other music forms which have informed, inspired  and ultimately defined American music and culture. So far, headliners for this year’s festival include multiple Grammy-nominated Iowa songwriter Greg Brown and Minnesota’s premier bluegrass band, Monroe Crossing. Check out the press release in the Media Resources section.