Guthrie Theater Instameet with MNCommunity
I’ve always wanted to go behind the scenes at the new Guthrie Theater. I grew up as a theater kid trying unsuccessfully to be a triple threat. Acting was never my strong suit although people who know me will would say that I still have the flair for the dramatics. I did local community theater where I wore an epic fruit hat, starred as Robin Hood, and even once played an 8 year old as a high school freshman. In college, I had the BEST job ever working at the theater where I was able to see any of the shows for free while getting paid. That’s what I would call a dream job. So, you can see why I jumped at the chance to get a tour of the Guthrie Theater.
I knew this was going to be an epic tour when one of the people hosting the event from the Guthrie told us that she hadn’t even been to some of the spaces yet.
We took tours of where they build the sets, store the props, and even were able to play a little bit in the black box theater. One of my favorite parts was that I was able to see some of the props and set pieces from South Pacific. I got a good laugh when I saw the sign for Billie’s Shower above the special hazard eyewash station. Someone has a great sense of humor there. I also spotted some of the letters to Nellie, each one hand written with a lot of care. After seeing the Guthrie from another angle I am even more excited to get season tickets!
All of us that were there last night are part of a group called MNCommunity. It’s run by a couple of cool cats that put together events around Minnesota where people simply meet up and take pictures. These pictures then get posted on the Instagram app under a specific hashtag. The one for the Guthrie was #mncomm_guthrie. What is great about this group is that it is just people who like to get together and be creative. Some are professional photographers, others are aspiring photographers there to learn, and others use only our iPhones. It’s awesome to get together with people to really highlight something amazing in Minnesota and see it pictured in so many different ways.
Thinking about coming to an event? Follow MNCommunity on Facebook and subscribe to their events. They are also out there on all the social channels.
Check out two of my favorite local instagrammers: @carterwdick and @papalando
Because getting together is good
Xoxo -mplsgossipgirl
October MNBloggerBash Recap
I had such a great time this weekend at the October #MNBloggerBash! Each time I hold these events I get so excited to show off something that I love and this was no exception. This blogger bash took place at Zywiec’s Haunting Experience on highway 61 in Cottage Grove where we got the backstage “lights on” tour and then had a chance to give the haunted house and hayride a chance in the dark with the Haunters ready to show us a great time.
I wanted to get everyone out to the Haunting Experience because everyone needs a tradition for October! Getting the crap scared out of you is a great way to bond with your teenage children or go on a much needed date night.
This #MNBloggerBash started out with some pampering from Spalon Montage Woodbury! They were there ready to loosen up our muscles with chair massages, give us a little flair for our hair with awesome colored extensions, and even do skincare consultations.
We then got to learn a little more about the Haunting Experience and try the food. You won’t want to miss the pork chops. They even have a special seasoning just made for them.
Next was a “lights on” tour of the Haunted House side of the Haunting Experience. It was great to see the behind the scenes work that goes into putting on a show like this. They put so much time and effort into each room. You would never guess how they get things to look scary.
It was time for the big show! As the sun went down we anxiously waited in line for the Haunting Experience. We screamed our way through the house and on the hayride. Then it was time to shoot some zombies! Big Zombie Hunter is great for the younger kids. Its not as scary and you get to shoot a paintball gun that is fixed to a trailer.
Overall, I want to thank everyone for coming out to this #MNBloggerBash and I want to thank Zywiec’s Haunting Experience for hosting us!
See all of the pictures from our night HERE!
because I love being scared!
@mplsgossipgirl
If you are a blogger and want to come to the next one, let me know!
New to #MNBlogCon? Read This!
Congratulations! You got a ticket to one of the best events in town! The Minnesota Blogger Conference is something that I look forward to every year and this year is no exception.
Here are a few things that you might want to know if this is your first Minnesota Blogger Conference. I know these were the items that I worried about for my first year.
Be prepared to meet new people! This is one of the best parts of the conference, but it is best to be prepared for a day to step out of your comfort zone. Be ready to introduce yourself to new people and give a 10 second blurb about what your blog is about and why you are there. Also, don’t sit alone. If you don’t know anyone, go and introduce yourself.
Bring business cards! I enjoy giving out and receiving business cards each year. It allows me to reach out to someone that I had a connection with or allows me to follow up and start reading a blog I might enjoy. I have a stack of cards that I’ve kept incase I want to connect a blogger to a business or if I need help with a project.
Seek out people that you’ve been meaning to meet! I love twitter and I’ve found some people on twitter that get me but we haven’t met in real life. The Blogger Conference allows me to meet some of those people that I’ve wanted to meet in real life.
Read up on some Blogs! Seriously, one of the best complements any Blogger or Writer can get is that you’ve actually read their work. It’s a great way to start a conversation too!
Be yourself! I was worried my first year about what to wear. I couldn’t decide between more business like or clothes that I really liked. My best advice is to wear something you feel comfortable in. I’ll wear a dress because thats what I like wearing. Don’t go too casual but formal attire is not necessary.
Ask questions! If you have a question, ask it! There is most likely someone else out there that has the same one. The more open that you are the more people that you will meet. Your question might spur on a conversation that happens during the free time.
Be prepared to take notes! I take notes every year to remember everything that I’ve learned. Usually, these notes turn into my to-do list for the next year. Bring your electronics if you wish to do so. I do! Make sure they are charged ahead of time.
Prep your blog for the conference! People will most likely be looking at your most recent posts on your blog. Write a few more blog posts than you normally do. Make that change you’ve been meaning to do. The more you put into it beforehand the more you’ll get out of it afterwards.
Prep your Twitter for the conference! I suggest that you start following people that you know are going to be at #MNBlogCon. It’s a great way to join in the conversation while you are there and meet some new bloggers.
Plan your day! I am a planner but at the conference I tend to be more of a pantser. Have an idea of what topics that you are interested in but also be open to changing the session that you go to if you find something interesting. If you need any help choosing ask a volunteer or a blogger that has been to the conference before.
Go to the after- party! Why wouldn’t you? There will be beer!
Say, “THANK YOU!” to the amazing people who make this day possible! This event is something that is a labor of love from the people who put it on (THANK YOU JEN AND MYKL). Make sure you thank volunteers and the sponsors of this event too!
If you’ve been before, what’s your favorite part of the conference?
If this is your first one, what other questions do you have?
Because a gathering of bloggers is one of the best things in the world.
@mplsgossipgirl
Cat Video Fest 2014
There is nothing that brings people together like watching cat videos. In its third year the #catvidfest was back on the original stomping grounds of the Walker Art Center. Boy oh boy, did the cat people come out with an audience of thousands the cat video fest is one of the best attended free events that Minneapolis hosts each year.
The highlights always include the actual collective watching of the film, seeing the stars of the videos like lilbub, and just being amazed that there are that many cat people in one place at one time.
Also, you cannot miss the cat fashion!
The fest did not stop there though. You could also make your own GIF with the people from Animal Planet, write your own cat poetry, draw a cat picture, grab a cat themed beer from Flat Earth, and try out one of the food trucks. They even had Rudy Fig a local artist painting cat art!
The only large snafu was the screen that had a little mishap.
If you loved the #CatVidFest as much as I did make sure you help fund their Kickstarter. They want to make a book about it! Visit the Catstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/301071279/catstarter
A few complaints were that there were not enough bathrooms, parking, and no where to sit (the fuzz had to do a little crowd control). Not sure how to remedy this for next year other than maybe trying to do it a few days in a row.
I advise that if you want to attend the event next year make sure you come early. Not only do they have a lot of fun activities that you can participate in but you will be able to get parking and a good spot on the hill.
Because cat people are the best people.
@mplsgossipgirl
So, you waited until the last minute to plan Valentine’s Day in the Twin Cities?
Hey, it happens. I’ve been there.
Don’t fret because I have some ideas of how to wow your Valentine on Valentine’s Day. Which you must have just found out it was today.
My best suggestion is to quickly at least handwrite a card and go to the grocery and pick up dinner to make.
But, here are some other ideas too.
If you like to do things in epic proportions:
Tell your partner to wear comfy clothes. Then head out to the Mall of America! Spend the night riding the rides and eating food at one of the local establishments. You could even go shopping for a gift while you are there. You will get 10 bonus points for creativity. Just remember to keep up the enthusiasm and pretend that you’ve had this plan for months.
If you will be watching House of Cards tonight on Netflix but you still want to impress your Valentine:
Go to a place that can help you with the meal like Surdyks. They will be able to point you in the correct direction. You can make a cheese plate and a meal that is fancy with some help from your friends. Then, stop by Patina and pick up a gift.
If your Valentine thinks you are going out to dinner and that you already made reservations but, you didn’t:
Tell them that you heard of this really cool restaurant. But, they don’t take reservations. There are several places that don’t take reservations like The Sample Room, Brasa, or World Street Kitchen.
Play it cool like you had this plan all along. And buy a gift that can be used while you are waiting for a table or food.
If you want to have fun on Valentine’s Day and your Valentine is cool with having a relaxed night:
Go to a dive bar. Or a bar. They tend to not be very busy on Valentine’s Day because people go out to fancy restaurants.
You better have an awesome gift. Just sayin’….
If your single:
Order Toppers taco pizza and watch House of Cards. (Hey, it sounds like a great night to me.)
OR
Go to this event and support Secondhand Hounds with other singles. More information HERE.
Tonight, I will be eating a homemade dinner and binge watching House of Cards because nothing says love like that does.
Because it doesn’t matter what you do, it just matters that you make the person feel special.
@mplsgossipgirl
Add in your ideas. What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
A Foodie Halloween – Acqua Forest Lake
So, I am not sure what you are doing on Halloween but this sounds like a lot of fun. Acqua in Forest Lake is having a ‘night of the living fed’ dinner party.
Acqua just opened its second location in Forest Lake. You may remember the original location that is on White Bear Lake near Tally’s. I haven’t been to Forest Lake yet, but the food in White Bear Lake is amazing. I had a honeydew gazpacho there once that made me look at gazpacho in a new light.
This Halloween party is limited to 200 guests and costs $100. This includes a five course dinner, drinks, a costume contest and raffle prizes.The dinner includes a cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvres, salad with fried pork belly, roasted butternut squash soup, scallops, beef tenderloin and pumpkin tiramisu. Drinks include, wine, beer, and select cocktails.
It sounds really great but I hope they know how to serve 200 people at one time. I think that will be quite the challenge. This is their first time trying an event like this, so it will be interesting to find out how it goes. If it goes well, this would be a great event to have each year.
They are giving out some big prizes. The prizes for the costume contest are $1,000 gift card, $250 dollar gift card, and a $100 gift card. It would be a great way to treat your family to a wonderful meal. Also, they are not stopping there, they are also giving out two raffle prizes, one is a dinner for ten including wine pairings prepared at your home. The other is a limo, wine tasting, and dinner for eight at one of the restaurants. Plus, chances are good since they limited the dinner to 200 people.
You can sign up to receive weekly emails from Acqua that tells you about the specials and events like this one on their website.
If you want to attend you can call Acqua Forest Lake at: 651-464-6130.
because it is better than eating all of that candy.
@mplsgossipgirl
Don’t worry, I am not affiliated with Acqua in any way. I got an email from them and I thought I would share this fun event with people who love food.
Zombie Pub Crawl: Be Prepared
Zombie Pub Crawl is tonight!
Are you ready? I love all of the pictures on Facebook and Twitter of the creative costumes that people come up with. Tweet me your pictures @mplsgossipgirl. Seriously, show me your creativity!
Don’t have a costume yet? Head over to GoodWill, Arcs Value Village, or your local thrift store. They have people there that would love to help you come up with a great costume for tonight.
If you have a big group of people Uber is doing a Zombie Bus that you can order on their application. Check it out.
If you need a ride home tonight Captain Morgan will be offering free rides home with Uber from 7PM-12PM at the Captain Morgan Tent on Portland and 5th.
Because be safe.
@mplsgossipgirl
State Fair Images
As you all know, I love the Minnesota State Fair. I wanted to share some pictures I took this year at the fair with all of you.
In other good news, I didn’t win a ribbon but I know my scones made it in the top 25 which makes me proud. Next year I might need to get some advice from a winning State Fair baker. I want to be in it to win it.
Check one item off the LIST.
I am going to go with the Heavy Table on this one. The gyro was my favorite food that I had at the fair this year. I did not get to eat all of the new fair foods and missed out on the fried olives but, I enjoyed the freshness of this gyro.
because summer is almost over
@mplsgossipgirl
Minnesota Cheese Festival 2013
Get your tickets for the Minnesota Cheese Festival that is going on this weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
On both Saturday and Sunday there will be two sessions, one from 10-1 and another from 2-5 in order to keep crowds small and give you an opportunity to interact directly with the Cheesemakers.
During the event you will be able to sample the best cheeses from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. You can also attend demonstrations, seminars, and buy cheese from local Cheesemakers directly.
Redhead Creamery that I mentioned in my post yesterday about neat Minnesota Kickstarter Projects will be there. A few of my other favorite Cheesemakers such as the Caves of Faribault, Ellsworth Creamery, Shepard’s Way Farm, and Singing Hills Goat Dairy will also be there.
Support the Redhead Creamery project : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redhead/redhead-creamerys-cheese-needs-to-come-home?ref=home_location
You can get tickets: HERE
because I am not vegan anymore.
@mplsgossipgirl
mplsgossipgirl 