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
I adopted a cat from Animal Ark
I have a new member of my family! I adopted a kitty from Animal Ark this past weekend. She is cuddly and very sweet.
Animal Ark is a no-kill shelter located in Hastings. What makes this shelter special is the homelike atmosphere for the animals. When I went to visit, it was nice to see the natural light and comfy quarters for each of the cats. Although, the shelter is small it does amazing things.
When I adopted my cat I felt good knowing that if anything horrible were to happen to me I would be able to bring my cat back to Animal Ark and they would find her a new home and not put her to sleep.
My kitty needs a name and I need your help. I am looking for a name for her that has something to do with Minneapolis or Minnesota. A special thanks to my twitter followers who have suggested the names Loring, Hennepin, and Nicollet.
If you have any ideas for her name please comment on my post, tweet me @mplsgossipgirl, or post on Mplsgossipgirl’s Facebook wall.
You can visit the Animal Ark website to donate or look for new family member for your home: http://www.animalarkshelter.org/
because we may have a new cat video star
@mplsgossipgirl
#CatVidFest – @walkerartcenter
When cat-ladies and gents are called to assemble, they do. 10,000 people came out for the first Internet Cat Video Festival at The Walker Art Center last night. As part of their open field programming, people watched cat videos together laughing along at the hilarious kitties. Seriously, what could be better than people watching internet videos communally in a shared experience?
The cat-lady-in-residence at The Walker couldn’t resist the idea of getting together her people to enjoy something together that is normally watched behind a computer screen when you need a break from that project at work that never ends.
Lots of other people liked that idea as well. Not only did this #CatVidFest get local attention from The City Pages, it got national attention from the Huffington Post and BBC news. My cat Nuggs loved going and getting attention from all the cat lovers in the audience.
It can be best described by me in one word: fun. A group of women sitting by me were there to celebrate a birthday and had brought some snacks and boxed wine (don’t tell). There were children as well as older adults sitting by each other all laughing at the funny things that cats do. It was a great event to go to on a Thursday night.
I hope that The Walker decides to do this again and does an entry for local cat videos. They also might want to think about more parking because of how popular this event was.
People are starting to discover the great programming that The Walker Art Center offers, for FREE. I can remember coming to the Walker Sculpture Garden as a child on field trips and being able to run around by Spoonbridge and Cherry. Not only is the Sculpture Garden free every day, The Walker offers free Thursday nights in the gallery and special events like Open Field and Free First Saturdays.
Open field is from June to September and offers a place for people to gather and exchange skills and interests in an informal setting. The Walker even has a tool shed with games and art supplies for people to borrow and create magic together.
Free First Saturdays have different themes and coming up tomorrow, September 1st, they will be hosting, “Get Up and Read.” If you read Nancy Carlson as a child, you have to bring your family to The Walker. There will be book readings from Nancy, activities from her books in the Sculpture Garden, a chance to make your own book, and an opportunity to put together your own healthy snack.
They also have a fabulous restaurant named Gather that is open on Thursday nights. I go there often because it is an affordable luxury. They have guest chefs from around Minnesota come and create small plates. The first Thursday of each month they offer a couple free dishes from the guest chef. Plus, the happy hour is to die for. It goes from 5-7PM and all small plates are 5 dollars and they have a seasonal cocktail for 5 dollars as well. I love the grilled cheeses and the bahn mi. Keep a look out for the guest chefs in the coming months, I believe they are one is the most famous chefs to come out of Minnesota and has a restaurant near The Walker. I would make your reservations now.
I also have to throw in a shout-out to all the animal shelters in Minnesota. I adopted Nuggs at The Animal Humane Society and it was a great experience. They helped me pick out the perfect cat for me. I wanted an older cat who liked sleeping and cuddling. If you are thinking of getting a cat consider adopting an older one.
because being a cat lady is cool
@mplsgossipgirl
You can find more pictures of the event on my instagram account: mplsgossipgirl
or follow me on tumblr; mplsgossipgirl
mplsgossipgirl 