Friday, April 28
The Gospel According to Springsteen
What: Sacred Pop: Spiritual Songs from Secular Culture
When: 7–8:30 p.m.
Where: Hamline Church United Methodist, 1514 Englewood Ave., St. Paul
The Gospels and Stevie Wonder “preach” in very different ways. Scripture instructs whereas Springsteen entertains. Leonard Cohen threads pop music with Hebrew, but the Old Testament “Hallelujah” is not. Hamline Church musicians demonstrate how secular artists use religious themes to channel the sacred through the radio—across cultures and philosophies. Learn more
Hug a Tree, Chug a Beer
What: Minneapolis Arbor Day Celebration
When: 4–8 p.m.
Where: Lake Hiawatha Park, 2701 E. 44th St., Minneapolis
You can help plant more than 300 trees around Lake Hiawatha in honor of Arbor Day. Tree-themed activities and educational opportunities spangle the park; 612 Brew, Dangerous Man, Boom Island Brewing, and others provide craft beer; Parkway Pizza and Northbound Smokehouse bring their food trucks; and Twin Town Blasting Corp performs live music. Learn more
Saturday, April 29
A Lowertown Legacy
What: St. Paul Art Crawl
When: Noon–8 p.m.
Where: Locations throughout St. Paul
More than 400 artists in St. Paul set up work throughout the city, continuing 40 years of art crawls seeded in the vacant warehouses and grassroots art communities of Lowertown, then taken on by the St. Paul Art Collective in the early ’90s. Around 20,000 people are expected to visit the weekend-long event—so have a stake in the scene, see the capital through artists’ eyes. Learn more
Local Music Meets Local Comedy
What: The Local Music Scene: Dave Dvorak
When: 9:30 p.m., doors open, 10 p.m., performance
Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 Lake St., Minneapolis
Local musician Dave Dvorak works as an ER doctor, and his Bob Dylan-flavored, country-tinged debut CD “Things You Cannot Measure” takes inspiration from his time working in a refugee camp. After Dvorak runs through an interview and his performance, musicians/comedians from improv troupe The Local Music Scene take any tapped themes and spin them into sketches. Learn more
Sunday, April 30
“The Jewish James Bond”
What: Wiesenthal
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Simon Wiesenthal, an Austrian-Jewish Holocaust survivor, devoted decades of his life to bringing 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice. This one-man play blends introspective memoir and guessing-game spy thriller as it delves into Wiesenthal’s wit, tenacity, and flaws—characteristics that earned him the epithet “the Jewish James Bond.” Writer Tom Dugan stars. Learn more
DIY Swedish Knickknacks
What: Luffarslöjd for Youth
When: 1–3 p.m.
Where: American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Ave., Minneapolis
“Luffarslöjd” refers to Swedish craftsmen who sold simple tchotchkes made by taking pliers to iron wire. Kids ages seven and up can have their first experience with such Swedish decorative metal work—bending, wrapping, cutting, twisting, and pinching bright, colorful wires into any shape or design—into baskets, candlesticks, decorative elephants, whatever. Learn more
