Twin Cities weekend guide: State Fair sneak peek and Lord of the Rings Day
What to expect: More food than ever — including last year's love-it-or-hate-it deep-fried ranch dressing — Giant Slide rides, yard games, a Minnesotan vendor market and free parking.
Audrey's thought bubble: If you're a fair food fan who also hates lines, this is the event for you. I got the Amish doughnuts last year in 10 minutes... instead of three hours.
Thursday–Friday 4–9pm, Saturday–Sunday 11am–7pm. $13 in advance, $16 at the gate. Note: Attendance is limited.
More things to do...
🏞️ Journey to Middle-earth this Saturday for Lord of the Rings Day at Inbound BrewCo in North Loop. Activities include an all-day LOTR vendor market, themed drinks, trivia, a costume contest and music from Gus the Bard. Free
👷♂️ "Block party" has a new meaning at Blackstack Brewing this Saturday as the St. Paul spot transforms into a mini Legoland from 12–4pm.
Lego fans can check out rare, hard-to-find sets and custom creations from local sellers, and enter to win a brand-new mystery set. Space to sell has filled up, but buying and trading is welcome. Free
💀 "All things weird" will return to the Oddities and Curiosities Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center Saturday–Sunday.
Expect skulls, funeral collectibles, preserved specimens and much more — including a six-hour hands-on raccoon taxidermy class. $11.55 in advance, $16.83 day-of; class is $325
🪿 Celebrate Rosebud the Goose's 10th birthday at Gibbs Farm's opening day celebration from 10am–4pm Saturday.
❤️ Honor our veterans at Lakewood Cemetery's Memorial Day service on Monday morning, held at the Soldiers Memorial in Section 24 and featuring the Minnesota Freedom Band.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eater
a day ago
- Eater
3 Austin Restaurants to Try This Weekend: August 8
Each week, we'll provide a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: 'Where should I eat?' Here are three places to check out this weekend in Austin. And, if you're spending the weekend out by the pool, here are ideas on where to drink. For really tasty masa in the morning: Mercado Sin Nombre There's no shortage of great pastries and baked goods in this city, but if we were power ranking them today, Mercado Sin Nombre would sit at the top. The East Austin café centers masa — part of a broader trend where chefs are choosing nixtamalized corn over wheat flour as a deeper expression of heritage. Worth noting: despite what many claim, flour tortillas are just as 'authentic' as corn — one is just more prevalent in all regions of Mexico. It's almost like comparing Under Armour and Nike as American sportswear brands. Another reason masa's having a moment? Flavor. Its complexity becomes clear with one bite of Mercado's masa Twinkie, which makes the Hostess version taste like paper in comparison. Other standouts include the bean and cheese burrito, masa pancakes, and the Bad Honey Bunny. Anything on the food menu will do, just get there early — food sells out fast. Then again, you might luck into an off-menu special, like a breakfast sandwich using masa pancakes in place of biscuits — which might be even better than what you came for. 408 N Pleasant Valley Rd, Austin, TX 78702. For dinner during a proper dinner and a movie: Soto South This isn't just a food recommendation — it's a movie one, too. We all know the food at Alamo Drafthouse leaves… something to be desired. Like flavor. And seasoning. So when time permits, do dinner and a movie the old school way. Snag a ticket for Together or Weapons, two remarkable horror films. Before the showing, book a reservation at Soto South, one of the more underappreciated sushi restaurants in town — likely due to its proximity to Uchi just down the street. Great options to start are the fried Brussels sprouts tossed with goat cheese, walnuts, yuzu soy, and lobster tempura. The sushi, nigiri, and sashimi menus are deep and the servers are happy to guide, but the Hamachi Apple (yellowtail, mixed herb salad, yuzu pepper, serrano) and White Tiger (bluefin tuna, avocado, cucumber, lemon aioli) maki rolls are safe bets. From there, it's a short walk over to Alamo. 1100 S Lamar Blvd Ste 2115, Austin, TX 78704 For the most reliable slice in Austin: Home Slice Pizza prices have been getting out of control lately. Sure, the slices at these pizzerias are delicious, but sometimes you just want a solid, unfussy pie that doesn't cost $28. You want comfort. Austin classic Home Slice hits the sweet spot of dependable and affordable comfort food. The slices are hearty, the crust the right amount of chewy and crunchy, and its salads are tasty too — making sure we get our vitamin fix in that sea of savory grease. 501 E 53rd St, Austin, TX 78751
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Dave Franco reveals he would be ‘open' to playing Luigi Mangione in a biopic under these circumstances
Dave Franco is open to scrubbing in. While on 'Watch What Happens Live' earlier this week, the actor, 40, was asked if he would consider portraying Luigi Mangione in a biopic. The 27-year-old is currently behind bars after being accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. Advertisement 9 Dave Franco visits Radio Andy. Getty Images 'Oh, how do I answer this?' Franco replied to the fan. 'No one has approached me about it yet, I'll say that. This is something that more people in my life reached out about this exact thing than anything else that has ever happened.' The 'Together' star admitted that he would consider playing Mangione if he were offered the role. Advertisement 'Let's just say I'm open if the right people,' Franco stated, 'and let's just leave it at that.' 9 Dave Franco is seen on July 30, 2025 in New York City. GC Images Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on West 54th Street in NYC on Dec. 4. After a five-day nationwide manhunt, the Ivy League-educated tech whiz was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he stopped at a local McDonald's after getting off a Greyhound bus. Advertisement Authorities have accused Mangione of planning the murder months in advance over a gripe with the 'parasitic' health insurance industry. 9 Luigi Mangione at his graduation. Instagram / Kathy Mangione 9 Luigi Mangione. Luigi Mangione/Facebook He is currently facing a slew of federal and state charges, including murder with a firearm, identity falsification and forgery. Advertisement Mangione pleaded not guilty in Dec. He is set to appear in court on Sept. 16. Franco was previously asked about taking on the controversial role in January. 9 Luigi Mangione in court. POOL/AFP via Getty Images 'I've never received more texts in my life about anything,' he admitted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Franco noted, 'Not just friends — anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it.' His wife, Alison Brie, 42, pointed out that her husband hasn't gotten 'any official offers' just yet. 9 Luigi Mangione pictured in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Instagram / Luigi Mangione 'No official [offers],' Franco confirmed. Advertisement After fans flocked to the internet to look up Franco in comparison to Mangione, the 'Neighbors' star experienced his third-most-popular week of Google searches in the last five years. The two were even mentioned in a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch where Sarah Sherman played legal journalist Nancy Grace. 9 Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old who allegedly murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO. Altoona PD Sherman's Grace joked that Mangione has 'women and gay guys alike all hot and bothered,' and said he 'looks like Dave Franco with Eugene Levy eyebrows.' Advertisement Despite no word of a movie in the works yet, director Alex Gibney is producing a documentary on the murder. 9 Dave Franco in 'Together.' NEON 9 Dave Franco and Alison Brie in a scene from 'Together.' NEON Advertisement According to Deadline, the doc will analyze 'the crime's seemingly meticulous execution to the alleged killer's manifesto and his Ivy League background to the public's unapologetic apathy towards the victim.' A second documentary from Stephen Robert Morse will 'explore the various perspectives of those embroiled in the murder and its aftermath, including the victims, their families and Mangione himself, as well as the moral complexities thrown up by Thompson's murder,' per Variety.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dave Franco responds to being fan-cast as Luigi Mangione: ‘I'm open'
After nearly a year of online buzz, Dave Franco has finally weighed in on potentially playing Luigi Mangione on the big screen. Fans on the internet wasted no time pointing out the uncanny resemblance between the Palo Alto native and Mangione, the primary suspect in the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, since the 27-year-old was arrested in December. Many suggested that Franco would be a great candidate to play Mangione in any future movies or made-for TV shows reenacting the crime. When asked about the discourse during a recent appearance on Bravo's 'Watch What Happens Live,' hosted by Andy Cohen, he admitted he wouldn't be opposed to the idea. "No one has approached me about it yet," he told one viewer via video call during a Q&A portion of the episode, which aired on Tuesday, Aug. 5. "Let's just say I'm open if it's the right people, and let's leave it at that." Franco, who was on the late-night talk show to promote his new body horror film ' Together,' in which he stars opposite his real-life wife Alison Brie, also mentioned that this is far from the first time he has heard about being compared to Mangione. 'More people in my life reached out about this exact thing than anything else that has ever happened,' he said. Mangione, who has ties to Stanford University, was taken into custody on Dec. 9, in connection with the killing of Thompson. Police found several handwritten pages expressing a 'disdain for corporate America' and frustrations with the United States' healthcare system on Mangione when he was arrested. He has pleaded not guilty. From the moment his name and mugshot were released, social media users dug into Mangione's online presence, from Linkedin to Spotify and Letterboxd accounts. A vocal subset of the internet has viewed Mangione as a martyr, urging for his release, making fancam videos of him and even dubbing him 'America's Sweetheart.' In addition to advocating for Franco's involvement in a potential on-screen project, several online have suggested that television writer and creator Ryan Murphy should be involved. Murphy has a history of creating series and film adaptations based on real-life headline news, from 'American Crime Story,' which chronicled the death of Gianni Versace and earned San Francisco native Darren Criss a Golden Globe; O.J. Simpson's murder trial, which starred Stanford alum Sterling K. Brown; and the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal, to 'Monsters,' which has run through the stories of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez Brothers murder case. But while Hollywood may not have jumped in yet, the case has inspired several documentaries and a San Francisco play, ' Luigi: The Musical.' Earlier this week, the production announced a run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival from Aug. 19-23, its first set of shows outside of San Francisco.
