What To Do This Weekend: St. Paul, October 10th - 12th

They say summer is the 'social season' but we're feeling like this year FALL is the season to be out-and-about! There are so many fun, unique events and experiences offered in the Twin Cities this time of year, and we want to make sure that you can partake in them for yourself. Pick a few (or all) of these events to attend this weekend!


Saint Paul Art Crawl - FREE
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the St. Paul Art Crawl (SPAC), the cornerstone event of the St. Paul Art Collective since 1991. Held in both spring and fall, the SPAC now features over 300 exhibiting artists displaying and selling their original artwork in 21 buildings throughout the city, primarily St. Paul. Attracting more than 25,000 people during the three-day event, the SPAC is truly a spectacle.

Tom Reynen – “New Day in Lowertown”, Fall 2014 Poster Competition Winner - Source

This weekend marks the first SPAC since the opening of the Green Line, and art crawlers can ride for free on all Metro Transit buses and light rails for the event. Download your pass here. Pioneer Endicott residents, you are lucky; you live in the heart of Lowertown, with the Art Crawl right outside your doors! Crawlers also have the chance to win some fantastic prizes with the Art Crawl Passport, available at all participating locations.  Events include live dance and theatre performances, a scavenger hunt, live demos, live music, food trucks and local restaurant food, videos, live pet portraits, and so much more!
Friday, October 10, 6:00 - 10:00pm
Saturday, October 11, 12:00 - 8:00pm
Sunday, October 12, 12:00 - 5:00pm
Event Guide

Grand Harvest - FREE
A few short minutes from Pioneer Endicott, Grand Avenue's newest event features special sales, activities, and food from local businesses to celebrate the arrival of fall! It is a family (and dog) friendly event that can be an activity for the whole afternoon, or just for an hour or two. Here is a guide to all of the participating businesses, and below is a list of attractions that we are most excited about:

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• Scarecrow Contest: 40 businesses have created impressive scarecrows for their store fronts while supporting a local nonprofit, Women's Advocates, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary! Show your support for their work to end violence, one family at a time. VOTE on your favorite scarecrow!
• Perrier Wines and liquors: Stop in for two craft beer tastings, an adult cider tasting, and an artisan cheese and Spanish wine tasting. 
• Grand Ole Creamery - Buy a full pizza, get a free dish of ice cream (but you'll never be able to decide on just one flavor!)
• Golden Fig Fine Foods: Sample some of their Minnesota-made fall favorites and get a 10% discount on: Autumn Elixir, Mulling Spices, Apple Chips, and Happy Apple Dip. 
• Trade Winds: In addition to apple cider and happy hour, Trade Winds will hold a sidewalk sale featuring some of their one-of-a-kind items.
• Bruegger's Bagels: Enjoy samples of Pumpkin coffee and Pumpkin bagels while the little ones partake in kids activities. 
• Salut: Adults can sip on a harvest-themed cocktail special (and their cocktails are fabulous) while the kids indulge in a sweet treat! 
• Bubbly Paws: Bring your dog and he/she can sample doggy beer and bob for apples (sorry, it's just for the dogs).
• The Oilerie: Stop in for a special sampling of appetizers and snacks using Oilerie products, recipes included!
• Hush Therapeutic Massage: Free chair massages along Grand Ave!
• Creative Kidstuff: Crafts for the little ones from 10:00am - 2:00pm
• Wuollet Bakery: You're never too old to decorate a cookie!
• Keller Williams - The Odd Couple Team: Free pony rides, coffee, cookies, and a coloring contest.
• Wet Paint: See a pumpkin carving demo from 11:00am - 2:00pm (lots of ideas!) and purchase some supplies; Wet Paint will match each item purchased to donate to Women's Advocates in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
• Whole Foods: Sample chills made from each store department and vote for your favorite at The Great Tailgate - Chili Cook-Off. Get there early to receive pint glasses or can coolers!
• Fratrallones Ace Hardware & Subway will have petting zoos from 10:00am - 3:00pm

Highland Park Water Tower - FREE

Designed by Clarence Wingington in 1928, the Highland Park Water Tower is the second-highest point in Saint Paul. The arched observation deck at the top is open to the public only two times per year, and this weekend, October 11 & 12, is one of them! If you're able to climb 151 steps, we definitely recommend taking advantage of this biannual opportunity. The fall views are said to be some of the best in the City. Here's a sneak peak of the view from July's 2014 Open House.
October 11-12, 9:00am - 5:00pm

Arrivals and Departures at St. Paul's Union Depot - FREE
"The artistic vision for this project is to celebrate Union Depot's renaissance as a rail hub with an act or place-making that will reclaim the space in the hearts and minds of all who experience it."

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In coordination with Motion Poems and artist Todd Boss, the Union Depot has created an experience that will be (we assume) hard to describe in words after you see it. Using original poems from Minnesotans (from a statewide call), local film teams created 3D animation adaptions that will be cast on the facade of the block-wide Union Depot. These films will loop at 5-minute intervals, like trains, with accompanying audio from lawn area speakers October 10-12. See more here.

Oysterfest 2014
Now in it's 4th year, Meritage's Oysterfest keeps getting better and better. This year the event falls later than usual, and we hear it's due to the beginning of 'oyster season,' when the waters are cooler, making more varieties available. Either way, you are promised lots and lots of oysters and oyster-related activities (Oyster School and a Shucking Showdown to name a few). Same day tickets are hard to get, so order now. October 12th, 12:00pm - 8:00pm at Meritage.

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Other Events

• Revival Wine Beer & Spirits free wine tastings, October 10th & 11th 4:00pm - 7:00pm in the Pioneer Endicott building. (Get a peek inside the new store HERE)

• SPCO: Beethoven's First Symphony, Ordway Music Theatre October 10th and 11th.

• The ALS Association Superhero 5k/10k Dash: You did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, so go the extra mile (or 6) and participate in this fun event to raise money for ALS. October 11th at Phalen Regional Park.

• 2015 Saint Paul Almanac Literary Festival (ongoing two month event), Opening night October 9th at Cahoots Coffee Bar, two readings October 10th at Subtext: A Bookstore and 11th at Artista Bottega.

• 2014 Twin Cities Book Festival, October 11th 10:00am - 5:00pm, MN State Fairgrounds.

• Opus and Olives - the premiere literary evening in the Twin Cities.  Held at the St. Paul RiverCentre, October 12th, 5:00pm.

• Ramsey After Dark: Victorian Gothic Novels - they've added an 8:30pm time slot after the 7:00pm sold out! Get your tickets ASAP.