- July 9: Anoka's Riverfest is one of the largest craft festivals around. Demonstrations, exhibits, live music, and free boat rides on the Mississippi River are all free. So there's plenty of things to do for free, although some of the handmade items on sale are likely to tempt you...
- July 9 and 10: The annual pan-Asian Dragon Festival is this weekend at Lake Phalen in St. Paul. Food, music, theater, martial arts, crafts, and the main attraction, dragon boat racing.
Here's more free things to do in Minneapolis - and another 100 more free things to do in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Red, White and Boom is Minneapolis' annual Independence Day celebration, held in downtown Minneapolis, on the banks of the Mississippi River.
On July 3, there will be free entertainment on the river: live music from local band Communist Daughter at 7 p.m., a screening of the movie Iron Man 2 at 9.15, both at Nicollet Island Pavilion.
Then on July 4, there will be more free entertainment, with live music on four stages starting at 3 p.m., and free family activities at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park.
The firework display will begin at approximately 10 p.m. on Monday July 4.
Taste of Minnesota may be no more, but St. Paul wasn't going to let the Fourth of July going to go without fireworks.
This Independence Day, there will be fireworks launched from Upper Landing park, behind the Science Museum in downtown St. Paul.
The firework display will begin at approximately 10.15 p.m. on Monday July 4.
Work on the new light rail line and various other construction projects in downtown St. Paul will mean that traffic will likely be heavy.
Lyme disease is the most common bug-borne illness in Minnesota. It affects joints, nervous system and the heart, and while rarely fatal, it can have serious health consequences.
Deer ticks spread the disease to humans. So far, deer ticks are rare in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, but are found in the northern suburbs and in many woodlands across Minnesota, and recent studies indicate that the ticks are spreading to new areas.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, MMCD, also concerns itself with deer ticks. As well as monitoring and spraying local mosquitoes, they also track the activity and spread of deer ticks.
They provide the following advice for hikers and anyone out in the woods - wear light colored clothing so you can spot any dark deer ticks more easily, walk in the center of trails rather than through the woods, use insect repellent, and check yourself, children and animals for ticks after walking in the woods.
Taking a few precautions can reduce your risk of Lyme disease to near-zero. Here's more information on deer ticks from MMCD.
