Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee, Minn., is taking active and veteran military members for a ride again this year.
The park south of Minneapolis is offering free admission to the park Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend (July 4-7).
Members of the military can get reduced-price passes throughout the summer. All that’s needed is a valid military ID.
Go to valleyfair.com or call (952) 445-6500 for more information, directions, tickets or passes in advance.
The St. Louis River Alliance has rescheduled two events on the river that were rained out recently.
The annual river cleanup set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday will focus on Clough Island, a designated natural area. Volunteers, especially people with their own boats to get out to the island, are needed.
The alliance’s annual spring canoe and kayak tour has been rescheduled for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The event is free and open to the public, but there’s room for only 20 people. Interested parties must bring their own canoes or kayaks and life jackets.
For more information or to register for either event, call (218) 733-9520 or e-mail slrcac@stlouisriver.org.
The Damiano Center Kids Café Summer Program begins June 10.
The free meal and activity program for kids and families runs from 1-3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Activities include gardening, cooking, games, arts and crafts, cultural celebrations and zoo visits. Children younger than 6 must be with an adult.
Call coordinator Oscar Lopez at (218) 336-1033 or e-mail olopez@damianocenter.org with questions.
The deadline for nominations is June 7.
This Eh? desker’s not eligible, but nominations are being accepted for the News Tribune’s annual 20 Under 40 awards, which recognize 20 individuals who are successful in their chosen fields, role models and demonstrate leadership in business or the community.
The deadline for entries is June 7.
Hartley Nature Center is kicking off a series of nature walks today that focus on the park’s wildflowers.
Staff members will guide groups through a different section of Hartley Park on walks today, June 12 and July 17, stopping to check on what’s blooming and what birds are singing. They’ll offer tips on how to identify plants, interesting folklore tidbits and point out hidden treasures of Hartley Park.
Meet at the nature building off Woodland Avenue at 6 p.m. and hike until 8 p.m. Cost is $4 for members, $6 for nonmembers and free for kids.
If you can hardly wait for the Art in Bayfront Park art fair in August, you can get a taste for it in a new book featuring artists from the annual event.
The first Art in Bayfront Park artist coffee table book prints this month, and orders now are being taken. The 140-page book can be ordered by e-mailing artinbayfrontpark@yahoo.com or calling (218) 727-8100.
Page through and find your favorite artists. Then you can beeline to them at the art fair that takes place Aug. 17-18 at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth.
Grad parties are so passé. Make the soon-to-be graduate in your life stand out from the pack with a “Congratulations, graduate!” ad.
Ads are $25 each and will be published in the June 2 Scrapbook section. One student from each high school represented will be drawn to be a featured “Senior Spotlight,” which features an additional Q&A portion.
If you’ve procrastinated, you still have time, but not much: The deadline for submissions is the end of the day today. The form can be found at duluthnewstribune.com, both on the home page and under the Scrapbook tab. Call (218) 723-5300 for more information.
The Duluth Transit Authority is offering teenage riders a pass that allows for unlimited travel anywhere on DTA buses and the Port Town Trolley and discounted perks for June through August.
The pass is $55 — and valued at more than twice as much. Flash the pass at the Incline Station Bowling Center, Adventure Zone, Great Lakes Aquarium, Lake Superior Zoo, the Encounter and Duluth Huskies baseball games for discounted admission or other deals.
Passes are on sale at the Downtown Transit Center, DTA Operations Center (2402 W. Michigan St.) and DTA pass outlets. The passes are transferable to qualifying friends and family members when not in use by the primary pass holder.
Grand Marais’ Dockside Fish Market was featured in the Travel section of Sunday’s New York Times as one of four restaurants in the U.S. “that celebrate their stamping grounds in ways that go beyond ingredients.”
The article, headlined “A Sense of Place, on the Plate,” noted the business’ ties to Grand Marais’ long — but mostly long-vanished — fishing heritage. Owners Harley and Shele Toftey operate one of the few remaining commercial fishing operations on the North Shore.
“It’s a dying thing,” Shele Toftey told the Times. “It’s a great livelihood, but it’s a hard livelihood.”
The article mentions, among other items, Dockside’s fried herring fillets and fried whitefish. It makes special mention of its herring roe, called Superior Gold Caviar, “that burst with a mild, briny tang.”
White-tailed deer across the Northland have started to have their fawns, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is urging people to leave the little dears alone.
Even if you don’t see the mother around, a fawn almost certainly has not been abandoned. Unlike human mothers that cling to their newborns, deer mothers often move away from fawns while feeding to avoid drawing any attention to newborns. Fawns’ camouflage spots, and an odd quirk of nature that makes fawns almost odorless (also unlike humans), is usually enough to get them through the first few days when their legs are wobbly.
The DNR notes that mama doe will come around every four or five hours to check on the fawn, and she is usually within earshot. Only when the fawns are strong enough to outrun predators do the young travel much with their mother.
A fawn’s curiosity may entice it to approach a person who comes upon it. The DNR urges people not to try to catch a fawn if they encounter one. Walk away. Never feed or collar a fawn. Contact a local DNR Wildlife office if you have questions.
