The source of one of the most successful student art sales in the country is upping the ante. On Friday the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) will hold its first auction, a collection of 56 pieces from top MCAD emerging and established artists.

The auction is considerably smaller than the annual art sale in November, which features more than 6,000 works by students and recent grads that range from $10 to $1,500. The auction, which began online on May 22, features work from MCAD's emerging and established artists.

The auction will feed the growing appetite of its art sale collectors who want "bigger, better stuff," said Lars Mason, the college's director of academic services.

The auction is also different because it's the first time that the majority of the proceeds go to the college instead of the artist. The November art sale has always been unique in giving 80 percent of the sale price back to the artist. Most student art sales benefit the college with students getting very little, said Mason. In the sale's 15 year history, the school has paid out $1.8 million to students. Last year, the sale took in $365,000, Mason said.

The mid-year auction, held in addition to the Nov. 21 sale, doesn't impose any price restrictions. The established artists were asked to submit a piece of work and determine a retail price based on past sale prices of similar works, Mason said. A committee then selected which works would be included in the auction. Suggested values range from $800 to $15,000. Online bid minimums are half of the retail price. As of noon Friday, about half of the works had bids.

The auction is divided into an online auction conducted by Paddle8 and a live auction at 8:30 Friday night (June 7). The live auction, which includes a signature piece by super seller Samantha French (pictured), costs $125 to get into the catered event.

If everything sells at its suggested retail price, the fundraiser will bring in about $250,000.

The doors open for the silent auction at 7:30 p.m. Friday and the live auction begins at 8:30 at the MCAD Gallery at 2501 Stevens Ave. in Minneapolis.

"War Horse," the winner of a "Best Play" Tony Award, along with four other Tony's in 2011, comes to the Orpheum Theatre June 12-23. Like nearly all tickets at Hennepin Theatre Trust, discounts are rare. Theater goers used to being spoiled by rush seats at the Guthrie or the Jungle haven't enjoyed the same cheap seats at Hennepin Theatre Trust. 

With one exception: student rush.

Starting Monday, June 3, students or educators with a valid student ID can get tickets for any performance for $25, regularly $39 to $129 plus fees. There's no standing in line for an hour or two before the show. Just come to the State Box Office for tickets to any War Horse performance or to the Orpheum Box Office the night of the show. 

Why doesn't Hennepin Trust offer discounted rush tickets to everyone for all shows? "It depends on the tour, the number of tickets available, the show and the size of the venue," said HTT's communications director Karen Nelson.

Some shows that nearly sell out such as "The Book of Mormon" don't even have a student rush. "Lion King" had a student rush but only one ticket per ID could be purchased. "War Horse" allows students and educators to get two tickets per ID. (FYI,  any student who has a current student ID is eligible for the discount, including elementary, junior high or senior high, but the student must be present w/ith ID to get the two tickets.) 

According to the press release, the play is “based on English author Michael Morpurgo’s novel. The book was also inspired Steven Spielberg’s feature film of the same name, which earned six Oscar nominations including Best Picture. In a tale the New York Daily News calls ‘spellbinding, by turns epic and intimate,’ Joey is caught in enemy crossfire and ends up serving both sides of the war before landing in no man’s land. Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home.

At the heart of the show are life-sized puppets designed by the Handspring Puppet Company, which bring breathing, galloping, charging horses and other animals to thrilling life on stage. Minnesota native Rob Laqui is one of the Joey puppeteers. The tour of War Horse, which was adapted from the book by Morpurgo by Nick Stafford, is directed by Bijan Sheibani based on the original Tony Award-winning direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris.

The show, although based on a children’s book, includes scenes depicting war violence and is recommended for ages 10 and older. All patrons must have a ticket regardless of age.  

Come July, local Target shoppers will see some store employees dressed in black in addition to the usual red and khaki.

These employees make up Target's new Beauty Concierge Service, which provides high level, unbiased beauty advice to consumers.

The program, first piloted in Chicago and since expanded to Los Angeles, will hit 36 stores in the Twin Cities region next month.

Ultimately, Target plans to equip 200 stores throughout the country with the service by the end of the year.

Jean McNamer of Roseville had a very uneasy feeling as the meat salesman ran down her driveway to get back into his vehicle. She had just written a check for $339 for two cases of steaks and considered running after the Iowa Steak Company salesman to reconsider.

But she had to pick up her daughter from school so she left after putting the meat in the freezer. But when she returned home, she googled the company and saw lots of warnings not to buy. "Dumb, dumb, dumb," she said. "It's a lesson learned though I thought I had learned this long ago."

Yes, doorbells will be ringing again in many Twin Cities neighborhoods now that grilling weather has finally arrived. The door-to-door meat sales people are a summertime ritual that's starting later than usual this year, "It's the late spring" said Dan Hendrickson, spokesman for the better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. "In 2012 we had 21 complaints about meat sold door to door. In 2013 we've only had two so far," he said.

The BBB said they are monitoring about seven door-to-door meat sellers, including Iowa Steak Company. 

Some are licensed such as Schwan's, but many are not, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Selling unmarked meat from the back of a vehicle should raise all sorts of red flags but unsuspecting consumers may be taken off-guard by the urgency in their sales pitch. 

"They're at the end of their shift, their truck has broken down, or they have some unsold meat from their restaurant sales route. We've heard them all," said Dave Read at the MDA. And despite what meat sellers claim, meat supply companies don't sell unsold inventories door-to-door."

In 2004 Farmer's Pride Meat Co. in Blaine had to surrender its food handler's license after more than 100 customers filed complaints. The company had failed to notify its customers of a product recall and a number of them became ill, according to the MDA.  

 The MDA wants consumers to notify the agency of any meat salespeople in their neighborhood. It and the BBB suggest the following if a salesperson tries to sell you street meat.

Ask to see a wholesale or retail food handler's license for selling meat. Also ask for brochures and business cards to contact the seller. If none are provided, get a license plate number and call the MDA at 651-201-6027 (the Dairy and Food Inspection Department--DAFI). 

Buy only meat that comes from a refrigerated truck, not an ice chest or the trunk of a car.

Pay with a credit card instead of cash or a check. 

Ask for the price per pound and see if the weight is labeled on the packaging.   

In Minneapolis, ask for a city-issued photo ID card, which is required for door-to-door salespeople except canvassers, school or youth groups or magazine sales.