Buckets and Tap Shoes at the 2007 Fringe Festival/Photo by David Joles

A sure sign that summer is just around the corner:

Applications for the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival are due by Jan. 28. The lottery will be in June, with corn coming up soon after that. No. The lottery will be Feb. 7 at a location TBD. The festival next year runs from Aug. 4-14.

The Fringe picks about 160 shows from the piles of applicants. It's all by chance, without jury selection.

In addition, four of the Fringe's slots will be award to companies who will participate in the Midwest Fringe circuit — which includes Chicago, Kansas City and Indianapolis. Those applications are due on Dec. 30, with a drawing in Chicago on Jan. 8 to pick the winners.

Fringe attendance, which has steadily risen since 2008, set a record last year.

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