Casting call for can-do couple

Are you a dynamic couple, age 25 to 45, living in Minnesota? Check. And have you rehabbed your own lakefront cottage? Check. You might just want to audition for Orion Entertainment's potential new Lakefront Home TV series. The Denver-based television production company is casting for hosts, and the show will follow them as they renovate, restore or build lakefront homes and cottages. The perfect renovation team will be able to showcase their skills and the lakefront properties of Minnesota through a national television series, according to Orion. To be considered, candidates also need to have a roster of potential clients and jobs where the land and waterfront is ideal, but the home or cottage is in desperate need of some TLC. Intrigued? Contact Orion Entertainment at bestcastingever@gmail.com.

Tech-savvy house

This year's HGTV Smart Home giveaway is a modern farmhouse in Austin, Texas. The rooms are chock-full of stylish designer furnishings with decorative nods to the Lone Star State. But the high-tech features are what make it really cool. Skylight shades are raised and lowered by remote control, a docking station storing an iPad controls everything from the lights to security system, and a flat-screen TV is creatively concealed above the kitchen range hood. If you win the house, HGTV is also throwing in a 2015 Mercedes-Benz and a $100,000 cash prize. Enter the HGTV giveaway twice per day online at www.hgtv.com. Deadline is June 2.

DIY patio

Get tips and advice on how to design and install an outdoor space at Gertens free DIY Stone Patio Workshop, 11 a.m. May 2, 5500 Blaine Av., Inver Grove Heights. Call 651-450-1501 or go to www.gertens.com.

Art and floral fete

More than 150 floral displays will share the stage with artworks of the masters inside the galleries of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Art in Bloom, the MIA's annual rite of spring, is April 30 to May 3 and features a variety of lectures, demonstrations and programs. Some require tickets while others are free. You can view the floral displays inspired by artwork anytime during museum hours, and free docent-led tours are scheduled daily. Art in Bloom's free Family Day has scheduled activities, such as a scavenger hunt, theatrical storytelling and crafts, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 2. Debra Prinzing, national author and florist, will present a program on "The Slow Flower Movement — From the Field to the Vase," with tips on designing arrangements using homegrown botanical elements, 10 a.m. May 1. Tickets are $30. Prinzing also will lead a hands-on floral workshop on how to create a seasonal "Slow Flowers Bouquet" using Minnesota-grown blooms and foliage from 2 to 4 p.m. May 1. Tickets are $100. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is at 2400 3rd Av. S. For a schedule and tickets, call 612-870-3000 or go to www.artsmia.org.

LYNN UNDERWOOD