OPENING
Minnesota Renaissance Festival
Where else but RenFest can you get drunk on mead, eat a turkey leg as big as your biceps and ride a camel? Though some of the comedy acts are hammy, it's hard to argue with the badassery of live armored jousters, knife throwers and fire-juggling tightrope walkers. Take in one of the fest's food-and-drink themed weekends --"Wine, Chocolate and Romance," "Oktoberfest," "Royal Ale Fest" and the always-popular "Italian Carnival" -- although there's so much to eat that you may want to make repeat visits. Whether you're the type to geek out and don full medieval garb or simply want to enjoy the spectacle (and ample people-watching), RenFest is a treat for the ironic and earnest alike. (9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat. & Sun. through Sept. 30, plus Labor Day and Sept. 28. $9.50-$21.95. Minnesota Renaissance Festival Grounds, 12364 Chestnut Blvd., Shakopee. 952-445-7361 or www. renaissancefest.com.) JAHNA PELOQUIN
Buxtahooda: A Bar Game Olympiad
It takes a certain amount of skill to hit a target after a few beers. This weekend, bar game pros will get the recognition they clearly deserve. From the braaaiins behind the Zombie Pub Crawl comes Buxtahooda, a daylong bar-game "Olympiad" that will feature teams of five competing in eight events throughout downtown Minneapolis, culminating in a medal ceremony at First Avenue and $500 cash for the winner. Events include shuffleboard, "dizzy darts," bean bag toss, "pop-a-shot," washer toss, ladder golf, golf putt and Ping-Pong ball toss. Prizes will also be given for best-dressed team and best team name. And it wouldn't be a pub crawl without drink specials: $2 Miller Lite taps and $3 Miller Lite tall boys. (2 p.m. registration, 7 p.m. medal ceremony Sat. $35 per team, free to attend. Starts at Hubert's Sports Bar & Grill, 600 N. 1st Av., Mpls. www.buxtahooda.com.)J.P.
Common Room: Invisible Minneapolis Tour
On the surface, the Mall of America and the downtown skyway system hardly seem like riveting subject matter. But with "Common Room," a series of artist-led tours hosted by Sergio Vucci and Andy Sturdevant, layers are peeled and histories are revealed. The weekly series culminates with this week's Invisible Minneapolis Tour, exploring the city's "ghost structures and sites that never were," because they were abandoned for other plans. The tour kicks off at the Soap Factory before heading out on foot. (6:30 p.m. Wed. Free. Soap Factory, 514 SE. 2nd St., Mpls. www.soapfactory.org.) J.P.
