Park Falls, Wis.
Bring your family — pets included — to Flambeau Rama, Aug. 1-4. The event features four days of live music, plus a parade, a car show, a cardboard boat regatta, a flea market, a 5K run, a rod-casting contest and a pooch pageant. This family event also offers children's activities. (tinyurl.com/yxdnn6z6).
Duluth and Ely, Minn.
Dozens of blues artists from the Midwest and around the country will entertain fans during two musical festivals in August. The 31st annual Bayfront Blues Festival Aug. 9-11 at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth will keep the music going for three days on two stages set along the scenic backdrop of Lake Superior. Admission is $45 to $119 (www.bayfrontblues.com; 1-800-438-5884). Enjoy the Boundary Waters Blues Festival Aug. 30-Sept. 1 with five bands playing daily sets on a stage beside Fall Lake, five miles east of Ely, in Winton, Minn. After their sets, musicians will stroll the grounds to mingle with guests. A pre-festival kickoff party will be held Aug. 29 at the craft beer tent. Three-day ticket prices are $110. (Daily ticket prices have not been released.) Camping fees are $45-$225 (elyblues.com).
Cokato, Minn.
Parades, live music and free sweet corn will draw visitors to the 70th annual Cokato Corn Carnival Aug. 12-14. A kiddie parade at 6 p.m. and the main parade at 6:20 p.m. will kick off the festival Aug. 12, followed by music, a carnival and food stands. The much anticipated corn will be served from 4 to 9 p.m. Aug. 13 and 14. Other highlights include a car show, cultural displays, Miss Cokato coronation and drawings for a new car (tinyurl.com/y3fxdfud).
Colleen A. Coles
