Super Bowl vignettes: Selfies with Prince's shoes

Prince seems to be on people's minds during this Super Bowl week. Whether it's his former associates playing Prince tributes at Super Bowl Live on Nicollet Mall, reminiscing about his unforgettable 2007 Super Bowl halftime performance or Justin Timberlake hosting a listening party for his new album at Paisley Park.

Maybe the best way for visitors and locals alike to get a taste of the Purple One this week without spending the big bucks is to check out the Prince pop-up display in the first floor of the old Macy's on Nicollet Mall. It's free.

The exhibit features lots of Prince outfits, accessories and shoes. Lots of shoes. Striped ones, purple ones, ones decorated with clouds for the "Raspberry Beret" video. Some jewelry, canes and a pair of 3rd Eye sunglasses are on exhibit. Hats, too.

What differentiates this pop-up museum from Paisley Park and a similar temporary pop-up at Mall of America in 2016 is that photos are allowed. Bring your cameras and cellphones. And some money, because there are plenty of Prince souvenirs for sale — from photo books to stocking caps.

JON BREAM

Super Bowl Host Committee skyway volunteers were busier with lost visitors Thursday as bitter temperatures sent everyone inside.

"I think bathrooms have been the biggest question," Amber Gehring said. "And, of course, there's limited public restrooms."

"I learned 'wait points,' " Johnson said. Those "wait points" are where the next set of volunteers will be. If they know a visitor is looking for the Convention Center, but don't know every twist and turn, the volunteers send them in the right direction toward the next set of volunteers.

"The job we've got is to get them to the next point to help get them through the maze," said Johnson.

Jeyca Maldonado-Medina

Stefon Diggs may have missed his chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LII, but he's still going home with some hardware.

A gleaming tractor-topped prize awaited the Vikings wide receiver as victor of the Land O'Lakes Farm Bowl, a competition that paired NFL players with real-life farmers to test their agricultural skills.

"I'm worn out," said Diggs, catching his breath after the first round. "That's an all-season workout right there."

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph also donned a cow-spotted jersey to vie for the trophy against Diggs, Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and NFL alumni Greg Jennings and Jason Brown. But Rudolph got off to a rough start, losing precious seconds while wrestling a large tire off a tractor.

Kate Tande, of Edina, approved pleas from her 7- and 10-year-old sons to skip school for the festivities. "They told me, 'Mom, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,'" she said. "It was too good to pass up."

LIZ SAWYER

A crush of football fans has descended on "Radio Row" at the Mall of America in search of football heroes, celebrities and a little bit of hype.

Fans circled the pop-up network booths, where football players past and present along with a few celebrities sit for interviews.

"I wanted to be part of the Super Bowl experience," said Dan Buschow of Minneapolis. "I just saw Dan Marino."

Shalondra Dominique of Mississippi got her own photograph of Marino, the former Miami Dolphins quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer. She's here on business, and her husband directed her to MOA in search of his football heroes. Her Marino photo will be added to his "man cave."

A moment later, fans whooped and clapped. Dominique aimed her camera and got another photo.

Who it was, she didn't know, but he must be someone, she said. "I'll have to ask my husband."

A few tables down, Philadelphia sports talk show host Jon Marks and former Eagles Ike Reese and Tra Thomas bantered for fans back home.

"You get to Thursday and you're ready to play the game," Reese said into the microphone on his headset. "The pregame obligations with radio, television and print interviews is exhausting.

"You answer the same question over and over."

Mary Lynn Smith