Blooming art You don't have to travel thousands of miles to experience the art and flowers of Japan. The four-day "Art in Bloom" festival at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts will spotlight Japanese culture and display more than 160 floral creations by professional floral designers, paired with masterworks from the museum's collection.
The dirt: Blooming art
It's Art in Bloom time at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
April 27, 2010 at 9:35PM
The 27th annual fundraiser kicks off with a Gala Preview Party at 6 p.m. April 28, which includes a Japanese-themed dinner, music and "hanami," or flower viewing. Tickets are $150. Other events include a lecture on "The Essence of Japanese Gardens," an Asian floral design demonstration and a sake tasting class. Parents and kids can listen to a rhyming story and do crafts at Art in Bloom's free family event.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri.-Sun., 2400 3rd Av. S. Museum admission and guided tours are free; some events require a fee. For a complete schedule, go to www.artsmia.org or call 612-870-3279.
Bachman's turns 125 Bachman's took root in 1885, when Harry Bachman Sr. planted potatoes on his Minneapolis farm. That potato patch has grown into one of the state's largest garden operations, with full-service garden centers and retail stores across the Twin Cities and in St. Cloud. Bachman's, still family-owned after 125 years, will celebrate its milestone with an 125th Anniversary Birthday Bash from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors can pick up a free tomato plant (limited to the first 500 customers each day), register for door prizes, buy discounted vegetables and herbs and, of course, have a piece of birthday cake. There's also a free May Day basket-making workshop for kids. History buffs can head to the flagship Lyndale store to look at displays detailing the company's local history. Events will be held at the seven metro-area garden centers. Go to www.bachmans.com for locations.
Way to Grow Vote for your school, and it could receive up to $2,500 for gardening and science projects. The Lands' End "Way to Grow" sweepstakes will donate funds to the 15 schools with the most votes. Parents and teachers can vote at www.landsend.com/thehub through May 14.
And, to encourage students to pick up a trowel, Lands' End will mail a packet of organic Russian mammoth sunflower seeds with Lands' End Kids online purchases. (Seed packets also are available at Lands' End shops in Twin Cities Sears stores and Lands' End Inlets.)
