Mill City fundraiser tix

The Mill City Farmers Market is preparing for its annual Harvest Social, a fundraiser to support its mission and educational programming. Tickets are on sale now for the event, to be held 1-4 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Mill City Museum Train Shed, 750 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis. As always, there will be live music, cocktails, a harvest brunch prepared by market chefs, and silent and live auctions. Tickets range from $150 for a single admission to $5,000 for a table for 10. RSVP by Aug. 25 by visiting millcityfarmersmarket.org.

Chefs dish on resto marketing

This year's Charlie Awards, which honor the Twin Cities' restaurant industry, don't happen until Nov. 15, but they're drumming up anticipation with a "hot topics" discussion on Aug. 25 at the Foreign Legion and Soo Line Building Lobby, 105 S. 5th St. in Minneapolis. Panelists will discuss "Marketing a Successful Restaurant" and are to include Tim Alevizos, Intercom Agency; Amol Dixit, Hot Indian Foods; Cynthia Gerdes, Hell's Kitchen and Angel Food Bakery; JJ Haywood, Pizza Lucé; Gavin Kaysen, Spoon and Stable, and Eric Yusefzadeh, Open Table. The free and public event is from 5-7:30 p.m. with the discussion beginning at 6. Complimentary food is provided by Brasserie Zentral. RSVP to charliesexceptionale@gmail.com.

Bacon seeks a home run

A national event producer is bringing a pairing dear to many hearts to Target Field on Sept. 12. The Bacon and Beer Classic is hosted inside baseball parks and stadiums across the country, the idea being that they're "where one's nostalgia of baseball meets their love for bacon and beer." Attendees get 3-ounce samples of a huge selection of craft brews and samples of bacon-based foods at local restaurants' booths. Music, games, cooking demos and beer schools round out the event. The sessions are from 1-4 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. Tickets range from $49 to $89. To buy, visit baconandbeerclassic.com.

Spam tour comes home to Austin

And hearkening back to the days when Spam didn't mean e-mail clutter, the first Spamerican Tour will stop in Austin, Minn., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 22 during the Austin Artworks Festival. The truck will provide free samples of dishes such as coconut Spam spears with pineapple chutney, Spam musubi and Spam fries. Already, its crew has (according to a release) cooked up more than 7,967 iconic little blue cans of SPAM. Bet they break 8,000 on Saturday.

A weekend of fun with Eat for Equity

Raise money, build community and eat well. That's the premise of the third annual Wild Springs Festival fundraiser for Eat for Equity on Aug. 22-23 at Lily Springs Farm in Osceola, Wis. The festival includes music, locally sourced home-cooked meals and various activities (canoeing, yoga, discussions and more) and the option of overnight camping. All are covered in the ticket price (kids under 12 free, $40 for Saturday only, $75 for the weekend, $50 each with a group of four or more). Tickets are available from lilyspringsfarm.com. Eat for Equity builds a culture of generosity through sustainable community feasts that benefit various nonprofit organizations. The festival is held from 2 p.m. Saturday through noon Sunday at 1930 60th Av., Osceola, Wis. Questions can be directed to Emilie Hitch, 612-544-5844.

STAFF REPORTS