This Week in Geek (7/31/17–8/6/17)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, July 31st through Sunday, August 6th.

Harry Potter’s Birthday Party at Minneapolis Tattoo

What: Books, Community
When: Monday, July 31st at 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Tattoo Shop

Celebrate the Boy Who Lived on his birthday by getting a Harry Potter tattoo from Minneapolis Tattoo Shop. This will be a walk-in and first come, first served event, and the available designs are posted on the event page.

Movies in the Parks: Space Jam

What: Movies
When: Monday, July 31st at 9:00 p.m.
Where: Logan Park

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is presenting movies in various parks throughout the city over the course of the summer, and one showing this week is Space Jam. Dive deep into the world of the 1990s in this sci-fi-themed Looney Tunes/NBA mashup that has to be seen to believed. See the full schedule for all Minneapolis Movies in the Parks here.

Books & Bars: Wintering

What: Books
When: Tuesday, August 1st at 6:15 p.m.
Where: Amsterdam Bar and Hall

Books and Bars is an “open public book club show” hosted and moderated by Minnesota Public Radio senior producer Jeff Kamin that provides attendees with “a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food, and social lubrication.” The book being read and discussed this month is Wintering, and author Peter Geye will be at the club in person.

9 Nights of Music

What: Music
When: Tuesday, August 1st at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Minnesota History Center

Hear some catchy tunes and learn how to dance while experiencing the tapestry of Twin Cities culture at 9 Nights of Music. This weekly event begins with dance instruction before leading to musical performances. This week’s performers are Dan Chouinard and Friends with Maria Jette.

YogaQuest Continues: X-Men: Days of Future Past

What: Sports & Fitness
When: Tuesday, August 1st at 7:00 p.m.
Where: YQdio

Come and experience YogaQuest, a blend of yoga and fanfiction storytelling led by certified yoga instructors. Experience a yoga workout experience and a story at the same time. This Week’s Theme is X-Men: Days of Future Past.

PLAY/TEST

What: Gaming, Educational
When: Thursday, August 3rd at 5:00 p.m.
Where: GlitchHQ

PLAY/TEST is a monthly series hosted by tech nonprofit Glitch that offers the “opportunity to play works-in-progress, debug recent builds, test out new concepts, and connect with community.” At PLAY/TEST, attendees will find “alphas, betas, and even paper prototypes of games made by students and local game developers.” Creators, players, and game lovers of all skill levels are welcome.

Crafty Geek/Make it Sew

What: Crafting, Meetup
When: Thursday, August 3rd at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon

The Geek Partnership Society’s Crafty Geek club and its subclub Make It Sew meet Thursday evenings at the Waterbury Center and invite you to “bring your crafty stuff to do” or to “hang out and work with the crafty stuff we have here!”

Evenings at the Bakken: Science of Brewing

What: Educational, Science & Technology, Food & Drink
When: Thursday, August 3rd at 5:30 p.m.
Where: The Bakken Museum

Do you enjoy the occasional kombucha or beer? Do you want to learn more about the fascinating process behind these delicious concoctions? Then come to the Bakken on Thursday for a a variety of demonstrations from local faves like Bauhaus Brew Labs, Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Boom Island Brewing Company, Tin Whiskers Brewing Company, Prohibition Kombucha, and Five Watt Coffee. Tickets are $15, or $20 for a tasting-pass punch card. This is a 21-plus event.

Weekly Comics Chat

What: Meetup, Comics
When: Thursday, August 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Kitty Cat Klub

The Girls-Only Comic Club hosts a Weekly Comics Chat on Thursday nights at the Kitty Cat Klub, where there will be “Coffee! Comics! Waffles! Talking!” Additional information about this event is posted on the Girls Only Comic Club’s Facebook group. Individuals interested in attending are encouraged to join.

Minnesota Fringe Festival

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Thursday, August 3rd–Sunday, August 13th
Where: Various Venues

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is 11 days packed with plays, all 60 minutes or less, held at a variety of spaces throughout the Twin Cities. This year’s inventive offerings include Waiting for Gygax, Buffy the Bedbud Slayer, The Tragedy of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wellstone: A Minnesotan Musical, and many, many more. See the full listing of shows here, or view by schedule here.

One-Shot Comics: O Human Star, Vol. 2

What: Comics, Meetup
When: Thursday, August 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Moon Palace Books

One-Shot Comics (formerly known as the Beer + Comics book club) meets monthly at Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis to discuss a selected comic or graphic novel. August’s pick is O Human Star, VOL. 2.

Trivia Against Humanity

What: Trivia
When: Thursday, August 3rd at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Clockwerks Brewing

This regular event at Clockweks Brewing represents the convergence of two geeky favorites: a steampunk-themed bar and absurd trivia. The event is hosted by Sam Spadino and Sidney Oxborough.

Friday Night Magic

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Friday, August 4th at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Mischief Toy Store

Mischief Toy Store in St. Paul invites you to experience some Magic with them this Friday night. Entry is $5; all players will receive prizes. This weekly event is limited to 24 players and typically lasts until about 9:00 p.m. All skill levels are welcome.

Minnesota Herpetological Society Meeting

What: Science and Tech, Educational, Meetup
When: Friday, August 4th at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Minnesota Herpetological Society

This herpetological spectacular is broken into two segments: a social time with adoptable animals and a talk by Ian Bessell (a self-described “herpaholic”) on a life focused on the care of reptiles and other animals.

FSA BattleTech Tabletop

What: Gaming
When: Friday, August 4th at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Fallout Shelter Arcade

Come on down for an evening of tactical mech combat. The United Geeks of Gaming meet Friday nights for a beginner-friendly session of the tabletop mech game BattleTech at Fallout Shelter Arcade in Northeast. FSA’s Virtual World gaming pods also run the immersive video-game version of BattleTech.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live in Minneapolis

What: Movies,
When: Friday, August 4th at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Where: State Theatre

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back, and some of the cast and crew are coming to Minneapolis live shows riffing on two films: Eegah will be the target for the 7:00 p.m. show, and the 10:00 p.m. show is a mystery. Series creator Joel Hodgson and new host Jonah Ray will be joined on stage by their robot pals. (For our interview with new head writer Elliot Kalan, click here.)

Level Up! Yoga

What: Sports & Fitness
When: Saturday, August 5th at 8:30 a.m.
Where: YQdio

Put your yoga experience to use and level up to dive deeper into familiar poses, and even learn new feats (poses). There is a $15 charge for this advanced class.

Cars for Kids

What: Family, Gaming, Food & Drink
When: Saturday, August 5th at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Auto Vault

This fun event for local kids will have prize bags for the first 100 attendees, rides in Supercars, a bounce house, mobile arcades, food trucks, games, and more. The event is free.

MN PokéCon

What: Convention
When: Saturday, August 5th at 10:00 a.m.–Sunday, August 6th at 8:00 p.m.
Where: DoubleTree Park Place

This Pokémon fan convention in St. Louis Park features gaming, cosplay, music, a dealer room, and more. Special guests include Jason Paige, singer of the original English Pokémon theme song, and Stuart Zagnit, the voice of Professor Oak.

Ollivander’s Wand Shop

What: Books, Family
When: Saturday, August 5th at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Sixth Chamber Used Books

This all-ages event is a chance to celebrate all things Harry Potter during his birthday week. Attendees have a chance to meet with an Ollivander lookalike who will help test their compatibility with a variety of wands.

United Geeks of Gaming Open Gaming

What: Gaming
When: Satuday, August 5th at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Event Horizon

The Geek Partnership Society’s United Geeks of Gaming group offers its Open Gaming session on the first Saturday of every month, to which gamers of all ages and abilities are invited in order to “spend the day hanging out with fellow geeks playing, learning, and teaching games.” Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite board games, card games, and/or role-playing games, but the groups has amassed an impressive library of its own games as well.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

What: Sports & Fitness, Meetup
When: Saturday, August 5th at 10:00 a.m.
Where: YQdio

Another event held at the YogaQuest YQdio this week is Saturday Morning Cartoons, which features “classic (and not-so-classic) Saturday morning cartoons, plus yoga, plus the stupidest cereals in existence!” The yoga practice will consist of “some gentle wake-me-up vinyasa followed by a session of stretchy, restorative yoga, all set to cartoons, and wrapped up with a bowl of delicious technicolor goodness.”

Gaming for Good

What: Gaming, Community
When: Saturday, August 5th at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Lodestone Coffee and Games

Game for a good cause with Lodestone Coffee and Games’ 24-hour board-game marathon. All donations and 20 percent of sales during this event will benefit the Trevor Project, an organization that helps LGBTQ youth with crisis intervention and suicide prevention. Open gaming will be going on all 24 hours, and there will be themed events throughout the day, including family games, intermediate games, board-game bingo (with prizes), and an RPG breakfast in the morning.

Clockwerks Brewing Art with Henry Walton and DWITT

What: Arts, Music
When: Saturday, August 5th starting at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Clockwerks Brewing

Clockwerks is hosting an art show featuring the work of Minneapolis poster artist and muralist DWITT and retro lighting/steampunk artist Henry Walton of Industrial Steamworks Designs. There will be music in the evening from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. performed by Actual Cash and Anna Eltringham, but the show and sale will be going on throughout the day.

International Sailor Moon Day

What: Community, Arts
When: Saturday, August 5th at 1:00 p.m.
Where: Minnehaha Park

Celebrate International Sailor Moon Day with cosplayers and other fans for this picnic adventure. The event will be a potluck, so bring a dish to share. Cosplay is encouraged but by no means necessary, and there will be a variety of activities, including tiara frisbee and Sailor Moon coloring.

Shieldmaiden Sundays

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Sunday, August 6th at 12:00 p.m.
Where: The Source Comics and Games

Shieldmaiden Sundays is a new dedicated space for female nerds and geeks at Source. This will be a recurring weekly event providing a space for women to play games, chat about comics, cosplay, or just enjoy the company of other geeks.

Test Run

What: Gaming, Community, Food & Drink
When: Sunday, August 6th at 5:30 p.m.
Where: TPT Twin Cities PBS

Celebrate the achievements of participants in Glitch‘s immersion program, in which participants are embedded within digital game companies, with this reception.This event will allow you to see the capstone projects created by a number of individual cohorts, and play game demos hands-on. Light refreshments will be available.

So, which of these events will you be attending? What events would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us via email. And don’t forget to add your events to the Twin Cities Geek Community Calendar!