This Week in Geek (10/7/19–10/13/19)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, October 7, to Sunday, October 13.

Dark Out: Memory: The Origins of Alien

What: Movies
When: Monday, October 7, through Thursday, October 10; various times
Where: St. Anthony Main Theatre

Dark Out, a film series at the St. Anthony Main Theatre, will “remind you why sometimes it’s good to be afraid of the dark” with late night screenings of contemporary movies and cult classics. This week’s film is Memory: The Origins of Alien, a documentary exploration of Ridley Scott’s horror film Alien. A full list of showings is available at the St. Anthony Main Theatre’s website.

Twin Cities Monday Night Backgammon

What: Gaming
When: Monday, October 7, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Richfield American Legion

Enjoy a night of backgammon with two tournaments. Entry to this event is $5, and this is a great chance for both pros and newcomers to learn this classic game of strategy.

Creative Night

What: Arts, Community
When: Monday, October 7, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

This event invites participants to let their creativity shine with drawing, painting, crafting, or whatever their hearts desire at Creative Night, a weekly event put on by Crafty Geek and the Geek Partnership Society. Meet at the Waterbury Building at 6:30 and carpool or walk to see creativity in action.

Halloween Double Feature: Spoon River and The Works of Edgar Allan Poe

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Monday, October 7, through Sunday, October 13; starting at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Harriet Alexander Nature Center

A chill descends on the land, and the world grows darker in preparation for winter. Step into this twilight of the year with a night of frightening one-act plays. Mosaic Productions presents these adapted one acts, which will be performed in the beautiful Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville. Tickets have a base price of $12, though one could optionally spend more.

Pokémon Go Trainer Tuesdays at Parkway Pizza

What: Gaming, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, October 8, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Parkway Pizza

A trainer strives to catch them all, and gain prowess and respect. This weekly event at Parkway Pizza is an opportunity to catch fun drink and food specials, meet other aspiring trainers, and square off against worthy opponents to win status and power. You can and will win, even if winning may just mean having a good time meeting other pocket-monster fans.

Books & Bars: Locke & Key Vol. 1 & 2

What: Books, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, October 8, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Moon Palace Books

Books & 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 books being read and discussed this month are the first two volumes of Locke & Key, written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. This comic-book series follows the Locke family as they return to their father’s childhood home, the Keyhouse, after his brutal murder. But all is not normal in this house, and the children soon find themselves wrapped up in magic and horror.

Book Launch: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic

What: Books
When: Wednesday, October 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Dreamhaven Books and Comics

Join award-winning author Catherine Lundoff for the launch of her newest book, Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic, a collection of 12 short stories featuring a mix of horror, dark fantasy, and weirdness. This event is free and light snacks will be provided. Books will be available for purchase.

Life as We *Don’t* Know It: A Petri Dish Conversation

What: Science & Tech, Food & Drink
When: Wednesday, October 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Urban Growler Brewing Co.

Petri Dish is a series of conversations about biology’s effects on our lives and futures with University of Minnesota experts hosted by UMN’s College of Biological Sciences. This month’s conversation explores artificial cell creation, its applications to medicine and other fields, and how it might provide clues to life on other planets. Tickets are $6 and include light appetizers. A cash bar will have drinks available for purchase.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Movie Party

What: Movies
When: Wednesday, October 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Twin Cities

Cheer, boo, quote, and sing along to your favorite movies at the Alamo Drafthouses’s Movie Parties, a series of film screenings that encourage fans to interact not only with the featured film, but also with each other and provided props. This week’s screening is the extremely quotable and iconic comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, along with sword and coconut-clomping props so you can join in on the knightly battles and horse gags. This screening is 18+, but younger fans can join the party with a parent or guardian.

Mystic Dawn/Amtgard: Park Days

What: Gaming, Sports & Fitness
When: Wednesday, October 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Oak Grove Park

Amtgard, a global organization focused on the sport of medieval-fantasy combat, will be hosting a gathering in Oak Grove Park. Participants can take part in glorious quests, battle, and more, all with the use of foam weapons for the sake of safety. Garb is encouraged, but not required, and loaner weapons are available. This is a free-to-play event, but long-term players are expected to support the organization with $6 or $10 dues.

TC Trek Trivia

What: Trivia
When: Wednesday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Driftwood Char Bar

Hosted by Master Trekkie, TC Trek Trivia consists of five rounds: General Trek (questions covering all things Star Trek); Identify the Image; Ships, Technology, and Cultures; Complete the Quote; and a “Wild Card” round. Questions for each of these five rounds are drawn from all Star Trek-television series and all 12 films. According to Master Trekkie himself, TC Trek Trivia is “all ages, no cover, food, drinks, and a whole lot of Trek!”

Haunted Basement

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Thursday, October 10, through Thursday, October 31; various times
Where: Rosedale Shopping Center

The Haunted Basement conjures up psychological horror, artist-created environments, and immersive performances in the 14th terrifying season of their legendary haunted attraction. Brave thrill seekers can embark on their traditional, full-contact experience, or go in solo with an Invocation ticket for maximum frights. The Haunted Basement also offers no-touch, low-intensity, and “fraidy cat” tours to accommodate attendees’ individual needs and spook preferences, and teen 15+ tours that require a parent or guardian. Tickets are $15–$30 and all attendees must bring an ID and sign a waiver. A full list of showtimes and an FAQ on what to expect can be found on the Haunted Basement website.

A Special Evening with Ola Larsmo (Walking Tour + Reading)

What: Books, Educational
When: Thursday, October 10, at 4:30 p.m.
Where: East Side Freedom Library

Join Swedish author Ola Larsmo and the East Side Freedom Library on a historic walking tour of the Swede Hollow neighborhood, the main setting of Larmo’s award-winning and extensively researched novel Swede Hollow about Swedish immigrants living on St. Paul’s east side. The tour will be followed by an author reading and signing session. This event is free, and attendees can come for both the tour and the reading, or just the reading at 6:00 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.

Crafty Geek/Make It Sew

What: Arts, Meetup
When: Thursday, October 10, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

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

Goblin Performs Dario Argento’s Deep Red/Profondo Rosso

What: Music
When: Thursday, October 10, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Fitzgerald Theater

Italian prog-rock group Goblin, known for creating the soundtracks to horror director Dario Argento’s films Profondo Rosso and Suspiria, is coming to the Fitz in downtown St. Paul. The band will perform the live score to Profondo Rosso, followed by a set of “classic Goblin material.”

New Game+

What: Music, Gaming
When: Thursday, October 10, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge

New Game+ is a night of video-game music hosted by Gamer’s Rhapsody, featuring renditions of fan-favorite game soundtracks from the Super Marcato Bros., Do a Barrel Roll!, and The Bards Quartet. In addition to music, there will also be games available to play and additional activities. Tickets start at $13, and a portion of all sales go to support the historic venue.

Fall 2019 St. Paul Art Crawl

What: Arts
When: Friday, October 11, through Sunday, October 13; starting at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Various, see below

The St. Paul Art Crawl is a bi-annual, city-wide event where artists open their studios and invite the public in to view the wide variety of artwork being created in the city. The Fall 2019 event features over 350 artists across 34 locations. The Art Crawl is free, but attendees are encouraged to support artists and the community by buying the art they love. Explore the website for a list of artists, detailed map, schedule, art preview catalog, and free transit passes.

Joker’s Wild: A Batman Parody

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Friday, October 11, through Saturday, October 19; at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Minnsky Theater

When the Joker doses Arkham’s most notorious residents with a hyper-specific, love-inducing gas and releases them for some Halloween fun, the Caped Crusader gets some unexpected attention in this comedic Batman parody. Presented by Wicked Wenches Cabaret, this show features the award-winning cabaret, burlesque, comedy, and circus performance that put them on the map. Bat-fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters and snap pics in their photo booth. Tickets start at $20 and is for the 18+ crowd only.

Tsuinishi Anime Club

What: Movies
When: Friday, October 11, at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

Anime Twin Cities has joined forces with the Geek Partnership Society “to bring a little bit of fun to you on the second and fourth Fridays of each month with this cosponsored anime club.” The group will show various anime movies and series.

ToshoCon 2019

What: Conventions
When: Saturday, October 12, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Arlington Hills Community Center

ToshoCon is a free one-day convention focused on cosplay, anime, and manga held at Arlington Hills Community Center. This event will feature a cosplay contest, movie and manga lounges, Japanese snacks and tea, geeky crafts, gaming, art, and more.

Twin Cities Book Festival

What: Books
When: Saturday, October 12, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Minnesota State Fairgrounds

The 19th-annual Twin Cities Book Festival is upon us! Book geeks rejoice for this showcase of all things literary, with local publishers, local talent, great guest speakers, and above all, BOOKS! Admission and parking are free, as are Metro Transit rides to the fairgrounds. This is a great opportunity to see intimate conversations with special guests like Aarti Namdev Shahani, David Shields, Douglas Kearney, and many more. See the website for a complete schedule.

The Purple Ones 4: A Prince-Inspired Fashion Show

What: Arts, Nightlife, Food & Drink
When: Saturday, October 12, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: LUSH

Come on down to LUSH for the fourth-annual fashion show fundraising event “The Purple Ones.” Local fashion designers will be on display, showing their creations inspired by songs from Minnesota’s only legitimate royalty, the late Prince. LUSH will be decked out in purple, playing Prince tunes, and serving up Prince-inspired cocktails. Tickets start at $15 and benefit the community radio station KFAI. Stick around after the show for the Prince After Party Dance.

Zombie Pub Crawl

What: Music, Arts, Nightlife
When: Saturday, October 12, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Northeast Minneapolis

The undead horde descends on Minneapolis for an evening of zombies, music, beer, and more. The Zombie Pub Crawl is an annual event celebrating all things zombie, with musical acts including Zedd, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Borgore, and Lil Tecca. Enjoy costume contests, pro wrestling, carnival rides, games, and more. Tickets are $33 for general admission, or $150 for a Very Important Zombie Package. Your ticket is redeemable for a wristband, which you will need to take part in the event.

Shieldmaiden Sunday

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Sunday, October 13, at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Source Comics & Games

Shieldmaiden Sundays are a dedicated space for female nerds and geeks at Source Comics & Games. This is a recurring weekly event providing a space for women to play games, chat about comics, cosplay, or just enjoy the company of other geeks. See the calendar for more events!

Opus & Olives

What: Books, Nightlife
When: Sunday, October 13, at 5:00 p.m.
Where: St. Paul RiverCentre

Opus & Olives is a night celebrating the written word and raising funds to benefit communities through the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library’s and Pioneer Press’s literacy program. There will be an author meet and greet, cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, and presentations from guest authors. Kate Mulgrew will emcee the event, joined by Mark Bowden, Jennifer Chiaverini, Maaza Mengiste, and Chris Pavone. Tickets start at $150.

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!