This Week in Geek (12/23/19–12/29/19)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, December 23, to Sunday, December 29.

Winter Break Camps

What: Family, Educational, Science & Technology
When: Monday, December 23, through Friday, January 3; all events at 9:00 a.m.; see posting for additional details
Where: The Works Museum

This is a great chance for kids to keep learning through the holiday break, with a focus on various types of engineering. Kids can learn about chemical reactions, learn collaboratively, build Lego skyscrapers, and more, all in the name of fun and learning. There are a variety of different learning events offered, so check the event posting for details on individual events. This event is intended for kids ages 5–10, and most events run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Learning doesn’t have to stop because of winter break, but who says it can’t be fun?

The Danger Committee Presents: It’s A Wonderful Knife

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Monday, December 23, through Saturday, January 4; various showings
Where: Minnsky Theatre

The Danger Committee present a night of holiday-themed comedy full of sharp knives and sharp wit. Expect a mix of juggling, comedy, and holiday mirth. This event is returning for its ninth year. Tickets run from $35–50, and there is a variety of showtimes.

Twin Cities Monday Night Backgammon

What: Gaming
When: Monday, December 23, 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, December 23, 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.

Fighting GameWorks

What: Gaming
When: Tuesday, December 24, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: GameWorks Esports—Mall of America

Bring your own controller, your own mettle, and your own skill for a night of fighting games at GameWorks’s Mall of America location. The organizers will have a bunch of monitors available for attendees to bring their own consoles, and a variety of games on demand including classics like Super Smash Bros. and Mortal Kombat 11. This is a free event. There’s a limited supply of controllers for rental.

Inventory Reduction Sale

What: Books
When: Thursday, December 26, through Wednesday, January 1; at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Uncle Hugo’s Science-Fiction Bookstore & Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore

Say goodbye to 2019 by helping a local literary institution clear up some inventory. Find a new favorite book, or rediscover an old classic on the shelves of this well-stocked repository of science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery books. Expect deep discounts throughout the store. Uncle Hugo’s has an excellent selection, whether you are a fan of paperback pulp novels, classics, or newer works.

Crafty Geek/Make It Sew

What: Arts, Meetup
When: Thursday, December 26, 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!”

Nutcracker Noir: A Sensual Cirque Ballet

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Friday, December 27, through Saturday, January 4; various times
Where: Minnsky Theater

This 18+ event updates the classic The Nutcracker story with ballet, hip hop, modern dance, fire, sideshow, and more in the Cirque tradition. Set 10 years after the the events of the original, Clara is all grown up in this version of the tale, and must embark on a journey of self discovery. Tickets run from $20–40.

Gremlins

What: Movies
When: Friday, December 27, though Sunday, December 29; various times
Where: The Trylon

Gremlins is a very strange product of the 1980s. A horror comedy with practical effects, a cute little creature, plucky heroes, a sleepy little town, big laughs, and some bizarre tone shifts (going from Looney-Tunes-esque ultraviolence to a truly disturbing tale told by one of the leads). This film has to be seen to believed, and led to the even stranger Gremlins 2: The New Batch. This is a holiday film about rules, a horror film, and a comedy. Tickets are $8.

It’s an Honorable Life: A Star Trek-Fan Production

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Friday, December 27, and Saturday, December 28; at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Historic Mounds Theatre

This year, the Historic Mounds Theatre has a brand new Klingon holiday production for Star Trek fans. It’s an Honorable Life features a blend of holiday classics through the perspective of a great Klingon warrior afraid to die outside of battle from old age. The show is presented in Klingon with English subtitles. General admission tickets are $18 in advance, and VIP tickets are $35.

Tsuinishi Anime Club

What: Movies
When: Friday, December 27, 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.

F**k 2019

What: Comedy & Theater
When: Friday, December 27, at 10:00 p.m.
Where: Bryant Lake Bowl Theater

Give 2019 the sendoff it deserves with a night of irreverent comedy from Vilification Tennis. Shoot a flaming arrow into this dumpster of a year as you send it off on an ice floe. This show will give the year the comedic eulogy that it has earned. Tickets are $12 ($13.59 after a service fee is applied).

Weekly Comics Chat

What: Meetup, Comics
When: Saturday, December 28, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Midtown Global Market

The Girls Only Comic Club hosts a Weekly Comics Chat on Saturday afternoons where there will be shared opinions, drinks, and fries for comics fans. Additional information about this event is posted on the Girls Only Comic Club’s Facebook group. Individuals interested in attending are encouraged to join.

Transvestite Soup Presents: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

What: Film, Theater & Comedy
When: Saturday, December 28, at 11:55 p.m.
Where: Uptown Theatre

At 11:55 p.m. on the last Saturday of every month, the Uptown Theatre screens The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the “longest-running midnight movie of all time.” Transvestite Soup is the Twin Cities’s shadow cast for the showings, performing for your pleasure as part of the cult classic’s well-established tradition.

Shieldmaiden Sunday

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Sunday, December 29, 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!

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!