This Week in Geek (3/16/2020–3/22/2020)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, March 16, to Sunday, March 22.

Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Tim Walz has declared a state of Peacetime Emergency. Governor Walz recommended canceling events with more than 250 people, social distancing (six feet from others in small gatherings), and limiting nonessential travel. Please be mindful of the risks when attending events, and note that some of the events described below may still be canceled after publication of this column. Ultimately, it’s up to you to use good judgment to keep yourself and vulnerable populations safe. As time goes on, streaming and other remote options for events may be put in place.

Twin Cities Monday Night Backgammon

What: Gaming
When: Monday, March 16, at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Mainstreet Bar & Grill (Hopkins)

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 which has informed game design for centuries. It’s also a great chance to meet new folks.

Geek Partnership Society Figure-Drawing Salon

What: Arts, Educational
When: Monday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

The Geek Partnership Society’s Arts Initiative hosts a figure-drawing salon at the Waterbury Building on the third Monday of each month. For a $5 fee, attendees can participate in a three-hour drawing session that “will include short, medium, and long poses, which allow artists to engage with the subject in varying ways” and that “will use a combination of nude and costumed models to support and foster fantasy and science-fiction art.” The goal of hosting this event is to “cultivate a community of artists to share ideas, support each other, and create.”

Café Scientifique

What: Educational, Science & Technology
When: Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl

Café Scientifique—presented by the Bell Museum of Natural History—is “a happy hour exchange of ideas about science, environment, and popular culture, featuring experts from a variety of fields on diverse and often provocative topics. This month’s topic is “Everyone Poops. Everyone Wastes: Seasonal Variations of the Wastewater Microbiome,” which promises to be fascinating. Tickets are $6–15, online or at the door. (Note: The Bryant-Lake Bowl has been canceling most of its upcoming shows. The venue does not appear to have announced anything on this show yet, but watch the Facebook page.)

Pokémon GO Trainer Tuesdays at Parkway Pizza

What: Gaming, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 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.

Terror Tuesday: Leprechaun

What: Movies
When: Tuesday, March 17, at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Twin Cities

Terror Tuesday, a horror-screening series at the Alamo Drafthouse Twin Cities, seeks to liven up weeknights with blood-pumping terror. This week’s screening is the cult classic and holiday appropriate Leprechaun, in which a quippy monster with god-like powers seeks revenge and mayhem. Tickets are $6, and as always, the Alamo Drafthouse has a variety of food and drink available to enjoy with the film.

GothiCoffee

What: Meetup
When: Wednesday, March 18, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Spyhouse Coffee (Hennepin)

The Twin Cities Elysium Society hosts a casual meetup on the third Wednesday of each month. This group is a “community and a resource for all manner of goth, not-goth, darksider, freak, punk, metal, steam, cyber, rivet, Victorian, romantic, grufti, espeluznante, emo, otaku, morbidly inclined, dark creative, what-have-you (you know who you are).”

Pundamonium: The Minneapolis Pun Slam

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Wednesday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Club Underground

Pundamonium is a pun slam, a contest of wordplay with 10 contestants, each given two minutes to make puns based on prompts they are given ahead of time. The audience acts as judge, and this process repeats throughout the night until a final pun-off. This night of groans and laughs is $10.

Crafty Geek/Make It Sew

What: Arts, Meetup
When: Thursday, March 19, 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!”

2 Fast 2 Shakespeare: Hamlet

What: Comedy & Theater
When: Friday, March 20, at 10:00 p.m.
Where: Bryant Lake Bowl

Fast! Drunk! Shakespeare! The “2 Fast 2 Shakespeare” series brings you the works of the Bard in a way you may have always needed: quickly and with alcohol. Expect drinking games and a run time of just about an hour. Tickets run from $10–18 on a sliding scale. This performance is put on by Slap Happy Studios. (Note: The Bryant-Lake Bowl has been canceling most of its upcoming shows. The venue does not appear to have announced anything on this show yet, but watch the Facebook page.)

Double Dare Challenge

What: Family, Gaming, Sports & Fitness
When: Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.; continuing weekends through April 11
Where: Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America

Live out a Nickelodeon dream at the Mall of America at the Double Dare Challenge, based on the popular TV-game show. Take on physical challenges, answer trivia, dive onto the obstacle course, and, best of all, get slimed. This recurring event is free and has weekend showtimes at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. during their Spring Break season.

Geek Partnership Society’s United Geeks of Gaming Open Gaming

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Saturday, March 21, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

GPS’s UGG group offers its open-gaming session, to which gamers of all ages and abilities are invited 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 role-playing games, but the group has amassed an impressive library of its own games as well.

Weekly Comics Chat

What: Comics, Meetup
When: Saturday, March 21, 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.

Hot Comics Live Comedy Night!

What: Comedy & Theater
When: Saturday, March 21, at 9:00 p.m.
Where: Hot Comics and Collectibles (New Hope)

Are you a comedy loving nerd? Then come on down and check out a great night of comedy, held at a long-time local-nerd hot spot There’s a $5 cover at the door, and comics including Will Spottedbear, Ms Shannan and Dan Bublitz.

Shieldmaiden Sunday

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Sunday, March 22, 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!