This Week in Geek (9/28/20–10/4/20)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, September 28, to Sunday, October 4.

Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in following current health guidelines recommending both social distancing and limited travel, this column will exclusively share virtual and drive-through events. During this time we will be including local, national, and international events, as well as separating them into weekly and daily categories. As time goes on and guidelines change, in-person events may be reintroduced.

One-Time and Weekly Events

Virtual Family Story Time

What: Books, Family
When: Monday, September 28, at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Library story time is live in your home with the Ramsey County Library. Expect story-time staples like colorful picture books, toy props, and large easels for learning fun. Videos of the streams are availwable for 24 hours, so you can watch it when it works best for your schedule, and have the opportunity to hit repeat on family favorites. Check the Ramsey County Library page for other virtual events as well.

Facebook Live: Minnesota Night Skies in October

What: Science & Tech, Educational
When: Monday, September 28, at 4:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook Live

The Bell Museum will be hosting this Facebook Live event focused on the wonders of October nights in the great state of Minnesota. Planetarium educators will be present on Facebook Live to answer your questions regarding the starry night (including four planets and hundreds of stars which will be visible in October).

Wizard World Virtual Experiences

What: Convention
When: Tuesday, September 29, through Saturday, October 3; various times
Where: Virtual via Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube

If you’re getting stir-crazy, and want to connect with fandoms, Wizard World’s Virtual Experiences may be able to help bring some of the convention experience to the comfort of your home. Check the website for details regarding particular events, but know that they include a free Q&A livestream and additional options for paid experiences. This week, there are events for fans of Batman, Borderlands, and more.

University of Minnesota Visiting Writers Series: Curtis Sittenfeld

What: Books
When: Tuesday, September 29, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Every fall, the University of Minnesota hosts a series of free readings and talks from award-winning writers, poets, and graphic novelists. This week features Curtis Sittenfeld in conversation with Professor Julie Schumacher. Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of six novels: Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, Eligible, and, in spring 2020, Rodham.

Merlins Rest Pub Quiz

What: Trivia
When: Wednesday, September 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Merlins Rest will be presenting its weekly pub quiz via Facebook! Get ready to quiz and have some fun with pals from the safety of your own home.

Election Basics Webinar

What: Educational
When: Thursday, October 1, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

The United States is facing a critical election in mere weeks. Get ready to vote and make sure that it counts with this webinar. Register via Zoom and then come on in to learn about voting, absentee ballots, and more.

West 7th Trivia Night

What: Educational, Trivia
When: Thursday, October 1, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Are you a hyper-local history geek? Are your friends? This is your night to show up via Zoom and prove it for a chance at winning a trophy! Sign up as a team of five, or solo (and you’ll get placed on a team needing people), and get ready to answer St. Paul and West 7th Street trivia. Tickets are $10 for individuals and $50 for teams, proceeds going toward the West 7th Street/Fort Road Federation.

Flip the Script Online Fest 2020

What: Movies
When: Friday, October 2, through Saturday, October 3
Where: Virtual via Eventive

Screen feature films, shorts, music videos, documentaries, and more, all focused on telling queer stories with Flip the Script Fest. Flip the Script Fest is a Minneapolis-based film festival that focuses on queer stories, with the goal of avoiding the stereotypes prevalent in other media. The films will be available online for 48 hours. Check the website to find films for you and to purchase tickets.

Creature Feature Online!

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Friday, October 2, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via YouTube

Fall 2020 is pretty intense as is, so why not throw in some additional spookiness with an improvised monster movie! HUGE Theater will be presenting a live, improvised monster movie via YouTube every Friday through October. Tickets are $10, but flexible-payment options are available.

Atlas Obscura: Dino 101—Science Raps with Tom McFadden

What: Science & Tech, Nightlife
When: Friday, October 2, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Dino 101 is an interactive, socially distanced party for adult dinosaur fans and science stans. This event series is hosted by Dustin Growick from the YouTube channel The Dinosaur Show and features weekly trivia, drawing, scavenger hunts, and games. This week raps its way through a fossil dig, bringing to mind dino-themed hip-hop acts like Jurassic 5. Tickets are $7.

Minnesota Renaissance Festival on Parade

What: Family, Food & Drink, Trivia, Music
When: Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4
Where: Minnesota Renaissance Festival Grounds

Come and enjoy the food, featured artisans, and entertainment of the Renaissance Festival from the relative safety of your horseless carriage. In this drive-through event, attendees will pay $20 per vehicle and be able to enjoy a 2.5-mile drive through the fest, with tasty treats, free fun, games, and activities including in-vehicle games like trivia, Festival Find it, and a Carriage Costume Contest along the way. So, come get your turkey leg and help support the local vendors and artists of the Renaissance Festival.

GalaxyCon Live

What: Community, Conventions
When: Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4; various times
Where: Virtual via video chat

GalaxyCon, a convention for fans of various genre properties will be returning to live virtual events throughout the summer. These events are a great way to bring the convention experience home with panels, chats, autographs, virtual shout-outs, and more. Check the website for full details and pricing information, but this week includes events for fans of Star Trek, Invader Zim, Once Upon a Time, and more.

Theatre 55 Radio Plays: Night Tide

What: Comedy & Theater
When: Saturday, October 3, at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Enjoy live old-school radio plays from the comfort of Zoom with Theatre 55’s fall radio-play series. The fall season will focus on the case files of a detective Phillip Marlowe. Expect radio plays from the 1940s with a 55+ year-old cast, supported by live music. This week, enjoy Night Tide, a tale of secrets and death along the waterfront.

Drink & Draw—Costumed Model Drawing

What: Arts
When: Saturday, October 3, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Gallery Girls is a Los Angeles-based event organizer popular for their themed-drawing nights, often featuring models in fantasy, comic-book, and science-fiction costumes. Now, due to the pandemic, they’ve shifted to online sessions that can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere. Each session is $10 and offers a mix of posing times. Artists of all levels are encouraged to dress up (if they like), grab a drink, and share their work on social media. This week’s theme is “Hula Girl,” with Anna Huckabay.

Black-Eyed Snakes

What: Music
When: Saturday, October 3, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Crowdcast

The Hook and Ladder will be hosting a virtual concert by the Black-Eyed Snakes, Duluth’s genre-bending electric-blues band. This event will be presented by Summit Brewing, KFAI, City Pages, and the Beer Dabbler. Music Geeks who are unfamiliar with the Black-Eyed Snakes may be more familiar with Alan Sparhawk’s other projects, such as LOW and Retribution Gospel Choir. Tickets are $21.

Virtual Dungeons & Dragons for Teens

What: Gaming
When: Sunday, October 4, at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Teens are invited to take part in a weekly Zoom-based D&D session put on by the Ramsey County Library. This is a free event intended for teens, and preregistration with an email address is required in order to receive an invite to the Zoom meeting. This is a great opportunity for young gaming geeks to make new friends and stretch their imaginations during the quarantine. The event currently appears to be full, but there is a wait-list feature for interested parties.

Daily Events

MSP Film Society Virtual Cinema

What: Movies
When: Daily, various times
Where: Virtual via video stream

The MSP Film Society is continuing to make independent films available to the community while theaters are closed and under reduced occupancy through their virtual cinema. Check out their website for full details, including current and upcoming films, as well as ticket pricing.

Kidz Bop Daily Dance Break

What: Family, Music
When: Weekdays, at 2:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via YouTube

Get your little ones moving with Kidz Bop’s daily dance break. Every weekday, they’ll be livestreaming a different dance-along video to help kids stay active and burn off some energy.

Met Opera Streams

What: Theater & Comedy, Music
When: Daily, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via video stream

Even though the Metropolitan Opera in New York has gone dark in these challenging times, the show will go on. “Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website.” Check the website for this week’s schedule. Streams will be available for a full 23 hours and can also be accessed through the Met Opera On Demand apps.

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!