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MUSEUM / BEST DAYS OF THE BAKKEN
July 23-26: The Bakken Museum explains electricity in the lovely setting of a 1930s mansion, and admission is free this weekend in conjunction with the Minneapolis Aquatennial. Make confetti jump to re-create Benjamin Franklin's experiments with static electricity. Watch Frankenstein come to life in a dark room. Learn how electricity came to Minnesota with one of the first hydroelectric power plants in the nation. Kid inventors will be on hand July 23 to display their creations. Xcel Energy hosts energy conservation displays July 24. And on July 25, visiting scientists from 3M will run hands-on experiments. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 3537 Zenith Ave. So., Mpls.; free; 612-926-3878 or thebakken.org.
MOVIES / LAUREL AND HARDY PARTY
July 24: Prairie Home Companion sound effects man Tom Keith provides the soundtrack for a screening of Laurel and Hardy silent shorts from the 1920s. Catch the comedic duo in "Two Tars," "From Soup to Nuts," "You're Darn Tootin' " and "Liberty," in which escaped prisoners Laurel and Hardy swap trousers and gags atop a skyscraper under construction. Organ master Mike Grandchamp will pull out all the stops on the Fitzgerald's Mighty Wurlitzer. Plus free bowler hats, popcorn and an intermission show of modern slapstick with Jon Ferguson. 7 p.m.; The Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange
EVENT / ST. CROIX RIVER DAY
July 24: Interstate State Park on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border is home to spectacular potholes and basalt cliffs carved by glaciers. Free activities this weekend make the drive even more worthwhile. Paddle a 24-foot voyageurs canoe with members of Wilderness Inquiry. Watch scuba diving demonstrations by members of the National Park Service Dive Team. Borrow a pole and fish from shore, learn to identify fish and fresh water mussels, tour the potholes or go geocaching with a borrowed GPS unit. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Interstate State Park (south end), 307 Milltown Road at U.S. 8, Taylors Falls; $5 parking permit; 651-465-6523 or 651-296-6157, mndnr.gov.
MUSIC / TWIN CITIES COMMUNITY GOSPEL CHOIR
July 25: The Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir will revive your soul. Now in its tenth year, this community choir pulls together professional and amateur singers of all ages and races to sing African-American religious music, from spirituals to contemporary gospel tunes. Director Sandy Robinson Hodges leads this outdoor concert. 6:30 p.m.; Caponi Art Park, 1220 Diffley Road, Eagan; $4 suggested donation; 651-454-9412 or caponiartpark.org.
MUSIC / RING OF KERRY
July 27: Ring of Kerry, a five-piece group from St. Cloud, will play a concert of traditional Irish music for the "9 Nights of Music" series on the terrace of the Minnesota History Center. Using the trill of the penny whistle and the heartbeat of the bodhrán drum, these musicians coax out the full emotional range of Celtic music, from haunting to joyful. 6:30-8 p.m.; Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; free; 651-259-3000 or ringofkerry.us.
THEATER / THE STINKY CHEESE MAN
Through Aug. 1: When a little old man and a little old woman want a child, they make one — out of cheese! Add olives for eyes, a strip of bacon for the mouth, bake for an hour and you have a stinky friend for life. SteppingStone Theatre commissioned local playwright Kent Stephens to create a musical in 1998 based on Jon Scieszka's popular children's book, and now the production is back onstage. Gary Rue, who wrote the score, will be in town opening night, playing music in the lobby 45 minutes before the show. There will also be trays of cheese for audience members to nibble, and yes, some of it will be stinky. Through Aug. 1; SteppingStone Theatre, 55 N. Victoria St., St. Paul; $11-$9; 651-225-9265 or steppingstonetheatre.org.
THEATER / WILLY WONKA
Through Aug. 1: Stages Theatre Company opens "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka," adapted from Dahl's children's book and featuring music from the 1971 movie staring Gene Wilder. Young and impoverished Charlie Bucket finds the fifth and last golden ticket in a bar of chocolate, earning him a spot on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious candy factory. After the four other children on the tour ignore Wonka's rules and meet bad ends, Charlie is offered a future as Wonka's successor. See website for performance schedule; Stages Theatre, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $15-$12; 952-979-1111 or stagestheatre.org.
NATURE / BLOOMING BUTTERFLIES
Through Sept. 6: Returning to Como Zoo for the third and final summer, the temporary exhibit Blooming Butterflies allows visitors to see species from Africa, Asia and the Americas in all stages of life, from caterpillar to adult butterfly. The zoo will receive shipments of as many as 6,400 pupae throughout the summer and will release about 300 butterflies every week. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul; free; 651-487-8200 or comozooconservatory.org.
RIDES / COMO TOWN
Through Sept. 6: Spin into spring on the Tilt-A-Whirl, the new attraction at Como Town. The retro ride joins the Screamin' Dragon roller coaster, bumper cars and other rides at the amusement park. There's also a new splash zone where kids can get soaked with jets, fountains and water buckets. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Labor Day; Como Town, 1301 Midway Pkwy., St. Paul; most rides between $4 and $1.50, unlimited ride wristbands $18.30; 651-487-2121 or comotown.com.
EXHIBIT / THE BEATLES!
Through Sept. 12: Forty-five years ago this summer, the Beatles played their one and only concert in Minnesota. To mark the anniversary, the Minnesota History Center opens an exhibit of photographs taken during the Fab Four's visit by Bill Carlson, a local photographer who was 17 at the time and managed to get press credentials through his part-time job at a photography studio. Carlson captured fans awaiting the band at the airport, the concert at Metropolitan Stadium and intimate and relaxed shots of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Many of the images appeared in Carlson's 2007 book, "The Beatles! A One-Night Stand in the Heartland," but a few have never been displayed. Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; free; 651-259-3000 or mnhs.org.
EXHIBIT / WIZARD OF OZ
Through Sept. 12: The Minnesota Children's Museum opens an exhibit based on "The Wizard of Oz." Kids can slide down a rainbow and climb through miniature movie sets, including the Munchkin houses, the Witches Castle and the Emerald City. They'll see ruby slippers, stir up a tornado and meet the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man. But they will not meet witches. The Miami Children's Museum, which created the exhibit with a licensing agreement from Warner Bros., decided the witchy sisters were too scary for wee ones. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Minnesota Children's Museum, 10 West Seventh Street, St. Paul; $8.95; 651-225-6000 or mcm.org.
NATURE / POWERHOUSE PLANTS
Through Oct. 4: The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's summer exhibit is built around the idea of plants as fuel for our bodies, the planet and our imagination. Demonstration gardens showcase the favorite crops (and recipes) of local chefs, tips for squeezing veggies into small back yards and designs for mixing edibles with flowers and shrubs. Check out displays on bio-fuels and stroll through five educational art installations, including an interactive sundial, sculptures made from straw and a treasure hunt. Grounds open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. or sunset; Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska; $9 (free under 15); 952-443-1400 or www.arboretum.umn.edu.
RIDES / CAFESJIAN'S CAROUSEL
Through October: Cafesjian's Carousel, the 68-horse amusement ride that graced the Minnesota State Fair for 75 years, opens for the season in Como Park, marking its 10th anniversary in its latest home. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed Mondays except for special holidays and several summer free days; 1245 Midway Parkway, Como Park, St. Paul; $1.50; ourfaircarousel.org.
HISTORY EXHIBIT / MINNESOTA'S GREATEST GENERATION
Ongoing: The Minnesota History Center exhibit uses recorded interviews, photographs, film footage and hundreds of artifacts to document the experiences of an entire generation, from childhood in the 1920s through World War II and into the present. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday; Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17, free for children ages 5 and younger. 651-259-3000 or mnhs.org.
FILM / FREE FAMILY FLICKS
Ongoing: The Theatres at Mall of America shows free family flicks every Saturday at 10 a.m. Arrive early to get a seat. See theatresmoa.com to find out what's showing.
NATURE / BIRDING
Ongoing: See songbirds up close and watch experts band birds as part of an ongoing effort to help scientists learn more about bird migrations and habits. All ages welcome. Carpenter Nature Center has been capturing, banding and releasing birds for 26 years. 9 a.m.-noon every fourth Friday of the month, Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center, 12805 St. Croix Trail, Hastings; free; please call ahead to let them know you're coming; 651-437-4359 or CarpenterNatureCenter.org.
