Feb. 3-26: Author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson was inspired to write "Almost to Freedom" after visiting a museum in New Mexico and seeing dolls made of scrap cloth that had been found in a hideout along the underground railroad. In this stage adaptation by Minneapolis playwright Kim Hines, the slave girl Lindy brings her beloved rag doll with her as she flees brutal conditions on a cotton plantation and escapes to the north with her mother. SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria Street N., St. Paul; $14-$11; 651-225-9265.
Puppets / Woodland Puppets
Feb. 4: It's puppet love at the library! Longtime puppeteer Wayne Krefting and Woodland Puppets puts on a Valentine themed show with handmade puppets like Solly Salamander, Felix Mouse, and Lady Lydia. 11:15 a.m.; Central Library, 90 W. 4th St., St. Paul; free; 651-266-7034.
Art / Free First Saturday at the Walker
Feb. 4: Walker Art Center's monthly free family day is devoted to winter pursuits. Decorate your own sled with artists or make one out of cardboard and plastic. Stop by the FlatPak House to warm up and learn how bees survive winter. Or, roam the galleries, free every first Saturday. If there isn't enough snow to sled, activities might be modified. Call for updates. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; free; 612-375-7600.
Puppets / Puppet Show Dog S.O.S.
Feb. 4 Remember the dog stranded a couple years ago on an ice floe in the Baltic Sea who was rescued by a Polish seaman? His story loosely inspires this week's puppet show Dog S.O.S., about a Mexican dog whose "hairy disposition" sends him north in search of cooler weather. Hey, we're not sure what the show is about either, but Saturday morning puppet shows at Heart of the Beast never fail to surprise and delight. 10 a.m. and noon performances; 11 a.m. family puppet making workshop. In The Heart Of The Beast Puppet And Mask Theatre, 1500 E. Lake St., Mpls.; show $4; workshop $5 adult, $3 child; 612-721-2535.
Event / Winter Carnival HiJinx: A Blizzard of Building - Ice Palaces
Feb. 4-5: Historic pictures of the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice palaces include six designed by the nation's first African-American municipal architect, Clarence "Cap" Wigington, who also designed dozens of buildings in St. Paul. Visitors can build their own palace with Mylar, tin foil, foam, Styrofoam cups, tubes, straws and other materials. Noon-4 p.m.; Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $10-$5, ages younger than 5 free; 651-259-3000.
Outdoors / Winterskate
Through Feb. 5: Take a twirl on the artificially chilled outdoor rink nestled alongside the Landmark Center. At dusk it's surrounded by the white lights of the trees in Rice Park. Open skate hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday (closes 4 p.m. Jan. 1). Landmark Plaza, next to Rice Park at the corner of West Fifth and Market streets, downtown St. Paul; free admission; $2 skate rental, rental free with Wells Fargo check card or credit card; 651-228-1664 or wellsfargowinterskate.com.
Nature / Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota Open House
Feb. 5: One of the busiest animal hospitals in the nation opens its doors for a rare open house Sunday. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota takes care of more than 8,000 sick, orphaned or injured animals every year, including swans with gunshot wounds, woodchucks with parasites, orphaned baby squirrels and raccoons with broken legs. During the open house, you won't see any of the animal patients, but you can pick up a stuffed animal at the admissions desk to take through the rehabilitation process, plus see the medical equipment, ask questions of staff, look at parasites through microscopes and more. The event coincides with an open house next door at Harriet Alexander Nature Center where families can explore Chinese Year of the Dragon crafts, displays and games and learn about such "real" dragons as dragonflies, bearded dragons and Komodo dragons. Noon-4 p.m., Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, 2530 Dale St. N., Roseville; free; 651-486-9453.
Event / Chinese Lantern Carnival
Feb. 5: Chinese New Year celebrations wrap up with a traditional lantern festival in downtown St. Paul. Organizers will give away 500 paper lanterns for a parade winding toward Mears Park where people will hang the lanterns to make a dragon shape for the Year of the Dragon. Inside entertainment includes dance and music performances, food for sale, crafts and children's games. 6-9 p.m.; the Great Hall, 180 East Fifth St., St. Paul; free; panasianartsalliance.org.
Theater / And a Child Shall Lead
Feb. 9-16: During World War II, Germany created a camp called Terezin or Theresienstadt just outside of Prague as a way-station for Czech Jews on their way to the death camps. Playwright Michael Slade uses actual poems and stories from some of the 15,000 Jewish children who passed through Terezin to create what is ultimately a hopeful drama, "And a Child Shall Lead," about children who secretly attended school, wrote for an underground newspaper, created music and art and tried to find hope and beauty amid the death that surrounded them. Eight teenage actors from Youth Performance Company will perform the work, first staged in 2006. Recommended for grade 4 and up. Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, 1900 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.; $12-$10; 612-623-9080.
Theater / The Dragons Are Singing Tonight
Through Feb. 12: Verses from Jack Prelutsky's book "The Dragons are Singing Tonight" provide lyrics for a new musical about an ordinary boy, a magical girl and a nasty, nasty dragon. Several years ago, composer Laurie MacGregor scored Prelutsky's poems for children's voices. TigerLion Arts expanded the 16 songs into a full production with actors, 30 vocalists from the Minnesota Boychoir, three aerialists from Circus Juventas, puppets from Puppet Farm Arts and a dozen musicians. Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls.; $30-$20; 612-343-3390.
Theater / Llama Llama Red Pajama
Through Feb. 12: If you're a parent trying to get a child to sleep, it feels like a tragedy as your evening is consumed by howls from the nursery, tucking in for the 10th time and last-minute negotiations for a glass of water. Stages Theatre wisely opts for comedy in its hourlong adaptation of Anna Dewdney's book, which introduces six mama and baby llama pairs, each with their own bedtime rituals and challenges. Dewdney will visit the Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul, at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 28. She'll sign books after the Jan. 29 4:30 p.m. performance at Stages and at 10 a.m. Feb. 7 at Mall of America, Interstate 494 and Cedar Avenue, Bloomington. Stages Theatre, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $15-$12; 952-979-1111.
Exhibit / Model trains and night trains
Through Feb. 26: Electric trains zip through a miniature Minneapolis. You'll spot the old depot, the Stone Arch Bridge and tiny street scenes decorated with snow. On Saturday evenings overhead lights dim for Night Trains, when the O scale layout is lighted by tiny glowing street lamps and a Christmas train outlined in LEDs. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Additional layouts in the "Toy Train Division" are open weekend hours only. Night Trains, 6-9 p.m. Saturdays only through Feb. 26. Twin City Model Railroad Museum, Bandana Square, 1021 Bandana Blvd. E., St. Paul; $6 regular admission (Night Trains $8, $25 for families), free for children under 5; 651-647-9628.
Nature / Tiny Treasures: Fairies & Gnomes
Through March 4: Not all fairies are hibernating. "Tiny Treasures: Fairies & Gnomes" showcases miniature landscapes and fairy gardens created by Tonkadale Greenhouse and tiny terrariums planted by staff at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. They're just the thing to charm kids and indoor gardeners while the ground is still frozen. Fairy story times are 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekends. Visitors also will enjoy the exhibit of botanical artwork and weekend children's activities about prehistoric plants. Grounds open 8 a.m.-sunset, buildings open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily; Oswald Visitor Center, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska; $9, ages younger than 15 free on Thursdays; 952-443-1400.
-- Compiled by Maja Beckstrom
