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Family Fun Planner: Sample old time music, dance at Walker's Free First Saturday

Wild Goose Chase Cloggers

ART / FREE FIRST SATURDAY AT WALKER ART CENTER

July 3: Old time music and dance get an airing at this month's Free First Saturday. Pert' Near Sandstone will perform standards like "Liza Jane" and "Old Henry" with hard driving banjo, fiddle, bass and guitar. Rhythm will be provided by the Twin Cities-based Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, a group of 13 dancers dedicated to traditional Appalachian clogging. Stick around for an all-ages dance workshop. Or go for the quieter pursuit of the collaborative drawing club for families led by local artists. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (free gallery admission until 5 p.m.); Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; free; 612-375-7600 or walkerart.org.

HOLIDAY / FOUR FOR THE FOURTH

It's your patriotic duty to get out and do something with the family this weekend. Here are four ideas:

1. Fort Snelling: Costumed soldiers will fire a real cannon at 1 and 4 p.m. as part of annual Independence Day celebrations at the fort. Celebrate as if you lived in the 1820s, with speeches, skits, a dress parade, fife and drum music and games for children. Bring a picnic to enjoy on the historic grounds or head to the pavilions and grills at nearby Fort Snelling State Park. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 200 Tower Ave. at Minnesota 5 and 55; $10-$5, ages 5 and younger free; 612-726-1171 or

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2. Minnesota History Center: Spend the Fourth with one of the Founding Fathers. Sunday is the last day to enjoy the exhibit "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World." See an original of the 1776 "Pennsylvania Constitution," a model for the U.S. Constitution, with notes in Franklin's hand. Then, explore Franklin's career as an inventor, printer and public figure in more than 40 hands-on displays, including electrical experiments and an 18th-century printing press. You can also make your own kite (just don't tie a key to it and head outside during a lightning storm). Noon-5 p.m.; 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; $10-$5, ages 5 and younger free; 651-259-3000 or minnesotahistorycenter.org.

3. Taste of Minnesota: Taste of Minnesota has added a family zone filled with a lineup of kid-friendly entertainment and activities. The Okee Dokee Brothers will play tunes from their new album, "Take It Outside." You can also catch the Bunny Clogs with Adam Levy, storytellers, circus acts, magic shows, raptor demonstrations and performances of Irish dance and ballet. Actors/brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans will stop by to read their children's book, "Sneaker Madness." If you want more action, head to the arts and crafts tents or join NBA players at shooting games in three courts as part of the touring NBA Nation. And, of course, there will be food for sale. Lots of it. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Monday; Taste of Minnesota, Harriet Island, St. Paul; $20 online or at the gate before 4 p.m., $30 after 4 p.m.; ages 12 and younger, seniors (65 plus) and veterans free; tasteofmn.com/family.

4. Minnesota Zoo: The Minnesota Zoo is offering free admission through Sunday for active, retired and civilian military personnel. But the zoo is also a great bet for any family in search of holiday entertainment, especially if you can spend the whole day there. Walk or ride the monorail along the three-quarter-mile Northern Trail and spot gray wolves, amur tigers, gazelles, caribou and more. Find young goats, pigs, cattle and other livestock at a re-creation of a Minnesota farm. Head indoors for the new "New Faces of Africa" exhibit, along with dolphin and bird shows. Through Sunday, military family members also get in for half-price, and there are military discounts on parking, food, monorail rides and IMAX tickets. 9 a.m.-6 p.m; 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; $16-$10 (parking, $5); 952-431-9500 or mnzoo.org.

MUSIC / INTERNATIONAL REGGAE ALL-STARS

July 6: Head to the Minnesota History Center for the latest offering in the popular 9 Nights of Music International music series. The International Reggae All-Stars, led by smooth-voiced Lynval Jackson, will fill the terrace with peace, love and global harmony, performing such Bob Marley favorites as "No Woman, Don't Cry" and "Turn Your Lights Down Low." Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Pack a picnic or buy food from the Café Minnesota terrace grill. Dancing encouraged. 6:30-8 p.m.; Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; free (includes gallery admission after 5 p.m.); 651-259-3000 or 800-657-3773.

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. Stages is also offering its own version of a golden ticket promotion at 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. on June 29 at Mall of America when it will give away chocolate bars with a free child's ticket to the show. Fifteen chocolate bars will also contain a pair of season tickets for next year. 7 p.m.; 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 / 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. Every weekend in June features drop-in twig trellis workshops for families, free with admission. 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.

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