“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” -Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland).
My mother has a magnet on her fridge that reads, “Remember, as far as everyone knows, we are a Nice Normal Family!” It makes me smirk every time I see it, because I feel that every family can relate. Life with family is crazy, some would even call it MAD! So, how perfect is a family outing that dives into the rabbit hole and finds itself in Old Town’s Mad Hatter Flash Sale Weekend?
Now that I’m a mom, my “weekend warrior” ways have shifted,.. a lot! Getting everyone and everything out the door in a timely fashion could seriously be a sitcom! I get half my workout running back in and out from the car, up and down the stairs, back out to the car, then, “Whoops, hold on! I gotta grab one more thing,” and repeat, which will more than likely be the case Saturday morning. It’s OK though, because Old Town really does such a nice job in creating events for the entire family.
Sidewalk Madness!
Friday and Saturday, take a leisurely stroll down Riverfront and find many businesses participating in the sale.
Arizona’s Olive Oil is fresh on my mind because I just used their “Butter Olive Oil” while grilling sweet potatoes over Memorial Weekend. One member of my household is dairy free, another is gluten free, and one doesn’t like peppers, but this olive oil has no butter involved and those sweet potatoes were fantastic! High fives all around as everyone belonged to the Clean Plate Club!
Friday and Saturday, take a leisurely stroll down Riverfront and find many businesses participating in the sale.
There’s a Mad Hatter theme at The Hub from 11-2 pm (Curiosity-Tea House if it rains). Food trucks and Put a Record On with Alice in Wonderland behind the record table. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an appearance by The White Rabbit and The Mad Hatter too! Jefferson Airplane, anyone? For some reason the song “I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a rabbit and a hat with a bat…” comes to mind. Still fits, right?
I am also exceptionally excited about the Huge Vintage Clothing Pop Up Shop happening outside The Coffee Hag from 9 am-4 pm. I absolutely love wandering through vintage clothing and shops with coffee! They will have hundreds of clothing items ranging from the 50s to the 90s. The clothing comes from a couple who has been collecting and selling vintage clothing all over the world. Previously, you had to set up an appointment to get in and shop with them! This is the first time they’re allowing the general public to purchase select items! A very un-merry birthday to us!
Music Of Course!
Oh! What’s the hatter with me? There is so much more going on this weekend. Let’s backtrack. On Friday evening there is
- The 410 Pride Community Art Exhibit
- The Makers Space has sketch night.
- Midtown Tavern has Bachata Lessons & Open Dance. (I had to look this up, but the basics to the Bachata are a three-step with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a tap including a hip movement on the 4th beat. When I dip, you dip, we dip, am I right?)
- Busters is hosting the End of School Bash with cover band Neon Live
- At the Wine Cafe, The Amy Manette Jazz Band (5pm) and later on, Kaleb Braun-Schulz.
Alongside all the Mad Hatter craziness on Saturday, there is one person who is playing a maddening amount of music in one day and that is Peter Klug. You can catch him twice: First with The Watermelon Slush at Music in the Plaza at 6 pm and then later on at the American Bar with Just Mirlyn.
And so, Mankato, “You’re entirely bonkers, but I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are!”
Finally, a moment to relax with Movie in the Park at Erlandson Park showing Despicable Me 3. A nice way to end the day with the Nice Normal Family, for sure!
But wait, there’s more (and who said Mankato was boring)? Join Bent River Outfitters on their Full Moon Float and howl at the moon! The last time I went on the Full Moon Float I was almost 8 months pregnant and it was crazy awesome, inspiring, beautiful and do-able.
And so, Mankato, “You’re entirely bonkers, but I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are!”
