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Guide To 2017 Labor Day Weekend Events In Minnesota

By Linda Cameron

Plenty of Labor Day weekend events will be coming to your city. Sports, concerts, the annual state fair and theatrical productions make for a busy weekend. While preparing for that final cookout as you shutter your summer home, take time out for cultural appreciation and community festivities. Also, pick up a sports schedule and give a shout to your favorite Minnesota team.

The Minnesota Show with Garrison Keillor 
Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
1265 Snelling Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55108
(651) 288-4400
www.mnstatefair.org
Date: Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 at  7:45 p.m.

The voice of Minnesota and former host of A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor makes a landmark appearance at this year's Minnesota State Fair. His iconic variety show reached homes nationwide. Many regard him as a contemporary Mark Twain. Those who have heard Keillor read passages from his acclaimed novel, Lake Wobegon Days, have been galvanized by his gentle droning monologue. Folksy and worldly in the tradition of 20th century American humorist Will Rogers, Keillor will hold audience with folks at the Grandstand.

Bonnie Raitt At Bluestem Amphitheater
Bluestern Amphitheater
801 50th Ave. S.W.
Moorhead, MN 56560
(866) 300-8300
www.bluestemamphitheater.org
Date: Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 at 7 p.m.

A social activist and Rock And Roll Hall of famer, Bonnie Raitt is an accomplished band and solo artist. A versatile musician, Raitt has created musical wonders on her acoustic guitar. Her vocal style - gritty, strong, sweet and seductive - projects artistic conviction. She can sing the blues without dissolving into sentimentality. A veteran performer, Raitt has songwriting credits and is a multiple Grammy Award winner. Her upcoming concert will feature some of her recent works. Hopefully, she will treat the audience to a much earlier signature hit, Have A Heart from the 1989 award winning album, Nick Of Time.

WWE Live
Mayo Civic Center Arena
30 Civic Center Drive S.E.
Rochester, MN 55904
(507) 328-2222
www.mayociviccenter.com
Date: Sept. 4, 2017 at 7 p.m.

If the baseball season seems ho hum or humdrum, for a sporting change of pace attend a world wrestling event at the Mayo Civic Center Arena. Live wrestling matches are spectacular. On Labor Day, superstar world wrestling champions will grapple for your attention. Anyone in the arena or audience who has sore muscles can receive treatment at the nearby Mayo Clinic.

Related: Best Labor Day Events In Minnesota

GSTA Muscle Car Shootout And Labor Day Motorbike Race Training
Brainerd International Raceway And Resort
5523 Birchdale Road
Brainerd, MN 56401
(218) 824-RACE
www.brainerdraceway.com
Date: Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 through Monday, Sept. 4, 2017

For summer thrill seekers who love car racing, the three-day GSTA Muscle Car Shootout heats up the summer wrap-up. Drag racing is a perennial activity at BIR. At the muscle car competition, drivers burn rubber as they stoke their skill at the wheel. Only a championship car racer can appreciate the adrenalin rushing sport. If motorcycle racing is more your style, you can rev up your motorbike skills on Labor Day with the Zalusky Advanced Riding School. This on-wheels training day preps you for the 2.5-mile BIR road race.

Aventurera 
State Theatre
805 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(800) 982-2787
www.hennepintheatretrust.org
Date: Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017 at 6 p.m.

One might be tempted to draw parallels between this operetta and George Bizet's Carmen. Both musicals feature Spanish heroines and are commemorated for memorable arias and choreography. At this point, commonalities diverge. The plots are as different as the odysseys and outcomes of their leading characters. In Aventurera, an upper class young woman falls prey to sinister underworld forces after her parents' tragic marital breakup. With no life skills or financial resources, she employs steely determination to recoup self respect and  social position. The longest running musical from Mexico, Aventurera is a Spanish language performance. But language has never been a barrier to international acclaim. The musical was first produced in 1950 as a film.

Related: Best Operas In Minnesota

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