🎃 Halloweekend events

Friday, October 30

Good morning, Twin Cities! Tiffany here. This caught my eye: TriLingua Cinema is hosting Hmonglloween tonight, a collection of short films by Hmong filmmakers. Love seeing all the cool stuff coming out of this new microcinema! Read on for more Halloweeny stuff to do. ➡️

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Today’s Must-Know

A giant skeletal pupper with wings and green eyes.

Our fav time of year: The Barebones Halloween Extravaganza. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities)

This is Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

Don’t you love a true Halloweekend? There’s plenty of time to recover from trick-or-treating, dancing the night away, or a candy coma. Let’s get into the horrific highlights.

For the kids: Start the day at First Ave’s 11 a.m. dance party. In the afternoon, St. Paul skyways will host trick-or-treating for the first time ever. Take a stroll down The Raptor Center walking path during Owl-o-Ween. For a traditional door-to-door experience, check out Palace Avenue between Albert Street and Hamline Avenue. The sheer number of animatronics and blow-ups will leave you screaming with joy (or fear).
For the partiers: No better time to dance in a warehouse. Head to Fowling Warehouse for a night of costumes and house music. The next day, Hook and Ladder Theater hosts Festival de las Calaveras with live music and lucha libre.
Something special: Dress in Renaissance attire to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), accompanied by a live orchestra. The owners of a Northeast bike shop saved the historic John Cook house from demolition. This weekend, you can pay them a visit for Victorian Halloween. Could it be a real haunted house? Only one way to find out.

Your bright side is showing.

Fall in Illinois is eye-opening. And we’re not just talking about the kaleidoscopic colors that paint the landscapes from Galena to the Garden of the Gods and every breathtaking outlook in between. It’s just the right time to discover fresh exhibits in Chicago’s world-class museums. Slow things down in charming small towns. And feast on the farm-to-table bounty. The show’s about to begin in the Middle of Everything.

What the Cities Are Talking About

Action! MPR News has a BTS of Nicolas Cage’s new film “Parish,” set in Stillwater. Reporter Alex V. Cipolle writes the movie is proof that Minnesota can attract Hollywood money and filmmakers. An expanded tax credit could sweeten the deal even more. Directors: I’d make a great background extra! [MPR News]

‘Where were the PACs for us?’ Sahan Journal has a profile on Baddies 4 Progress, a political action committee mobilizing young voters on progressive issues. Founders Arshia Hussain and Yusra Mohamud campaigned for state Sen. Omar Fateh during his Minneapolis mayoral run. They recently co-produced a live show featuring Fateh, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and streamer Hasan Piker. [Sahan Journal]

A woman wearing a black trenchcoat stands in front of a podium and mic. Behind her stand three people listening.

Mayor Kaohly Her gives an update on carsharing in St. Paul. Behind her, from left to right: Rep. Katie Jones, Rep. Meg Luger-Nikolai, and former HOURCAR employee Noah Velick. (Screenshot via City of St. Paul)

Hope for carshare: Policymakers are hoping to revive Evie Carshare, after the nonprofit HOURCAR ended operations due to a $625,000 shortfall. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her announced Thursday that the city is committing $300,000 toward finding a new operator. The city retrieved about 200 of the electric cars after HOURCAR shut down. [KSTP / MinnPost]

Chatbots in class: Racket’s Jay Boller recently explored how K-12 classrooms are using AI and other tech. His sources describe a “populist groundswell against turning students into guinea pigs for AI products.” Coincidentally, the University of Minnesota released a report that finds generative AI can be deeply disruptive to learning, especially for elementary students. [Racket / U of M]