The Tour de Tonka is an annual bike ride through in August through the west metro. It started in 2006 with 816 riders and has grown to nearly 3,500 people who eagerly anticipate it every year. There are several rides, including The Family Ride (16 miles), The Road Trip (42 miles) and Tonka Century (100) […]

Minnetonka Summer Fest is an annual celebration of all things Minnetonka that is held in June in Civic Center Park. It's a time for neighbors to get together and enjoy the best of their city. During the festival, there is live music as entertainment. For the younger set, there is a bouncy castle, a petting […]

The Big Red Barn Sale is an arts event in May and it's hosted by the Maplewood Area Historical Society at the Bruentrup Heritage Farm. There is, indeed, a big red barn and it's filled with exciting things to see and do. There will be dozens of different vendors displaying their wares. There will be […]

Dairy Day Ice Cream Social is an event put on by the Maplewood Area Historical Society in June to celebrate dairy month, which is, yes, June. It's held at the Bruentrup Heritage Farm and if you want to learn about all things dairy, this is the event to attend. There will be exhibits; you can […]

Rib Fest is an event in June hosted by Borchert's Meat Market and it's a great way for the members of the community to gather and visit with their neighbors. They will be serving pork baby back ribs hot off the grill--and I do mean hot--until supplies run out. The ribs are coated in their […]

Holiday Lights on York Ave, also known as the Schultz Family Lights, aka the Christmas Show is put on by the Schultz family every Christmas on, yes, York Avenue. They put on a display that is highlighted every night for a month. They fill their yard with plastic Santas, other Christmas characters, and roughly 90,000 […]

The Lexington-Hamline Annual Ice Cream Social has been an annual event in July for nearly 50 years. It's a time for the members of the community to come together around a common cause--tasty ice cream. With the current situation, the event is more a 'we'll bring it to you' situation with volunteers driving around the […]

There is a long history of the Lex-Ham Spaghetti Dinner annual event as a way to bring the community together. In 2021 because of the pandemic, it's been rebranded as the Lex-Ham Pasta Party and is online. It is hosted by the Lexington-Hamline Community Council in March and everyone is encouraged to make/buy pasta and […]

The Anoka Food Truck Festival is an annual event that happens in July in Historic Downtown Anoka. What could be better than sampling foods from a bunch of different food trucks with various kinds of food including Indian, Japanese, local food, and much more. There are also other trucks such as a shoe shine truck […]

The annual Sidewalk Sale happens every July and is a way to gather the community in a fun fashion, so to speak. Many of the local merchants are involved and it's a way to gab with your neighbors while also finding some hidden treasures to take home with you.

The Anoka Riverfest & Craft Fair was dreamed up in 1998 and officially named the Anoka Riverfest in 1999 in honor of the Rum River and the Mississippi River and where they intersect. It has grown to be a highly-anticipated event every year that celebrates the artistic endeavors of local crafters. There are activities for […]

Anoka is known as the Halloween Capital of the World because it is known to have thrown the first public Halloween celebrations in America is 1920. Anoka Halloween is a nonprofit dedicated to making the celebration joyous and fun for everyone every year. The festivities have included the Grande Day parade, house decorating contests, costume […]