Currently, the Midtown Farmer's Market will match the first $5 spent with EBT and give you an extra $5 to spend at the market. The offer is good every week the market is running this summer - as they point out, that's an extra $40 in free fruits and vegetables every month.

If you are shopping with EBT, visit the Market's booth to buy tokens with your EBT card, and then the tokens can be spent at the market.

Spend Food Stamps at Midtown Farmer's Market And Get $5 Free Produce originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 23:25:07.

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The Twin Cities have a thriving hand made ice cream industry, with Grand Olde Creamery, Sebastian Joe's, Izzys, Crema, and Pumphouse Creamery in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Ring Mountain Creamery Cafe in Eagan. So even if your nutritionist would be vexed at the thought of ice cream being good for you, who can argue with it as a treat?

If you can't make it to one of the Twin Cities' ice cream parlors on Sunday, try again on Thursday July 29. Izzy's Ice Cream turns 10 and will be celebrating at their St. Paul store with free mini ice creams, $1 mini waffle treats, giveaways and raffles.

National Ice Cream Month originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 23:12:49.

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Bastille Day events start on Saturday July 10 with the Alliance Francaise's annual Bastille Day celebration at the University Club of St. Paul.

And then several events are planned for the following weekend.

The French are famous for their style, so it's appropriate that the chic fashion and homewares stores at Selby and Snelling in St. Paul invite you to come by for some French goodies and prizes.

French Restaurant Barbette is having a block party with live music and a flea market, and British Pub Brit's is also celebrating the day with festivities on their bowling green.

Here's the details on these events, plus where you can get a free baguette on Bastille Day in Minneapolis.

Bastille Day Events in Minneapolis and St. Paul originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 23:30:46.

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The success of 365 Things to do in the Twin Cities on Facebook spawned rival Facebook entity 365 Things to Avoid in the Twin Cities.  Become a fan for not-quite-daily updates on the most germ-ridden mall play area, the most threatening office buildings, the most heinous stretches of freeway, the most awkward patio to eat ice cream on, and the worst restrooms described in lurid and hilarious terms of revulsion. And if you need another reason to follow 365 Thing to Avoid in the Twin Cities, this week they sent one of their fans a dozen cans of SPAM. Here's their Facebook page.

365 Things to do (or not do) in the Twin Cities originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 00:47:08.

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I took two toddlers to the splash pad at Kelley Park in Apple Valley today to bounce around in the water and climb all over the playground. You know that kids have played to exhaustion when one of them falls asleep the moment you drive off, and the other is silent for the whole half-hour ride home. A fun-filled morning and a peaceful car ride home - splash pads are a hit for me!

Here's where to find free splash pads around the Twin Cities.

In St. Louis Park, the Oak Hill Splash Pad has a rainbow of sprinklers, bubblers and water jets. This is the closest splash pad  to Minneapolis.

Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville has a plaza with collection of spraying fountains.

Kelley Park in Apple Valley has a cool collection of water sprayers, sprinklers and fountains, and a large dry play area right next to the water for double the fun. The layout also makes it easier for parents to keep an eye on their kids.

Done all the free splash pads? For an admission charge, many water parks in the Twin Cities have splash pads as one of their amenities, and the Minnesota Zoo has a new splash pad too.

Free Splash Pad Water Parks Near Minneapolis originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 01:25:39.

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The proposed plan for high speed rail involves upgrading existing track for faster trains, and building short sections of new track. The journey would be reduced to just over five hours one way. The train would serve Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and the Twin Cities. La Crosse, WI, and Rochester, are also potential stops on the line.

But where in the Twin Cities? St. Paul is the most convenient of the cities, being on the same side of the Metro as the incoming trains. And downtown St. Paul will have a direct light rail connection to downtown Minneapolis in 2014. Having a station in Minneapolis makes sense as more passengers will be traveling to Minneapolis. But is the extra expense of running the line to Minneapolis worth it?

President Obama allocated Federal funds for national high speed rail projects, including the Chicago-St. Paul line, in January. U.S. House and Senate appropriations committees are expecting a strategic plan for high speed rail within the next 60 days. And officials involved with the line need to have the basic details - like the major stations - decided before then to have the best chance to benefit from Federal funding.

Does Minneapolis need a high speed rail station? Or is a station in St. Paul sufficient?

Until there is the option of a high speed rail link, what's the best way to get from Minneapolis and St. Paul to Chicago?

High Speed Rail - Chicago to St. Paul or Chicago to Minneapolis? originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 02:37:37.

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Minneapolis, along with Cleveland, Charlotte, N.C., and St. Louis, is bidding to host the Democratic National Convention in 2012. The DNC would be held at the Metrodome, a relatively easy location to arrange security and transportation for, without causing excess disruption to downtown Minneapolis. The Target Center and the Minneapolis Convention Center would also host smaller events.

And although all political conventions draw protesters, Democratic conventions are generally calmer affairs than their Republican conterparts, but then opponents of the incumbent party are usually more insistent on having their voices heard. If Minneapolis does win the DNC, protests over many of President Obama's controversial policies are guaranteed.

Should we do it all over again? Is Minneapolis better able to handle a major convention than St. Paul? Perhaps it doesn't matter - Minneapolis is considered to be a long shot for the convention when the other cities are in states with more political ground to be gained than Minnesota, particularly Cleveland and St. Louis in swing states Ohio and Missouri.

Another Convention? Minneapolis Bidding to Host the 2012 Democratic National Convention originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 01:49:13.

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Set free from winter storage, dusted and polished, old cars are getting to stretch their wheels on summer weekends. Today I saw a beautiful old Cadillac today, top down, cruising through... the parking lot of Midway Target. Here's some nicer places to go and see classic cars cruising, and parked for you to admire.

Historic Hastings Saturday Night Cruise In's. About twenty minutes southwest of the Twin Cities, Hastings holds Cruise In's every other Saturday evening from 3 - 9 p.m. The cars gather in downtown Hastings, have to be pre-1976, and gleaming (unless a rat rod). The July events are July 10 and 24, and then every other Saturday until October 2.

North St. Paul History Cruzers. Every Friday night, downtown North St. Paul is the destination for pre-1975 automobiles worthy of attention. As well as the classic cars, week there might be vintage fire trucks too, or extreme 4X4s. There's usually live music, and unexpected extras like canine beauty services and a quilt show. Here's the full calendar of special events. And the cars will always be there on Friday nights, 6 - 10 p.m, until September 17.

Car Craft Summer Nationals Car Show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Just about the whole Fairgrounds are filled with seriously beautiful classic cars on July 16-18. Burnouts, exhaust flames and hydraulics are not allowed at the cruise-ins in Hastings and North Saint Paul for safety and noise reasons, but there's plenty of room for squealing tires, flames, smoke, noise, racing, and burning rubber at the Fairgrounds. And that's in addition to lots of cars that look plenty good just sitting still.

_{Classic cars like corn dogs too. One of the vintage automobiles from last year's Car Craft Summer Nationals at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Photo Clara James}

Classic Car Shows in The Twin Cities originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 02:48:10.

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With July 3 arranged, where are you going to watch the fireworks on Independence Day?  Here's a list of Fourth of July firework displays in Minneapolis, St. Paul and around the Twin Cities.

Celebrate The Fourth of July with Minnesota Orchestra originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 02:03:28.

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