There are a lot of great events in the Twin Cities this February, including the nearly foot of snow that fell last night. Hopefully by now you’ve shoveled out from snowstorm Kayla. The Twin Cities saw anywhere from 6 to 10.5 inches of snow last night and this morning the wind kicked in. Thankfully, it is a light snow, so easy to shovel if you don’t have a snow blower. If you’ve been waiting to hit the slopes now is a great time to head out to any of the great metro area ski hills. If you’ve had enough of winter already, don’t worry, there are a plenty of great indoor events taking place. Thinking about home improvement? The Parade of Homes starts later this month and The Minneapolis Home and Garden Show is this month too! Finally, as of today, no one has found the St. Paul Winter Carnival Medallion.

Events in the Twin Cities – February

Healthy Life Expo
When: February 6^th, 2016 |10am – 5pm
Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN

Nutrition, Fitness, and Longevity – It’s all there! Explore up to 200+ exhibitors offering everything for health, balance and success in all areas of life. 3 – Stages of on-going speaker presentations, and demonstrations. New this year is the Yoga Stage and Healthy Cooling Stage! Product sampling, hourly drawings and free health information. The Smart place to get the free tips information to start living a healthier life. See the latest in men’s & women’s health, weight loss, living well, health services, and much more! Seminars, product demonstrations, entertainment, and great shopping all weekend long! Visit with Steve and Emily from Twin Cities Live TV Show and A Staci from KS95 Radio.

St. Paul Winter Carnival
When: Now through February 7^th, 2016
Where: Various Locations

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Rice Park has the events to prove it during the entire Winter Carnival. Free and open to the public throughout Winter Carnival. Ice sculptures are on display, sit in a Royal Throne made of ice, view the Ice Castle Sponsor Wall. Live entertainment on the Nature’s Fury Entertainment Stage at Rice Park, vendor booths and other activities. Decorated with beautiful lights and greenery.

Parade of Homes
When: February 20^th through March 20^th  – Thursdays Through Sundays
Where: Various locations in the Twin Cities metro area

The Parade of Homes will once again feature the Green Path Energy Tour, sponsored by Xcel Energy. This spring, 70 percent (322) of the Parade Homes were tested by an independent energy rater, and have been assigned a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating. These homes can share a Green Path Home Performance Report (HPR) that graphically explains the home’s energy test results and allow homebuyers to compare expected energy use between homes.

Homes are located throughout the region, with Blaine (34), Lakeville (32), Plymouth (29), and Woodbury (22) having the most homes to tour. Closer in, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and Roseville are all represented on the tour, with Edina coming in at eight homes. Outlying cities include Faribault, Watertown, Isanti and River Falls, Wisconsin.

A comprehensive Guidebook provides complete information about the tour, including maps and photos or illustrations of all the homes, and will be available, free of charge, at area Holiday Stationstores beginning on February 5th.

All the homes are free to tour with the exception of four Artisan Dream Homes. Visitors pay a $5.00 donation to the BATC Foundation to enter.

Minneapolis Home and Garden Show
When: February  26 – 28, March  4 – 6
Where: Minneapolis Convention Center

One of the largest home shows in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show features landscaping companies, remodeling contractors, interior design companies, and  celebrities from popular DIY shows.

Downtown: Minneapolis in the 1970s
When: Now through April 3^rd, 2016
Where: Mill City Museum
704 S. 2^nd St., Minneapolis, MN

Dayton’s was in its prime, the new Nicollet Mall was full of people, the Foshay Tower was still king, and the IDS Center was beginning its rise. Bustling sidewalks teemed with shoppers and businessmen, young and old, no matter what the weather, because the skyway system was just being born. Downtown Minneapolis in the early 1970s was a scene.

Downtown: Minneapolis in the 1970s exhibit has 22 framed photographs and a slideshow that includes a number of unpublished images. The exhibit is located in the museum’s central Mill Commons, and is free and open to the public during regular museum hours.

Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia
When: Now through February 28^th
Where: Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis

This Walker-organized exhibition, assembled with the assistance of the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, examines the intersections of art, architecture, and design with the counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s. A time of great upheaval, this period witnessed a variety of radical experiments that challenged societal and professional expectations, overturned traditional hierarchies, explored new media and materials, and formed alternative communities and new ways of living and working together.