Axios Twin Cities Weekender

May 21, 2026
Happy Thursday. It's Audrey.
- Sounds like: "Blowing in the Wind" by Bob Dylan.
This newsletter is 699 words, a 2.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Family-friendly freaky
Taxidermy, funeral collectibles, sideshow performers and "all things weird" are coming to Minneapolis this weekend for the return of the Oddities and Curiosities Expo.
What's happening: The traveling event features hundreds of vendors selling everything from vintage medical devices to actual skulls. All items are legal to own and "sustainably sourced," according to organizers.
- Activities include a six-hour opossum taxidermy course, octopus wet specimen class and a scorpion entomology lesson, where attendees learn to preserve, pin and pose bugs with unique exoskeletons.
π Details: Saturday and Sunday from 10amβ5pm at the Minneapolis Convention Center. $16 in advance, $22 day-of, kids 12 and under free
- Be smart: While the event is advertised as kid-friendly, parental discretion is still advised.
More things to do...
π½ Get a Pronto Pup straight from the source at this weekend's Kickoff to Summer at the Fair, the annual chance to enjoy many Great Minnesota Get-Together festivities without the massive crowds.
- New this year: a horse show, additional food vendors (including more Amish doughnuts) and the "Second Glance" crop art exhibit, featuring more than 50 pieces from last year's fair. $17
π Would you like to buy 20 pounds of hand-picked apricots, cherries or mandarin oranges this weekend? MyFruitTruck, a nationwide traveling bulk fresh fruit truck, is stopping in Burnsville, Lakeville, Plymouth, Bloomington and more this weekend.
- Just don't be late β the pickup window is only 30 minutes. $45β$55 per 10β20 pounds
π₯ Celebrate the local comics scene at FLOP, the eclectic Lyn-Lake shop Odd Mart's small press "comix" show this weekend.
- Expect 78 artists and publishers, panel discussions, readings, and custom cocktails that come with a free comic. Free
π Eat homemade ice cream alongside farm animals at Gibbs Farm's opening day social Saturday morning.
- The family-friendly St. Paul site will have guided tours of its historic buildings, live music and plenty of toppings for your sundae. $5 kids ages 4β16, $7 seniors, $10 adults
πΆ Bob Dylan turns 85 on Sunday, and Turf Club in St. Paul is throwing a birthday bash Saturday night to celebrate. Expect covers of Dylan songs by at least eight local musicians and more special guests. $26
β€οΈ Honor those who served at Lakewood Cemetery's Memorial Day service on Monday morning, held at the Soldiers Memorial in Section 24 and featuring the Minnesota Freedom Band.
- If you can't make it, the ceremony will also be livestreamed. Free
2. πΏ More to stream this weekend
Whether you want action, sci-fi or a comedy thriller, there's something new to watch. Here are fresh titles streaming this week:
"Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War" β available now on Prime Video.
- John Krasinski, who co-wrote the script, returns as Jack Ryan for the espionage thriller that drops the CIA analyst into another globe-spanning crisis.
- Catch up quick: After multiple Jack Ryan films and four Prime Video seasons, the franchise is back as a feature-length movie.
"The Boroughs" β available now on Netflix.
- Alfre Woodard, Alfred Molina, Geena Davis and Bill Pullman star in the sci-fi mystery series set in a New Mexico retirement community.
- What they're saying: The show is executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer, the brothers behind "Stranger Things," who say the heroes in "The Boroughs" are "a similarly lovable bunch of misfits."
"Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed" β available now on Apple TV+.
- Tatiana Maslany stars in this dark comedy-thriller series about a newly divorced suburban mom pulled into blackmail, murder and the absurd politics of youth soccer.
- Zoom in: Jake Johnson co-stars in the series.
"Wanda Sykes: Legacy" β available now on Netflix.
- In her third Netflix comedy special, Sykes performs at her alma mater, Hampton University.
- The big picture: She doesn't shy away from politics and newsβ and "the cultural clash over washcloths," as Netflix puts it.
"Ladies First" β available Friday on Netflix.
- Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike star in the satiric gender-flip comedy.
- Catch up quick: It's an adaptation of the French film "I Am Not an Easy Man," which is also streaming on Netflix.
π€ Audrey discovered that the verb form of taxidermy is taxidermize. You learn something new every day!
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