Minnesota
Here’s how to celebrate Pride Month 2024 in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — June is Pride Month, and there are lots of activities to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota.
Below is your guide to some of the highlights of the Pride Month festivities, followed by a more comprehensive list:
June 1: Cheers to Pride
When: June 1
Locations: You can find a list of participating locations here.
Cheers to Pride is the official kick-off to Pride month. Raise a glass, grab a snack, or get energized with some coffee for the start of Pride month at participating locations. A portion of your purchase will go to Rainbow Circle — an organization that promotes inclusivity, provides support, and organizes to celebrate diversity.
Click here for more information.
June 1: Youth Pride
When: June 1, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: Como Midway Picnic Pavillion, 1199 Midway Parkway, St. Paul
Youth Pride, which is put on by the Minnesota School Outreach Coalition, is a free event for LGBTQIA+ youth between the ages of 13 and 22. The event will feature activities, games, entertainers, food from local businesses, and photo booths.
Click here for more information.
June 9: Trans Joy Fest
When: June 9, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: Park Point, Duluth
The third annual Trans Joy Fest will have more than 40 performers, a free clothing exchange, kids activities, and a silent auction.
Click here for more information.
June 15: St. Paul Pride Parade and Festival
When: June 15, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Where: Lowertown to Rice Park
St. Paul’s Pride parade will start at The Bulldog Lowertown at 10 a.m. and proceed to Rice Park, where the festival will take place.
Click here for more information.
June 21: Telling Queer History
When: June 21, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Where: Mill City Museum, 704 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis
Storytellers will present LGBTQIA+ stories of resistance, love, and identity formation. The event is part of the return of the 2023 exhibit Going Out, Coming In: LGBTQ+ Spaces in Downtown Mineapolis.
Click here for more information.
June 23: Twin Cities Pride Family Fun Day
When: June 23, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Como Park East Pavillions, St. Paul
The free event is open to all families, and will feature crafts, a Minnesota Twins kids baseball clinic, fun activities, and appearances by Minnesota mascots.
Click here for more information.
June 29-30: Twin Cities Pride Festival and Parade
When: June 29-June 30
Where: Loring Park, Minneapolis
The second largest festival in Minnesota, the Twin Cities Pride Festival will have LGBTQIA+ entertainment on 4 stages, feature 650 vendors, including LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC community resources, artists, and businesses. The parade will take place from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on June 30 and will start at Third Street and Hennepin Avenue.
Click here for more information.
June 29: Minneapolis People’s Pride
When: June 29, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis
People’s Pride in a non-corporate alternative pride event for Minneapolis. There will be free food, and admission is free.
Click here for more information.
Other events around Minnesota
Twin Cities
- Burnsville Pride: June 1, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
- Queer Equity Casino Night: June 1, 7 pm. – 11 p.m.
- Queer Me Out 2024 Panel Discussion: June 4, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Hastings Pride Festival: June 8, 11 a.m.
- Golden Valley Pride: June 8, 12 pm. – 6 p.m.
- MN POC Kickback Day Party: June 15, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
- Hopkins Pride: June 15, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Twin Cities Pride Grand Marshal Reception: June 15, 5:30 p.m.
- Gender Affirming Clothing Swap at Hopkins Library: June 16, 1 p.m.
- Twin Cities Pride Youth Night: June 28, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
- Pride Beer Dabbler: June 28, 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
- “Going Out, Coming In” Walking Tour: June 29, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Twin Cities Pride Rainbow Run 5k & Kid’s Rainbow Dash: June 30, 9 a.m.
Greater Minnesota
DULUTH — Finland was a force this summer at the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis during the
World Junior Summer Showcase,
beating the United States, Canada and Sweden by a combined score of 15-7.
The Finnish national junior team continued its domination at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Amsoil Arena on Friday night, beating Germany 7-3 in a 2026 World Junior Championship pre-tournament game played before a modest crowd of 650.
Finland also won the bonus 3-on-3 simulated overtime period after the game, scoring with 46.4 seconds left in the five-minute period.
The seven Finnish goals in regulation came from seven different players, with winger Max Westergard, a 2025 fifth-round NHL draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, getting the 3-on-3 goal after scoring an unassisted goal in the third period.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Centers Heikki Ruohonen, Oliver Suvanto and Jasper Kuhta, wingers Joona Saarelainen and Matias Vanhanen and seventh defenseman Lasse Boelius were among the other goalscorers for Finland.
Lenny Boos, Dustin Willhoft and Elias Schneider scored for Germany, which was outshot 29-17. The Germans had just one power play, in the third, compared to Finland’s four.
German goaltender Linus Vieillard made 22 saves while Finland goalie Kim Saarinen, a 2024 third-round pick of the Seattle Kraken, stopped 14 shots.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Finland’s lineup Friday featured 12 NHL draft picks — Germany had three — including Dallas Stars 2024 first-rounder Emil Hemming, Minnesota Wild 2024 fourth-rounder Aron Kiviharju and Montreal Canadiens 2024 third-rounder Aatos Koivu — the son of former NHLer Saku Koivu. Mikko Koivu, the former Wild captain, is Aatos’ uncle.
Ruohonen, a 2024 fourth-rounder of the Flyers, is the lone player on Finland’s roster from the NCAA. He’s a freshman at Harvard.
Finland will play one more pre-tournament game in Duluth at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the United States at Amsoil Arena. The Americans host Germany at 4 p.m. Sunday at Amsoil Arena.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Click on image to read comprehensive coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship tournament.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
BREWSTER, Minn. — Lots of hugs were shared, tears were shed and utter shock was witnessed as a rural Minnesota family was surprised with the Best Christmas Ever early Sunday afternoon, Dec. 14.
More than two dozen people caravaned behind a Brewster Fire Truck to deliver gifts to Austin and Stephanie VandeKamp and their 6-year-old daughter, Callee, in Brewster, Minnesota, in Nobles County.
Julie Buntjer / The Globe
“We just came to bring some joy to your life,” said Sue Hagen, one of the local coordinators for the nationwide nonprofit
Best Christmas Ever organization,
which surprises families who have experienced hard times. “Last year, with the loss of Jaelee, none of these gifts we’re bringing to you will ever replace her, but we just thought that your family deserved a little joy this Christmas.”
The Vande Kamps gave birth to their daughter, Jaelee, on Feb. 4, 2024. Shortly thereafter, Jaelee was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, TAPVR (Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return). She spent her first eight months in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she had 10 surgeries and ultimately required continuous dialysis.
Stephanie didn’t get to hold Jaelee until she was 50 days old, and stayed with Jaelee for much of her hospitalization. When she did come home, Austin would go to the hospital to stay with their youngest daughter.
They were finally able to bring Jaelee home on Sept. 23, 2024. Because she was dependent on respiratory support, someone had to be awake with her 24/7, so Stephanie got very little sleep, family friend Ashley Prins detailed in the nomination letter she sent to Best Christmas Ever.
Julie Buntjer / The Globe
Jaelee died unexpectedly on Dec. 9, 2024, while attending regular follow-up appointments in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jaelee’s death compounded the loss the family was still feeling from the sudden death of Stephanie’s dad from a heart attack on Easter morning 2022.
“The community just rallies around a family and they don’t even know who it will be,” Hagen said, noting that Bedford Industries, Sanford Worthington and District 518 were among employers who stepped up alongside community members to “help uplift a family.”
Locally, the Best Christmas Ever program is sponsored by the Astrup Family Foundation, owner of Sterling Pharmacy stores, which provides $5,000 toward a life-changing gift for a local family who has fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. Business partners included Worthington Federal Savings Bank and Runnings who, along with Sterling Pharmacy, had giving trees set up at their businesses in recent weeks to accept gifts and monetary donations for the recipients.
The VandeKamps were nominated for the Best Christmas Ever program by family friend Ashley Prins.
“I would love to make this year a joyous season again for them in regards to holidays and I would love to see the three of them be able to get away on a vacation and enjoy their time together as they missed out on so much of that during this life struggle,” Prins wrote in her letter.
Julie Buntjer / The Globe
In addition to a mound of neatly wrapped gifts — most of which were for Callee — the family was presented with a monetary gift of $7,403.07. The local Best Christmas Ever committee will work with the family on how the gift may be used.
“I don’t know what to say,” Austin said after accepting the money.
“Merry Christmas,” replied Chad Nixon, representing Worthington Federal Savings Bank.
Callee opened her largest box, which contained a child-sized recliner just for her, as well as two stuffed animals to match the chair. Stephanie and Austin received Minnesota Twins jerseys reflecting their favorite current Twins players.
Among the people on hand Sunday were last year’s recipients, the Adrian and Melissa Gonzalez family, of Worthington. The Gonzalezes lost their son, Emmitt, to cancer in September 2023.
Hagen also presented the family with over $1,000 in gift cards to local businesses, and noted that donations are still coming in. The Best Christmas Ever committee will meet again with the Vande Kamps after Christmas, she said.
The VandeKamps were completely surprised by the gesture — after admitting a bit of fear as to why a fire truck with lights on and siren blaring pulled into their rural Brewster farmyard.
“I thought right away my barn was on fire, my lambs were running everywhere, then I saw a big wad of cars and I thought, ‘what’?” Austin said.
Julie Buntjer became editor of The Globe in July 2021, after working as a beat reporter at the Worthington newspaper since December 2003. She has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture journalism from South Dakota State University.
So Minnesota: Lego King of Minneapolis builds Minnesota landmarks one brick at a time
Many kids will find Lego sets under the Christmas tree this holiday season, but the popular toy isn’t just for children.
Jeff Esler fell in love with Legos as a child, and that love affair has never ended.
“I am the Lego king of Minneapolis,” Esler said. “So my friends call me.”
A decade ago, Esler immortalized Nye’s Polonaise Room in Legos and posted it on Facebook.
“That one, it kind of went really viral,” Esler said. “I think I got 100,000 shares.”
Esler’s fame grew after he went on to use toy bricks to build mini masterpieces of Minnesota landmarks.
“I did Matt’s, and then I did Gluek’s,” Elser said. “I did the Frank Lloyd Wright gas station in Cloquet. Then, probably the Split Rock Lighthouse. The Grain Belt sign.”
Each project costs from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. They take a ton of bricks and days to build. Esler has sold some models and given others away.
“I do the landmarks, because they click with people,” Esler said.
Esler plans to keep building some of Minnesota’s most recognizable places one brick at a time.
It was called the Kennedy Center, but 3 different presidents shaped it
You can buy your Xbox Ally an official pair of anti-drift joysticks
Former Hamas hostage warned Australian leaders about dangers of antisemitism months before Bondi Beach attack
Sen Murphy warns ‘people are going to die’ as Congress punts on expiring Obamacare subsidies
Scientists pinpoint why COVID vaccine may trigger heart inflammation in certain people
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Sen Murphy warns ‘people are going to die’ as Congress punts on expiring Obamacare subsidies
Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan, wife sentenced to 17 years in corruption case
U.S. launches strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State fighters after American deaths
Trump administration touts ‘most secure border in history’ as 2.5 million migrants exit US
How the reparations loan for Ukraine fell apart at the eleventh hour
-
Iowa5 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa7 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine4 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland5 days agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
Technology1 week agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
-
South Dakota6 days agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
New Mexico3 days agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
Nebraska1 week agoNebraska lands commitment from DL Jayden Travers adding to early Top 5 recruiting class