Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Aquatennial wraps with the Milk Carton Boat Race and floating lanterns, Loring Park Art Festival brings 150+ artists for free, and Minneapolis Black Business Week kicks off July 27 featuring Jakesa Thompson's Happy Plate. Plus: Minnesota's cannabis market hits a record $22M monthly — and the OCM petition window closes July 31.
It's the final weekend of Aquatennial, Loring Park is packed with artists, and Minneapolis Black Business Week is right around the corner — here's everything happening in the Twin Cities the week of July 24, 2026.
In this episode:
Sources:
George: —and I'm telling you, Laura, I walked over the Stone Arch this morning and it was already warm at seven.
Laura: George, you say that every single week like it's breaking news.
George: Ope, well, this time I mean it. The river had that shimmer, you know the one.
Laura: I do know the one. But you also said that in FEBRUARY about a puddle, so.
George: Okay, fair. Fair.
Laura: It's the last weekend of Aquatennial though, so the whole downtown's got that... hum to it.
George: Right, and the Milk Carton Boat Race is this weekend, which — every year I say I'm gonna build one, every year I don't.
Laura: You are NOT building a boat, George.
George: I could!
Laura: You could not. But the floating lanterns though... that part gets me every time.
George: Yeah, the lanterns are something else. And Boom Island's doing the bounce party to close it out.
Laura: Which is chaos in the best way. Bring water. Actual water.
George: Not pop?
Laura: Not pop, George. Water. It is JULY.
George: Speaking of the heat, patio weather is doing its thing. What's the plan for you this weekend?
Laura: Honestly? Mill City Farmers Market Saturday morning, then maybe drift over to Loring Park for the art fest.
George: Oh, Loring Park Art Festival, yeah — that's Saturday and Sunday.
Laura: Hundred and fifty artists, free, shade under the trees. That's a whole day right there.
George: And Mill City's still eight to one, Saturdays, right between the museum and the Guthrie.
Laura: Mhm. I go for the peaches and leave with, like, a bouquet, three jars of honey, and regret.
George: Regret is the fourth vendor.
Laura: It really is.
George: Which reminds me — this show is brought to you in part by mplsvegan.com, our friends over there mapping out the plant-based scene in the Cities.
Laura: And speaking of, are we doing the vegan run-down?
George: Let's do it. What's on your patio list right now?
Laura: J. Selby's in St. Paul, obviously. That patio in summer? Come on.
George: The Dilla is undefeated.
Laura: Undefeated, George. And Herbivorous Butcher up in Northeast, you can do a sandwich, walk it over toward the Arts District.
George: I still think about their Italian sub from, like, two years ago.
Laura: Wow, thanks for that update, hot off the presses.
George: Hey, some things stay with you!
Laura: They do. Reverie's another one — grab something, sit outside, watch South Minneapolis go by.
George: Hard Times Cafe if you want the whole vibe. Coffee, biscuits, people-watching.
Laura: Trio Plant-Based for when you want to feel a little fancy without actually being fancy.
George: And Hello Pizza — I know it's Edina, but a slice on the patio when it's this warm...
Laura: You're allowed to like Edina, George. It's okay.
George: I never said I didn't!
Laura: You said it with your whole face last month.
George: Uff da. Okay.
Laura: And The Herbalist if you want that lighter, veggie-forward thing.
George: That's a solid list. Honestly, you could do a different patio every night this week and not repeat.
Laura: Which brings me to something — you mentioned the Aquatennial vibe, and I keep thinking, this is also the kickoff of Minneapolis Black Business Week.
George: That's right, July 27th through August 2nd. Sixth year.
Laura: Sixth. That's not small. Kicks off with a summit — Sheletta Brundidge is featured.
George: I love that. And there's a founder story going around that I want people to know about — Jakesa Thompson's Happy Plate.
Laura: Allergy-inclusive desserts, right? Launched about a month ago.
George: Yeah, and that's the kind of thing that... you can support with a five-dollar treat, you know? It's not abstract.
Laura: What's your read on why it hits different this year?
George: I don't know, honestly. I think it's just that... the whole week is built out now. It's not one event.
Laura: Yeah. It's a network showing up for itself.
George: And the rest of us get to just... follow along and buy stuff and eat well.
Laura: The George Local Economics Model.
George: It's a good model!
Laura: It's not wrong.
George: Okay — cannabis corner. Which is also brought to you in part by our friends at mncannabishub.com.
Laura: Big week over there, actually.
George: Yeah, the OCM petition window closes Friday the 31st at 4pm.
Laura: Which — for folks who haven't been tracking, that's the window where Minnesotans can petition to add new cannabinoid products, categories, delivery methods.
George: So if there's something you want to see on shelves that isn't there yet, that's the mechanism.
Laura: And the state's numbers are wild. As of mid-July — 3,541 applicants.
George: 281 licenses actually issued.
Laura: Over a hundred active retail dispensaries.
George: And monthly sales — 22 million. That's a record.
Laura: 22 MILLION.
George: In a month.
Laura: George. That is a real market.
George: I mean — Wildflower up in the North Loop, Simply Crafted in Northeast, Stigma with the beverages, Green Goods down in Bloomington, Edina Canna...
Laura: You said that like a grocery list.
George: It kinda is at this point.
Laura: Which is the whole story, right? Two years ago you couldn't have said any of those names without checking a spreadsheet.
George: You could not. I definitely could not.
Laura: Admitting it.
George: I'm big enough. But the beverage side is what I keep coming back to.
Laura: The Stigma stuff.
George: Yeah. On a patio, in this heat, a low-dose THC drink instead of a third beer — that's just, like, a nicer next morning.
Laura: Okay but — the pushback I'll give you there.
George: Go.
Laura: People treat those like sparkling water and then find out an hour later they very much did not have sparkling water.
George: That is fair.
Laura: Read the milligrams, folks. Start low. It's not a race.
George: Minnesota nice suggestion: one, wait forty-five minutes, then decide.
Laura: There it is. That's the tip.
George: Should we get to weekend vibes?
Laura: Please. Music. Sports. Give it to me.
George: First Ave — Friday night, United We Dance Rave, 9pm.
Laura: That's a scene.
George: Saturday, Off Campus Night, also 9. Then Monday, Audrey Hobert at 8:30.
Laura: Monday show at First Ave is such a Minneapolis thing.
George: And looking ahead — Hot In Herre on Friday the 31st, if you need to plan.
Laura: I do not need to plan for Hot In Herre, that plans itself.
George: True.
Laura: Sports side — Saints are home all weekend against Columbus.
George: Friday 7:07, Saturday 6:37, Sunday afternoon at 2:07.
Laura: CHS Field on a summer night... I mean.
George: West 7th before, walk over. That is a full evening.
Laura: And Lynx are home Saturday and Sunday at Target Center.
George: They're on a run.
Laura: They ARE on a run. And Loons — Minnesota United — Saturday night at Allianz, 7:30, against Vancouver.
George: Which — Allianz on a warm night, the Wonderwall...
Laura: I get chills, George. I actually get chills.
George: Twins are on the road, so — save that energy for when they're back.
Laura: And if you don't want a stadium thing, Carifest is downtown Friday and Saturday.
George: Caribbean music, food, dance. That's a whole afternoon.
Laura: Or if you're out west — Chaska River City Days, all weekend.
George: Chaska does it right.
Laura: They do. Small-town summer fest energy, twenty minutes from the Cities.
George: Okay — quick one on new spots. Because there ARE a couple.
Laura: Tasca Madrid.
George: In the old Handsome Hog space on West 7th in St. Paul.
Laura: Spanish tapas, vermouth, paella. In soft opening as of last week.
George: I have not been. I want to go.
Laura: What's holding you up?
George: Honestly? I'm waiting like a week so they can find their feet.
Laura: That is very kind. And very Minnesotan of you.
George: I try. And then — Haraz Coffee House.
Laura: The Yemeni coffee chain. Took over the old Iron Door space, 3001 Lyndale.
George: Opened late June.
Laura: The cardamom coffee is the move. That's what I hear.
George: You haven't been either?
Laura: I have not. That's the honest answer.
George: Look at us, two Minneapolis lifers, behind on our own city.
Laura: It happens. There's a lot.
George: There IS a lot. Which is kind of the point of this whole segment.
Laura: Okay — takeaway. Give me the one thing.
George: One thing. Alright. Saturday morning: Mill City Farmers Market, eight to one. Walk out with a peach.
Laura: Just one peach?
George: Let me finish!
Laura: Sorry, sorry, go.
George: Walk out with a peach. Then hop the Greenway over toward Loring Park. Art fest till evening.
Laura: And then?
George: Then a patio. Dealer's choice off the vegan list. Trio, Reverie, whatever's close.
Laura: And a low-dose beverage from a real licensed spot. Wildflower, Simply Crafted, Edina Canna.
George: Read. The. Milligrams.
Laura: Read the milligrams! That's the shirt.
George: That's the shirt.
Laura: I like it. That is a very doable Saturday.
George: It's spendy if you go all in, but you don't have to.
Laura: The market and the art fest are free. The patio's on you.
George: Yeah. Anchor is free.
Laura: Good anchor.
George: Alright — before we let you go. Thank you again to mplsvegan.com for keeping the plant-based map honest.
Laura: And mncannabishub.com for keeping folks pointed at the real, licensed shops. Especially with that petition window closing Friday.
George: If there's a product you want to see, use your voice this week.
Laura: And go to Black Business Week stuff. Buy a dessert from Happy Plate. Show up to the summit if you can.
George: That's the whole thing. Show up.
Laura: That's it.
George: George here, from the Stone Arch, still warm at seven.
Laura: Laura, from a shady spot in Loring Park by Saturday afternoon, if I have anything to say about it.
George: You betcha. Catch you next time.
Laura: Catch you next time.
Three times a week, the Twin Cities in 12 minutes. Real restaurants you should try, real local business news, real events worth your weekend. Sponsored by mplsveganhub.com and mncannabishub.com — for serious Minneapolis business owners, also brought to you by Quiet Coyote (quietcoyotemn.com).