1. Emily Dickinson Marathon
In celebration of National Poetry Month, literary lovers can drop in, grab a comfy chair and listen to one or more of the Dickinson’s 1,789 poems. Refreshments will be served. (8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tue. University of St. Thomas, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Library, 2115 Summit Av., St Paul. stthomas.edu)
2. Smashfest
Cooks from Angry Line Cook, Private Sector Provisions, Burger Daddies and Garillers will compete in a smashburger competition. Eat from their trucks, listen to bluegrass and try Insight Brewing’s two new single malt hop beers. (1-10 p.m. Sat. Insight Brewing, 2821 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls. insightbrewing.com)
3. Merlin’s Rest
The restaurant/bar celebrates its 18th anniversary with live music from Gus the Bard, Lochtune, Root Pickers and Deano & the Dinosaurs. (Noon Sat. 3601 E. Lake St., Mpls. merlinsrest.com)
4. Twin Cities Independent Bookstore Passport
Readers can travel to different bookstores in the metro area with Rain Taxi’s newly published pocket-sized passport. Pick up a passport at any participating store Wednesday-Sunday and collect stamps for prizes and discounts. (For locations, visit raintaxi.com)
5. Great Indian Dance Off
The South Asian Arts and Theater House presents a bracket-style dance competition. Teams can perform any style of choreography to woo judges into advancing them to the next round, but it must be done to an Indian song. (1-5 p.m. Sat. Mall of America, Huntington Bank Rotunda, 2131 Lindau Lane, Bloomington. mallofamerica.com)
6. Schmidt Spring Art Crawl
A diverse slate of more than 80 artists will have their works on view and local musicians will take the stage. Visual artists get an open mic-ish opportunity to create new art each hour during the Open Palette on the rooftop. (6-9 p.m. Fri.; noon-7 p.m. Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun. Schmidt Artist Lofts Brewhouse, 900 7th St. W., St. Paul. schmidtartists.com)
7. Unlimited Uptown Maker’s Market
Support local small businesses and shop for edgy clothing and accessory items that are not seen in every retail shop. (Noon-6 p.m. Sat. Unlimited Arts, 1936 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. beunlimitedart.com)
8. Nicollet Island Spring Market
See what 50 vendors have crafted over winter. An array of soaps, jewelry and spice blends are just some of the creations. (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power St., Mpls. minneapolisparks.org)
