By: Joe Kleinschmidt

Until recently, the DJs on “African Rhythms” had to rely on more expensive means of finding new music. They’d use their connections to purchase obscure music everywhere from Mali to the Ivory Coast.

Charles Sugnet, an associate professor of English at the University of Minnesota, co-hosts KFAI radio’s “African Rhythms” and remembers hassling friends and colleagues to buy LPs and cassettes for him.

“It was like contraband,” he said. “I used to give people lists of the things I was looking for when they went over.”

Even though the Internet makes it easier to find little-known African labels, “African Rhythms” friend and regular traveler Bill Orth holds a stack of CDs he procured on a recent trip to Tanzania. The hosts’ personal collections form much of the two-hour program each week.

As the only show devoted to African music in the Twin Cities, “African Rhythms” uncovers melodies both past and present. The hosts spin everything from the traditional Congolese music to the latest Kenyan hip-hop.

“With the new music that’s sweeping across Africa, a lot of it is electronic,” George “Jojo” Ndege, co-host of the show, said. “Especially with the new generation. Sometimes when we play it, people ask, ‘Is that African music?’”****

“African Rhythms” features a diverse collection of songs encompassing music from Africa as well as the African Diaspora. Even if some listeners might consider African music in a vacuum, the hosts try to challenge misconceptions.

“It’s probably the people who define African music as just acoustic and drumming,” Ndege said.

“Well,” Sugnet said, “it’s the same people who think everyone [in Africa] lives in a grass hut.”

Ndege, born in Nairobi, Kenya, started hosting the show with Salif Keita three years ago. As a music promoter, he’s brought East-African music and comedy locally, including the hip-hop group Gidi Gidi Maji Maji. Now he hosts a weekly Kenyan night at the Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant.

Sugnet’s experiences teaching and researching in Senegal inform his musical tastes.

“For me it started with traveling,” he said. “I was in Dakar for a lot of the ’90s.

When he brought the music back to the Twin Cities, he formed a relationship with former host Salif.

“Salif and his Malian buddies would come to my house because I had all this music,” he said. “On Wednesday night, they’d come to my house and stay for [expletive] ever.”

After each set, the hosts may delve into the politics, language, history and culture of a given artist’s background.

“If something’s going on, like a war just broke out in Northern Mali, then I’ll come up with some music that’s from that area,” Sugnet said. “I’ll play the music and explain who these people are and how they’re involved.”

“I want people to understand it’s a real place — not some mythical place full of giraffes or something.”

Listen to “African Rhythms” from noon to 2 p.m. every Thursday on KFAI, 90.3 FM in Minneapolis and 106.7 FM in St. Paul.

Ten favorite albums from the hosts of “African Rhythms”:

1. “Soro,” Salif Keita (Mali)
2. “Kassa,” Sekouba Bambino (Guinea)
3. “Baayo” or “Lam Toro,” Baaba Maal (Senegal)
4. “Paris Bercy,” Alpha Blondy (Ivory Coast)
5. “Café Atlantico,” Cesaria Evora (Cape Verde)
6. “Jive Explosion,” Soul Brothers (South Africa)
7. “The Best Best of Fela Kuti,” Fela Kuti (Nigeria)
8. “Synchro System,” King Sunny Adé (Nigeria)
9. “New Ancient Strings,” Toumani Diabate (Mali)
10. “Drums of Passion,” Babatunde Olatunji (Nigeria)

By: Lucy Nieboer

THURSDAY

Joan Rivers

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel

2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake Minn.

8 p.m.

$35

Mature audiences only

This mean fashion queen is rolling up the red carpet to revisit her roots as a stand-up comedienne, for one night at least. Expect the same biting wit and harsh rasp of that voice we’ve all come to know and love. For sweet baby Joan, no subject is off-limits. She’ll talk celebrities, sex and scandal per usual, poking fun and playing bad cop to the amusement and sometimes expense of the audience members. Standing somewhere in the middle of Kathy Griffin and Phyllis Diller on the female stand-up scale, Rivers’ face may be fake, but she’s got a funny bone unscathed by plastic surgery.

FRIDAY

Monty Python’s “Spamalot”

Orpheum Theatre

910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

8 p.m.

$34-94

Calling all renaissance festival attendees, bored in the off-season with no turkey legs to gnaw on or jousting to partake in? Sick of rematches of Dungeons and Dragons? You’re musical has arrived. The silly little love ditties of your average Broadway show are replaced here by songs of blundering knights and their search for the ever absent Holy Grail. The show, like the movie series, is hilarious. Sadly, the touring production’s cast won’t feature Clay Aiken in bright green tights — but I’ll think we’ll find some way to get over it.

SATURDAY

Maple Syrup Festival

Eastman Nature Center

13351 Elm Creek Rd.,

Dayton, Minn.

1-4p.m.

$5

The first produce of springtime arrives even earlier than the fresh peaches from Georgia in late June. When the snow starts melting, Minnesota’s maples start churning out sap faster than the flow of the Mississippi River. Every year, syrup farms around the state have a very busy couple of months in order to bottle and save the sweet product of nature for the coming year’s pancake breakfasts.

At the festival, learn how to tap trees for syrup, boil down the sweet liquid and make candy from your findings. It’s going to be sweet.

CULTURE TO CONSUME

Read This: “Guy Proposes to His Girlfriend Through an Infographic” on Buzzfeed

This article reinforces everything Dr. Date ever told you about geeks falling in love. This guy proposed with math (I guess it is the sexiest science of all) and persuaded some lady-dork to marry him. Wow. I guess Dr. Date was right — the library must be one hot pick-up spot if you know where to look.

Watch this: “Battleground” on Hulu

This is one for the politico geeks out there. This series follows the election team of a faux-senatorial campaign in a realistic, dramatic mockumentary style.

Shot in Madison, Wis., this exclusively online series uses mostly unknown actors to portray the Midwestern ups, downs and behind-the-scenes craziness of a team trying to get their boss elected to the United States Senate. You’ll be glued to the edge of your seat. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. The 13, half-hour episodes will fill up at least one afternoon of your spring break (recommended for travel time).

Follow This: @neiltyson

Wait, this guy has nothing to do with “Degrassi: the Next Generation?” Nothing at all? Okay, so I guess science can be just as cool as a poorly written Canadian teen drama but only if it’s on Twitter. Mr. Tyson doles out nice-to-know science-y facts in 140-character increments that even the most timid, left-brained, liberal arts major can handle.

With asteroids flying past Earth like it’s sunny with a chance of Doomsday, it will be nice to have an astrophysicist on my social media side. He can keep me informed on when to panic and in the mean time keep me pre-occupied with fun facts about watts and neurons and other things I don’t understand.

Eat this: Pie

It would be totally irrational to forgo a slice of the tasty pastry on National Pi Day. Pick up an apple pie from McD’s, a slice of lemon meringue from Perkins or a whole frozen DIY version courtesy of Sara Lee. Have a pie eating contest with your geeky friends: See who can simultaneously finish a whole banana cream pie and recite 100 decimal places of Pi.

By: Spencer Doar

What: Bliss & Weinstein

When: 8 p.m., Thursday; 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Friday and SaturdayWhere: Acme Comedy Club, 708 N. First St., Minneapolis

Cost: $15

Ages: 18+

Playing a series of one-nighters around Wisconsin nearly 20 years ago — deemed the cheese curd tour — Chris Bliss met fellow comedian J. Elvis Weinstein.

Despite an age difference of 18 years, they immediately hit it off, and their chemistry manifests itself on stage this week at Acme.

“[Our friendship] really did take root that week,” Weinstein said. “We basically met when I picked him up.”

“I got in this car with this 18 year-old guy who was so sharp,” Bliss said. “We had a blast.”

At the time, Weinstein was a comic wunderkind, known for his writing for “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and occasional voicing of Tom Servo, one of the snarky commentators.

Bliss was a juggler seeking to expand his performing horizons in comedy after opening as a specialty act for Michael Jackson in the ’80s.

It’s the 10th time performing as a duo over the past decade, evolving from trading 10 minute sets to a show with both of them on stage the whole time.

“[It started from] my own cowardice,” Weinstein said. “I had been away from standup for a long time and wanted to come back, but I didn’t have the confidence. I had the material, but I didn’t have my stage legs.”

“I was working the club, and [Weinstein] wanted to do more standup,” Bliss said. “He was riding the old man’s coattails — that’s what it was. He wanted part of my check.”

Now, Bliss continues his standup career and recently gave a TED Talk on the role of comedy as an effective communicative tool.

Weinstein wrote for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Cinematic Titanic” and cult favorite “Freaks and Geeks.”

The pair’s unique act is a combination of their respective standup, improvisation, roasting of each other and a musical finale involving Weinstein singing to Fatboy Slim while Bliss juggles. It’s a talent Bliss garnered internet fame for after a video surfaced of him juggling to the Beatles.

“The audience can have a hard time — the gear shift at the end is pretty radical,” Bliss said.

“Performing together gives us and the audience a safety net,” Weinstein said. “If the audience isn’t into something. … Even when you’re doing your own show, there are natural breaks.”

Despite the somewhat tacky appeal of juggling, the pair’s comedy is the most prominent aspect of the show and has an edge that one would not associate with family friendly.

By: Lucy Nieboer

St. Patrick, it turns out, was not a leprechaun. He loved the Emerald Isle, but shockingly, he didn’t wear a green top hat or carry lucky clovers.

St. Patrick’s Day has transformed over the years from a religious observance to a day to celebrate and feast in honor of common Irish heritage. From the top o’ the morning to the last Irish coffee, the College Kitchenista has you covered.

Green eggs and ham

If you are a child of the ’90s, you most likely endured countless St. Patty’s celebrations and Dr. Seuss appreciation days with mounds of fluffy, tasteless, green dye No.3-tinted eggs. Take back the bright meal with this healthy, flavorful hash to start your festivities on the right foot.

1 bunch kale

4-5 green onions

4 eggs

2 large russet potatoes

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped ham

3-4 strips bacon, chopped

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence

Olive Oil

Parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the potatoes, and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Wash kale, onions and pepper. Chop, and set aside. Spread the potatoes in an even layer onto flat baking sheet. Toss them in a dash of olive oil and the spices. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and ham. When brown and crackling, add the pepper, kale and onions. When the potatoes are done, add them to the skillet. Toss all ingredients together. In a corner of the pan, scrape aside the hash. Fry the eggs to your liking in the corner. When an egg is done, serve up a big scoop of hash, topped with the egg and a sprig of parsley.

Boiled dinner

A meal for a traditional Irishman, a boiled dinner is just what it sounds like — a meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables all boiled together in one pot. Born out of necessity, the BD can be a bit bland. To keep flavors fresh but ingredients original, roast the meat separately, and add it to the plate at the last second.

3 pounds corned beef

1/2 head cabbage

3 carrots

6 red potatoes

1 yellow onion

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

10 whole peppercorns

6 whole cloves

Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the brisket from its packaging, and give it a thorough rinse to remove some of the excess salt. Place it on wire rack in a roasting pan, fat side up. Spread the mustard and sugar evenly over the roast. Sprinkle with pepper. Make six small slits in the roast, and insert the cloves into these crevices. Bake for two hours. Let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Wash all the vegetables. Chop them into large chunks — except for the onion, which should be peeled and left whole to flavor the rest of the dish. Place all the vegetables in a large pot with the peppercorns, a bay leaf and a dash of salt. Cover the contents with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Plate the vegetables, and top with several thin slices of corned beef.

Beergaritas

As a cocktail is usually reserved for the warmer months, the beergarita can make a timely seasonal debut on St. Patrick’s Day. Its light green hue is on-theme, and it’s not as booze-heavy as a traditional marg, so you can sip pre-parade to sunset without overindulging.

4 bottles light beer

1 cup tequila

1 frozen can limeade concentrate

4 limes

Kosher salt

Cut two of the limes into thin slices. Set aside. Mix the beer, tequila and limeade together in a pitcher. Squeeze the juice from the remaining limes into the pitcher. Serve over ice, and garnish with the sliced limes and salt around the rims of the glasses. Adapted from Rachel Ray’s “Beer Margaritas.”

By: Spencer Doar

What: John Mulaney

When: 7 p.m. (sold out) and 10 p.m., Saturday

Where: Varsity Theater, 1308 Fourth St. SE, Minneapolis.

Cost: $20

Ages: 7 p.m. 18+, 10 p.m. all ages

John Mulaney always wanted to live in New York, and the dream has been realized in a big way: Not only is he there, he’s writing for the show known for that “live from New York” shout. Only a few standup specials and writing credits deep, Mulaney has a pilot in the works with NBC, which ought to bolster his shooting star career trajectory. A&E grilled the comic about drinking, writing and jokin’ around:

Tell me about the pilot you’re working on for NBC.

It’s loosely based on my life a few years ago, and there’s not too much of a crazy premise — I’m not like a doctor and a lawyer who has to switch between the two. I just play myself when I lived with two roommates in Brooklyn. It’s been written that I write jokes for a game show, but it’s actually a game show host that’s kind of an amalgamation of people that I would write jokes for — for award shows and things like that.

It’s an old-school, multi-cam, in-front-of-a-live-audience show. It’s very original as of 1987 or so.

What was your impetus to do something like this?

I wanted to do a half-hour show like that with NBC. I really like those shows. There are still good multi-cams out there, but there used to be so many more. I just think it’s a great form. It’s kind of how I watched all comedy when I was kid. It’s in my DNA. From doing standup and SNL, I really appreciate doing it in front of a live audience.

What do you think about people who say that SNL is better now than it used to be?

I don’t know if it got better — I appreciate that people have liked it in the past few years. I think it’s a very weird show that’s been around for a long time, so people are going to go through phases of not liking it. A lot of people remember when they were younger, and they liked everything better when they were younger.

Are you a big practical joker?

Only selectively will I ever do a prank or a practical joke — I’ve never used that word. I never, ever wanted to get in trouble when I was younger. I was the best of the bad kids. I was the lawyer or something. I did bad things and then was the first to run away. I was never interested in pulling off big pranks unless the damage would be worth it.

What were you like growing up?

Shorter. I was a nice boy, just a person. I was sort of popular but not too popular. I wasn’t that interesting.

So, the average of all averages?

I mean, I was kind of weird, like, I carried a briefcase to school. I wanted to pretend that I lived in a different era. But I went to a pretty friendly school, and people didn’t pick on me too much. I had a class of about 30 kids in a Catholic school in Chicago. For some reason, if you carry a briefcase to school, other people start carrying briefcases. So I was accepted.

How big of a drinker were you?

I try to think about it now. I was just a prodigy; I was an Andre Agassi of it. I got started very young. Like Agassi, by 23, I was ready to give it up. He of course kept playing into his 30s. I might have a resurgence of drinking — if I started drinking again and won Wimbledon, I think that would be worth it.

Do you intentionally emphasize aspects of your voice?

I sound different now because I woke up not too long ago. I usually sound like the annoying carnival barker that I am.

You’ve been cropping up different places — how’d you get involved with Nick Kroll’s show?

I met Nick Kroll when I was 18. I was a freshman in college, he was a senior, and he was the director of the improv group in college. I auditioned for him, and he cast me. The first time I met him, I thought he was Hispanic, and it turned out he wasn’t — still a wonderful guy.

We’ve worked together a lot over the years. We used to host a standup and sketch show in New York for like two or three years. Those are characters we’ve done in different YouTube videos. He talked about doing a couple of shorts and a prank show called “Too Much Tuna.” So I guess I do like pranks now that I think about it. I like pranking people with tuna.

It’s all a matter of perception.

That is truly, literally, a practical joke, giving someone a large tuna sandwich. It’s practical because it’s easy to do and then they might enjoy the sandwich. But it’s a joke since it’s just too much tuna.

By: Patrick Maloney

What: Late Night feat. Hannah von der Hoff

When: 11:30 p.m., Thursday

Where: Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: $5

It’s mid-morning on a weekday; Hannah von der Hoff is drinking a bloody mary at the cafe where she works in St. Anthony Main, and she’s never heard the phrase “YOLO.”

“As cliche as it is, I have one life to live,” she said. “Why am I going to choose an existence that’s anything less than unique and exciting?”

While that sentiment might feel like it could be summarized by four letters and a hashtag at the end of drunk tweet, it feels a little more genuine coming from von der Hoff.

“If I think about plan B, I’m not putting all my energy into plan A,” she said. “Plan A is the only plan.”

Plan A is music, although the medium has differed over the years, from her role in the synthy pop group Sexcat to her stripped-down solo work.

She’s focusing on the latter right now, a project based on smoky vocals and clean, reverbed guitar, a sound reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah.”

At its quietest, the music seems perfect for listening to alone, drinking whiskey at a sparsely populated bar somewhere where it’s still legal to smoke cigars indoors. At its loudest, the Xcel Energy Center couldn’t hold it. As of now, the project has only a single demo online, entitled “Marcela”, and a release date has not been announced.

In pursuit of her plan, von der Hoff quit her desk job and dropped out of the University of Minnesota after her first semester, even though she had an affinity for academics.

“I equated this huge amount of loans with a lack of freedom,” she said. “Why submit to a cookie-cutter existence? Got my degree, great. Got my job, great. Got my house, great … then sit in front of the TV every [expletive] night? That’s not my idea of living.”

Von der Hoff will have nothing to do with dependence. She’s kept herself decidedly single for the last five years.

These themes of independence resonate throughout von der Hoff’s music, and stand out especially against a backdrop void of drums, pianos or synth.

“I write a lot about personal growth, the process and importance of reflection and being self-aware,” she said. “Not only is it an outlet but a reminder for myself.”

The most important part of von der Hoff’s philosophy involves ridding herself of safety nets. The second? Don’t look down.

“People ask me what I’m going to do if music doesn’t work out,” she said. “I just don’t think about that.”

Von der Hoff doesn’t come out and say she’s scared, but her choice of tightrope imagery makes the whole ordeal feel a little more precarious than she lets on.

“I feel terribly free,” she said.

By: Patrick Maloney

What: Live Letters, feat. Fathom Lane

When: 7 p.m., Thursday

Where: Live Letters Loft, address revealed with purchase of tickets at brownpapertickets.com

Cost: $10

Michael Ferrier’s last band, Electropolis, didn’t make the most relatable music. While being inarguably original in its experimental musical stylings drawing heavily from jazz and punk, Ferrier was told that people “just didn’t get” the band. The same traits that made the band original also made it inaccessible.

Fathom Lane, his new seven-piece band, is almost as far from that group as musically possible. Ferrier traded in the electronic woodwinds of Electropolis for guitars, and the dissonant musical influences for more easily meshed genres of indie rock, folk and country.

“I was yearning for a project that I didn’t have to explain to people,” Ferrier said. “You listen to the music, and that’s all there is.”

The album, “Down by Half,” is inspired by Ferrier’s recent divorce, but the lyrics are vague enough that it could also be about your last break-up. The CD offers a skeleton of a concept album and asks the listener to flesh it out with their own experiences, creating a dialogue between listener and musician.

“We all have a lot more experience in relationships that don’t work out than those that do,” Ferrier said. “There’s something in all of these songs that people can relate to.”

To hammer home that desire to reach a more basic human feel, Fathom Lane distanced themselves from technology during the process of recording the album. Instead of working with new-fangled computer programs and the ilk, they recorded to tape, using a process more common to the ’60s than today.

“We’re not fetishist about being vintage,” Ferrier said. “But the sound of old wood to me is better than the sound of new plastic.”

The album makes this contrast clear by offering a cover of Polica’s “Wandering Star” as the final track. While the original version is an ambient, auto-tuned synth ballad, Fathom Lane finds a simple folk song at the heart of it.

“It’s interesting to give voice to someone else’s words and give them your own perspective,” he said. “I learn so much when I get into the DNA of someone else’s song.”

To go with the bare-bones production, Ferrier tried to make not a CD but an LP. The music is meant to be listened to on a record player, preferably alone and after everyone else has gone to bed. He laid out the release to be best experienced with the intermission offered by the flip from side A to side B, furthering the feel of a dialogue between the musicians and the listener.

“I wanted to get back to music as a shared experience with the audience,” Ferrier said.

By: Lucy Nieboer

With nowhere to go, no one to see and no airfare to speak of, spring break may feel like a drawn out prison sentence — either spent rereading old “Boxcar Children” novels in a childhood bedroom or camped out on a friend’s couch downing bags of the new flavors of Lay’s.

To avoid spring break stagnation, get out of town and explore your surroundings. A day or two on the road either riding shotgun or on the upper deck of the Megabus can curb wanderlust until the end of the semester.

Down south

Southern Minnesota bears a poor reputation due to its close geographical proximity to Iowa. But unlike the flat, square cornfield past state lines, southern Minnesota’s rolling hills and bluffs sport plenty of scenic views, great food and unusual daytime activities.

Stay: The Moondance Inn — 1105 W. Fourth St., Red Wing, Minn.

$125-219 a night

Wallpapered walls, four poster beds and antique furniture set the stage for the quintessential bed and breakfast experience. On-suite fireplaces and whirlpool baths provide a quiet escape from Minnesota’s March chill, and in the morning a full spread of sustenance is served in the dining room.

Eat: Victoria's Ristorante & Wine Bar — 7 First Ave. SW, Rochester, Minn.

This Italian family restaurant has all the finesse of a cozy downtown spot without the hefty urban price tags. Even the priciest items on the menu, seafood and steaks, don’t exceed $30 and come with a side. Victoria’s authentic pasta dishes, smothered in rich, savory sauces, will haunt your dreams.

See: The Spam Museum — 1101 N. Main St., Austin, Minn.

Free

A whole museum in our great state is devoted to the premiere canned meat product of the 1950s. Wandering the halls of the Spam Museum, the history and production process of Hormel’s bestseller are on full display. Self-guided tours — enhanced by the knowledge of Spambassadors — begin with a Spampling (Spam sampling), and end with a trip to the Spam gift shop which sells Spam-logoed everything and all 12 varieties of Spam.

Up north

The lumberjack territory to our north is often labeled as a brazen no man’s land unfit for city-slickers. While a huge portion of the northern terrain is more densely populated by forestry than people, it too has corners to be explored by the most timid suburbanite.

Stay: Hungry Jack Lodge — 372 Hungry Jack Rd., Grand Marais, Minn.

Prices vary for group size.

Situated minutes from the Canadian border, Gunflint Trail and Boundary Waters Canoe Area, this resort is a safe haven for voyagers afraid to stray too far from the comfort of modern amenities.

The winter season here usually lasts until April. A rustic log cabin can serve as a base for ice fishing or snowmobiling excursions, and the main lodge dishes out three squares a day of filling woodsman’s grub.

Eat: Betty’s Pies — 1633 Highway 61, Two Harbors, Minn.

For 55 years Betty has been slinging out slices of fresh flakey pastry to regulars and tourists alike. This destination diner serves up plate-licking good breakfasts, lunches and dinners, all with a side of pie.

See: North House Folk School — 500 W. Highway 61, Grand Marais, Minn.

This school focuses its specialty instruction on teaching Northern crafts. This includes everything from Anishinaabe bead-working to twig furniture building. Check calendars for class availability.

Wisconsin

Wisconsinites take a lot of guff from Minnesotans. We say they’re beer-guzzling cheese-heads; they say we haven’t had a winning football team in years. Fair enough.

Stay: Wilderness Waterpark Resort — Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

$130 and up a night.

A crowned jewel of the landlocked wet ‘n’ wild wonderland that is the Wisconsin Dells, Wilderness is not just a park but a series of interconnected parks with indoor slides, pools and attractions. Sharing water space with excited six-year-olds is gross, but for a one-night stay, this spot can make for a great mini-getaway.

Eat: Fromagination — 12 S. Carroll St., Madison, Wis.

Doing the dairy state proud, this slow food shop offers local artisan cheeses, wines and cured meats. Huge glass cases bursting with wheels of cheddar, brie, gruyere and every other variety of cow, sheep and goat cheese imaginable encircle a crew of bustling cheese mongers ready to cut samples and assist customers. Stop in at lunch time for a specialty sandwich with freshly sliced layers of strong Wisconsin cheese.

See: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery — Milwaukee, Wis.

$8

Bike-riding, mustache-sporting Minneapolitans may love PBR as of late, but Milwaukeans have been chugging this brew for over a century. A guided tour of the old brewery building, which is no longer in use, offers a complimentary pint to sip on as you listen to the story of Capt. Frederick Pabst and his quest for a blue-ribbon beer.

By: Shannon Ryan

As one of the most anticipated holidays for those with a palette whet by dark ales and fish ‘n’ chips, St. Patrick’s Day sneaks its way into the hearts and minds of non-Irish folk through its enthusiasm for liquor and hearty meals.

Though many of us are apt to get wild in Minneapolis instead of our state’s capital city, this weekend we shall recognize that St. Paul is the more Irish of the twins, charming the pants off visitors on St. Patrick’s Day with its abundance of Irish bars and great booze.

It’s time to show this city some love; a painted shamrock on your cheek and a glass full of green ale will do. Choose one of these Irish-infused locales as your St. Patty’s Day home base — then get to hoppin’.

What: St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Where: Downtown St. Paul

When: Noon, Saturday

Grab a sidewalk spot on the streets of St. Paul for the 47th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade is a splendid way to kick off your Patty party at a delightful hour before spending the day in a Guinness-induced haze.

This parade is a delightful event to honor dear St. Patrick and of course the crowned Miss Shamrocks and Mr. Pats of 2013. Let’s hear it for the freckles!

What: World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Address: O’Gara’s Bar and Grill, 164 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul

When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday

Five minutes of booze and cheer and then an evening of just that: more booze and more cheer. O’Gara’s will have the parade through the bar, restaurant and O’Gara’s Garage. An Irish Pipe Band will lead the parade, and free swag will be tossed out. I’m talkin’ parade buttons, people.

What: The Liffey St. Patrick’s Day

Address: 175 W. Seventh St., St. Paul

Time: all day

For 21-year-olds, this is the bar to be at during a traditional St. Paul St. Patty’s Day. It’s got great beer specials, scrumptious Irish cookin’ — they offer a mean steak and mushroom pie — and it’s nestled in a pleasant spot near the river downtown.

The Liffey is a sublime location to don your gimmicky Irish-themed tee and party, well, how this bar always does. The crowd will be able to teach you a thing or two — it’s a mix of older folks reverting back to the habits of their college years and young folks perpetuating the habits of the present. Hey, the oldies have been celebrating the Irish for a handful of decades more than we have. This is a great place to maximize your St. Patrick’s Day drinking knowledge and capacity.

What: Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Where: Nicollet Mall

Time: 6:30 p.m., Saturday

We have to toss Minneapolis a bone on Patty’s Day because it’ll be hosting a sequel parade for those of you who just can’t get enough of that Irish swag.

Saturday evening, Nicollet Mall will be a sea of green tees, pants and faces — depending on how much beer you put back at the previous parades — and a lot of shamrock cheer. Since you’ll be in the heart of downtown Minneapolis anyway, mosey into Irish bars The Local or Kieran’s Irish Pub for a celebration or two. Perhaps not quite St. Paul potential but either will do.

By: Joe Kellen

What: “Hmong Bollywood”

When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday through March  24; 4 p.m., Sundays

Where: Intermedia Arts, 2822 S. Lyndale Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: $15; $12 for students, seniors and groups

 When words fail local playwright Katie Ka Vang, she dances. Her preferred accompaniment is almost always the film staple of her childhood: Bollywood music. Growing up in a Hmong household that adored the colorful film genre, Vang visibly carries its energy in her body.

She was the first member of her family to be born in the U.S. While this creates a few confusing layers of culture for Vang, she feels grounded in her Hmong roots. The playwright refers to herself as a member of what she calls the “1.5 generation.”

“My siblings still grew up in the American school system. They have a different set of beliefs; they’re a little closer to traditional cultural beliefs,” she said. “I haven’t lost my language, but I feel a little more contemporary.”

Vang manages to find a balance. This is the spirit of “Hmong Bollywood,” her one-woman show that’s been in development with Pangea World Theater for five years. Vang ties her unending love for Bollywood to every facet of her life in the piece, insisting that the fantastical Indian films gave her something to hold on to in childhood and beyond.

“My mom was always like, ‘We are different, we’re immigrants, we have to look out, be scared of everything,’”**** she said. “I was very aware of my otherness, and watching Bollywood I was like — ‘aw, man! That girl looks different and that’s me!’”****

Meena Natarajan, the production’s director and dramaturge, has stuck with the play throughout its lifespan. Natarajan has continuously engaged with Vang’s distinct story although she isn’t especially attracted to the Bollywood aesthetic. Her interest lies in the territory of collaboration. Over these five years, the two have been working together to develop Vang’s poetic voice in tandem with the show’s focus on identity.

“I like working on pieces that I help people think about and create,” she said. “How do the actions of your parents, siblings and everyone affect who you are? I’m interested in the process of discovery.”

The process behind “Hmong Bollywood” is not only based on discovery, though. Vang also deals with the emotional elephants in the room, divulging highly personal moments in her story, including her turbulent childhood and her battle against stage four lymphoma last year.

“Theater is ritualistic for me and helps me face a lot of the fears and truths I haven’t been willing to look at. When I do this, it’s a part of me dealing with that,” Vang said.

Vang’s illness brought forth another sort of outlet besides playwriting. In order to cope with the potentially fatal news and leave a memento for her family, she began vlogging her experience with chemotherapy.

The videos cultivated a community of friends and family that helped Vang sustain herself until the doctors declared her   cancer-free last June. While this was a huge part of her life, it’s not the main draw of “Hmong Bollywood.”

“Parts of the piece are sort of me trying to understand what caused my cancer,” she said. “But I think if someone’s waiting for like, ‘Cancer Show,’ I think I’m going to need a couple more years to digest that.”

However, she recognizes that it’s become a permanent part of her perspective on life and performance.

“Post-cancer, I think I taught myself how to slow down,” she said. “It might not really be something that’s noticeable to anybody, but it’s become a part of the process.”

Most importantly, Vang wants the piece to be a testament to the healing power of art. For her, working on this solo isn’t just about developing new material; it’s her rise out of the darkness of her past and into the future.

“We say the word process, and it sounds very general, but it’s the fights, the struggles, the happiness, the successes,” Vang said, and without missing a beat, Natarajan piggybacked.

“It’s about learning to listen,” she said.