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| |  | Street view of First Avenue. (Tim Evans / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| The state of indie venues | We love our independent venues here in the Twin Cities, who are trying to survive changing consumer preferences and jostling against the Live Nation behemoth. The National Independent Venue Association is in town for a conference starting Sunday, so we’re talking to industry insiders about the good/bad of running an indie venue right now. “Everything’s gotten more expensive,” said James Taylor, program director at the Cedar Cultural Center. “ But I do know that you can go see four or five local shows or independent shows from smaller touring bands for the same cost of seeing a show at the Target Center or Grand Casino [Arena].” [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | | - Ticket prices: It sucks when you add a concert ticket to your cart and see the prices shoot up. Josh Cragun, co-founder of the ticketing platform Gobo, said it boils down to a lack of transparency for consumers. Independent venues can get stuck in “ onerous fee structures,” which often lead to decreased ticket sales. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]
- “Do you know much about Pilllar?”: Corey Bracken, the owner of Pilllar Forum, recorded himself turning down an offer from the Minneapolis Yacht Club to serve coffee at an “activation” site for Chase Bank and Live Nation. Keep an eye out for Bracken on the show soon. [Pilllar Forum via Instagram]
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| | | The show that set Broadway back 1,000 years... returns! The musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has everything that makes a great knight at the theater, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake. At the Ordway in Saint Paul, June 10 - 14. Get your tickets today. |
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Intense Sundays: St. Paul won’t pursue charges against Cities Church protesters. “Prosecutors determined that the current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes,” Irene Kao, the city’s attorney said in a statement. The church’s lead pastor Jonathan Parnell asks “whether [Kao’s] commitment to protect religious people includes evangelical Christians.” Protests have continued outside the church on Sundays. [Pioneer Press] | | Future of GFS: A Minneapolis City Council committee rejected violence interrupter group Agape’s plan to redevelop George Floyd Square. Council members pointed to a survey of residents, which showed a higher preference for Rise and Remember’s plan. The full City Council will vote next week, but regardless of the outcome it may be years before the city starts construction on the People’s Way. [MPR News] | |  | Taco Bell 50k attendees outside the Bloomington location. One overzealous participant (center left) treated the contest like a portage. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| Baja blasted: Producer Adam ran the Taco Bell 50k last Sunday, which requires participants to jog/walk to seven Taco Bells in the Twin Cities and eat food from each one. You read that right – it’s a 50k, which surpasses a marathon. Whether you’d try this or want to throw up at the thought, check out Adam’s delightful recap on our social media. [City Cast Twin Cities] | | ‘Boondoggle’: Speaking of controversial city initiatives in Minneapolis, MinnPost’s Trevor Mitchell has a great story that asks what’s up with the Office of Community Safety. The office is supposed to bundle the city’s various safety departments into one, with one leader reporting directly to Mayor Jacob Frey. But officials are sorely lacking consensus on what the office should do, exactly. The previous leader Cedric Alexander said he left his role “not understanding what the frick it is they wanted from me.” Great use of frick. [MinnPost] | | We see you, NJ: Protesters in New Jersey are clashing with ICE agents at Delaney Hall, a detention center reminiscent of the Federal Whipple Building. Ashley Fairbanks, who organized a major mutual aid hub through Stand With Minnesota, is trying to do the same for New Jersey. Detainees have started a labor and hunger strike to protest their dire conditions, and The Intercept reports guards are violently retaliating. [Racket / City Cast Twin Cities / The Intercept] |
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| | | Friday, June 5 | | | Saturday, June 6 | | | Sunday, June 7 | | | |
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 | Fern and Juna are cuddle buddies. (Courtesy of Ember F.) |
| Your Friday Floofs are Fern (calico) and Juna (gray). “They are best friends and cuddle for like 12 hours every day,” says owner Ember F. | We wanna see your pets! Send us a pic and we’ll feature them here. |
| — Tiffany | Anna Weggel and Sean McPherson edited the City Cast Twin Cities newsletter this week. Feedback? Email [email protected]. |
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