REVIEW #4700!…read more Sweetcorn Days is my home town's big summer festival and arguably the annual highlight of Estherville's social calendar. It's sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and runs from Thursday - Sunday during the first weekend in August. Event highlights include the Opening Ceremonies (Presentation of the Flames/Burning of the Cobs), the Remember the Fallen Display, Classic Cars, the Run for the Cobb Foot Race, Free Sweet Corn, and of course the big Saturday Morning Parade. And that's just the tip of the iceberg event-wise. I was in the Parade as Sweetcorn Days is a great weekend for various High School Reunion classes to get together. For the Class of 1974 (Yes I'm Old), that included our own Parade float, followed up dinner later that day at the Softtail Saloon in Superior, and lots of good conversation with a room full of friends. I had a great time and I was particularly happy to show off my home town to Gayle and my Son. Both in turn, learned a little bit more about where I'm from and how we stand together. One name for that is Midget Pride.

Love this place! We go every year. The fall festival is great. Pet the goats, jump in the bouncy…read morecastles, play in the kids corner, pick your pumpkin, hay ride, slide, story teller, maze, scare crow making and so much more to do with the family! Before you leave you have to get an Apple Cider Slush! Yum!

From the owner: Center Creek Orchard invites you and your family to come and experience the Fall Festival. Our…read moregoal is to provide you with apples that are freshly picked and a day full of fun in a family atmosphere. Festival activities include hayrides, storytelling, corn pile, scarecrow building, castle bouncer, giant maze, apple sling, barrel ride, crawling tunnels, super slide, and haunted forest. Pick your own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and select apples from over a dozen Minnesota varieties.

Gayle and I had a fine time at the Clay County Fair last Sunday. Has it really been 12 years since…read moreI last attended? What did we experience? - Farm Equipment - Lots of that! - Farm Animals. Apparently a high school classmate's grandkids won a bunch of blue ribbons in the cattle barn. Besides that we observed pigs, horses, and the like. Gayle's favorite was the "petting barn", especially the baby pony. - Fair Food. It not being good for you is besides the point. Our choice of Lilly Fries was just OK, with the cinnamon roll with soft serve being our favorite. - Adult Beverages. As far as we could tell, only the big tent near the entrance and a Bar further back within the fair served it. I enjoyed a nice West O Beer, while Gayle struggled with only 2 choices - A sweetish Moscato and a house red. I think I heard "I just can't..." a few times. - Art. We stopped by the "Art Barn" to say hi the Lissa and Perry. Gayle was surprised that I didn't buy anything, but I already have a number of their pieces. - Stuff. There are several buildings stuffed with these and other exhibits. One's mind gets numb after awhile. - People Watching. The fair was well attended, but not really crowded. I did run into a guy with a Fulham jacket leading to a nice discussion about English football. - Politics. I really wanted a Rob Sand yard sign for the Lake Cabin, but they had already run out. Gayle and I left wondering how badly the local Dems wanted to enhance the campaign. - Fluffy! We attended and very much enjoyed the evening Grandstand performance of Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias and some equally funny opening acts. If we would have been at Cabin a few days more, I would have come back.

They were very rude and disrespectful when I was trying to get a stamp on my hand all I wanted to…read moredo was go back to the car to change out of my hot pants and the ladies in the ticket booth, the lady under the tent to go through. We're all being very mean and judgmental, and looked me up and down like I was a lower ranked human.

We took our grandkids to a Saturday afternoon matinee at the Humota Theater to see Toy Story 5, and…read morewe had a wonderful experience! You simply can't beat the value. Admission was only $4.00 per person, and the Kids Snack Pack was just $7.50, which included a tray of popcorn, a bag of M&M's or Sour Patch Kids, and a medium soda that was honestly closer to a large. The theater itself is older, but it is very clean and well maintained. It's a great example of how a small-town theater can still provide a quality movie-going experience. The seats are tall, but they offer booster seats for younger children, which was a nice touch. I would recommend sitting at least the back two-thirds of the theater if you have little ones so they can see the screen more easily. They also offer a free rewards program, which is worth signing up for if you plan to visit more than once. As a community-owned historic theater that has been entertaining moviegoers since 1928, it's great to see a local treasure continuing to provide affordable family entertainment. Overall, we had a very enjoyable afternoon and will definitely be back. If you're looking for an affordable family outing, I highly recommend Humota Theater.

From the owner: The ALL NEW Humota Theater is a non-profit organization located in Humboldt, Iowa. We play first…read morerun movies and provide a wonderful assortment of snacks to enjoy with your favorite Pepsi products. Please be sure to come check out the newest upgrades, featured films, and just take a moment to say hello! We look forward to providing our town with a fantastic cinematic experience once again!

Mankato Riverfront Park/Vetter Stone Amphitheater…read more Well me and my Gal took a drive to Mankato for another of our Kid un-friendly events. We got tickets for a concert at the Vetter Stone Amphitheater at the Mankato Riverfront Park. We found some street parking close by and had a short walk into the park. Grabbed our 21+ wrist bands and headed to the beer tent. The line moved fast enough but as the night progressed we found out they really needed a few more tents. They had a full bar but cheap crappy beer. $4.50 for a Tall Boy Grain Belt wasn't bad. At least it wasn't expensive crappy beer. Standing in beer line ended up being some of the best entertainment at the event. So the lineup was Lita Ford, then Dokken, next Sebastian Bach and closing out the Show Ratt. We would have preferred to have just seen Lita and Sebastian as neither one of us were big fans of Ratt and Dokken back in the day. Lita Ford... Still hot at 54. Great show, Old stuff new stuff and even Cherry Bomb from the Runaways. 4 Stars. Dokken... We were pleasantly surprise we ended up enjoying them more than I thought we would. 3 Stars. Sebastian Bach... Kicked Butt! Still has the voice and puts on a great show. It was great when he stopped the show a few times to "encourage" the fans to get pumped up. Plus he has an awesome bass player. (I have all ways liked a great bass player better then an average lead guitar) 5 Stars. Ratt... I could take a pass. They were boring compared to the other 3 bands. We left the concert before they were done with their set. It was phoned in music in the 80's and hasn't improved with age. 2 Stars. The Park and Amphitheater... Good acoustics, great sight lines, they had plenty of Biffs, (however as I mentioned not enough beer tents) You can bring a chair or blanket if you want. (we had a blanket along but rock n rollers don't sit much during concerts ) 4 Stars.

Just attended our first event here - overall, it's a nice local venue and I'm hoping they can get…read moresome more great entertainment here. I understand it has been renovated, but had never been here prior. Seating - was all assigned and chairs were provided. The seating and rows were very tight. Bars - good, food trucks were also available which was fun/unique- but we had ate prior to the event, so we didn't try them. Restrooms - were just portapotty's - was often a line, could use some more. No lights, so hard to use once it got dark. Security - to get into the event went fine- checked ID's, bags, and metal detector.

The Iowa Rock and Roll Association Museum is great! I have been to the induction ceremony/concert a…read morefew times and visited the museum a couple times as well! The museum is great, it has some really cool stuff like the old recording desk and tape machine from the Iowa Great Lakes Recording company.. Legendary for recording DJ and The Runaway's hit "Peter Rabbit." Which is the first top ten hit for an Iowa Band ever. Over the years, tons of artists have been inducted. I would love to be enshrined here someday for my efforts in rock in roll. Like the songs, I hope this place never dies, cause its a fun little nugget of rock history in our little state of Iowa!

This is such a cute little museum, honestly I didn't read about the stuff, I should have, but I…read morewas there to ride the slide. It's amazing the fun amusement park stuff that they've kept over the years. The slide was so fun. I could have done that all day. I was a giggling mess by the time I made it down. Climbing the stairs was killer, but worth it. the had free admission during winter games. I'm so glad I stopped in to check it out.

Chateau LaTour, it is not. Of their wines,I think your better bets are the sweeter ones, which when…read morewill chilled are perfect summer afternoon to evening sippers. They pair very nicely with a patio and shaded picnic table overlooking a lake, which conveniently, they have! It is pretty classic Minnesota farm winery, focused on the Frontenac grape and fruit wines. Great place to just stop, chill, enjoy the breeze, and relax. Pet the random barn cats who wander by. Also pretty good food. Heavy on the cheese and meat, as you might expect, and that goes just fine with their offerings. One of the things I really like is that up by their red barn, which is where they do tasting when the winery is closed for weddings (ie most summer weekends), there's a great play and wandering area for kids. Zero worries about anyone getting antsy about being made to sit down. We just hung out for an hour and barely saw our littles. I wouldn't drive from the Twin Cities just to find it, but if you're passing by, it is a great refreshment stop.

We had a great time. Food was wonderful. We did a bruschetta starter, carnivore pizza and cookie…read moreice cream dessert. The food and drinks we are excellent. Service was friendly and fast. The vibe is laid back. We will return.

The shop amazing ... most of the staff so friendly.... Ugh with the exception of one very rude…read moreemployee... want to do go back but hope don't have to deal with same employee

We buy all of our annuals, perennials, shrubs, and plants from Drummers and have also used them for…read morefloral arrangements. Every time we're there, someone is happy to help and answer questions without making you feel rushed or silly for asking. You can tell they genuinely care and know what they're talking about. We also love that they're a local, small business, which makes supporting them even better!

The last of 2 reviews for the Pearson Lakes Art Center (PLAC) was 10 years ago? This place is a…read morereal treasure, and this place has always been on my "must go" list when I'm visiting the Iowa Great Lakes. It's located right next to the Okoboji Summer Theatre, with its impressive building sitting on a nice piece of land with a pretty northern view. Gayle and I are members, even though we live way out here in Genoa Nevada. Gayle and I fell in love with the Iowa Art shown here years ago, and as we've contacted some of the artists (particularly Hank Hall and Daniel Ruf), we've grown to deeply appreciate the imagination, professional skill, and great friendships coming from their work. PLAC is a well-regarded anchor for these regional artistic endeavors, via their gift shop, annual auction, and specific exhibits. On the main floor, PLAC has a nice gift shop and a couple nice galleries. The front one changes themes fairly frequently, while the one in the back has featured Russian impressionism for at least the last few years. There's another gallery downstairs and a hallway that features the work of local artists. If I lived in the area more regularly, PLAC offers classes, children's programs, and a fairly impressive live entertainment calendar.

My sister is an artist, so I knew we had to head out and check this one. Very lovely permanent…read morecollection...as well as lovely local artist collections. It was a beautiful building, had friendly staff, and was free when we went!! (Thursdays!) Great way to add a bit of culture to a stay at the lake.