The Luminary Loppet is quickly becoming the highlight of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Loppet cross-country skiing festival. Hundreds of ice lanterns light a path around the Lake of the Isles, bringing you to stations of ice sculptures, pyramids, camp fires, hot chocolate and crowd favorite fire dancers. The whole event is a true celebration of winter in Minnesota.



Saint Valentine’s Day, a one day “holiday” originating from the celebration of the martyr (s) Saint Valentine by the Roman Catholic Church beginning in 496 AD, and celebrating romantic love since the middle ages and Chaucer. Today it is a much needed beacon for retailers and winter dwellers alike to find something to celebrate and a reason to spend money. Oh, the pressure to find the perfect gift of love. And if you don’t have a Valentine…it is a very long day (and night) to endure alone. The funny thing is, most of us have someone we cherish and an excuse to send a little heart in the mail. For the true romantic out there, answers to the Valentine dilemma can be found at our very own
If you have young children (or the spirit of a young child’s heart) you must visit Wild Rumpus in Linden Hills, a true neighborhood treasure. From its tiny door made just for little ones, to the live animals roaming freely among the shelves, this is a fairy tale bookstore come to life. Actually this store was built upon ideas in the book, The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer. (And here I thought it was inspired by Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and the line “Let the Wild Rumpus begin.”) Either way, this place is magical. Walk through its tiny purple door and be transplanted and transformed…a perfect spot on a winter afternoon.
The best neighborhood newspaper around, the 


