Minnesota History Center

10/02/2026

Good luck to all the runners in the 2026 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon this weekend! Downtown will be busy, so plan ahead and prepare for delays if you are headed to any of our St. Paul sites.

09/30/2026

Join us on October 10 for a powwow “tail” for the ages! Stages Theatre Company in collaboration with Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble brings Brenda Child’s award-winning children’s book "Bowwow Powwow" to life in this vibrant stage adaptation. View the trailer (https://mnhs.info/4hpOuuu) to see a sneak peak!

The program begins at 11 am in the 3M Auditorium and is pay-what-you-will with a $10 suggested ticket price. Recommended for all ages. Show run time is 50 minutes.

Copies of "Bowwow Powwow and Blue Bearies," the sequel to the first book, will be available for purchase at the Museum Shop and for signing in the rotunda by Brenda Child (Bíne).

Get your tickets and details here: MNHS Events Calendar (https://mnhs.info/4d4jXRF)

BOWWOW POWWOW at Stages Theatre Company in collaboration with Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble. Photos by Amy Rondeau Photography

Bowwow Powwow September 16 – 27, 2026 Tickets + Show Info: https://www.stagestheatre.org/show/bowwow-powwow/ Adapted by Benay McNamara and Blossom Johnson From the book by Brenda Child, Bowwow Powwow © 2018 Illustrations by Jonathan Thunder Translation by Gordon Jourdain Music by Bizhiki and Keit...

09/24/2026

Join us on October 10 for a powwow “tail” for the ages! Stages Theatre Company in collaboration with Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble brings Brenda Child’s award-winning children’s book Bowwow Powwow to life in this vibrant stage adaptation. View the interview with director Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota) (https://mnhs.info/4iGfKHu) to learn more!

The program begins at 11:00 am in the 3M Auditorium and is pay-what-you-will with a $10 suggested ticket price. Recommended for all ages. Show run time is 50 minutes.

Copies of Bowwow Powwow and Blue Bearies, the sequel to the first book, will be available for purchase at the Museum Shop and for signing in the rotunda by Brenda Child (Bíne).

Get your tickets and details here: MNHS Events Calendar (https://mnhs.info/47ejYiq)

BOWWOW POWWOW at Stages Theatre Company in collaboration with Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble. Photos by Amy Rondeau Photography

Bowwow Powwow September 16 – 27, 2026 https://www.stagestheatre.org/show/bowwow-powwow/ Adapted by Benay McNamara and Blossom Johnson From the book by Brenda Child, Bowwow Powwow © 2018 Illustrations by Jonathan Thunder Translation by Gordon Jourdain Music by Bizhiki and Keith Secola In collabora...

08/12/2026

After being fired from his job as a professor at a university in Duluth, Bob Jansen opened the Main Club in 1983. The Main Club grew into a vital hub for the LGBTQ community in the Twin Ports and Iron Range—a place for connection, health information, fundraising, and political activism during a pivotal chapter in LGBTQ history.

Join us at History Happy Hour tomorrow night, August 13, to learn more about Bob Jansen, the Main Club, and the remarkable story behind 'Remember the Main: The Gay Bar that Started a Movement in the Northland' with Minnesota Historical Society Press author Meg Gorzycki.

Patio gates open at 6 pm with a cash bar and PIZZA KARMA food truck service. The author talk and book signing runs from 6:30–8 pm.

$15 tickets online, with a limited number of pay-what-you-will tickets available at the door (first come, first served).
Plus, enjoy free admission and parking every Thursday from 4–8 pm.

Tickets: https://mnhs.info/4xySSxE

Images: Bob Jansen in front of Northland Gay Men's Center booth at GLBT Festival, Loring Park, Minneapolis (1994)

07/27/2026

Join us Thursday night, July 30, for a free performance of JEREMY & THE GIANT KING from Open Eye Theatre! The show begins at 7:00 PM on the front lawn of the History Center. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs and a sense of fun and adventure!

After spending the morning terrorizing the neighborhood, Jeremy and his Little Brother embark on a romp through the forest where they stumble across a mysterious woodland Witch. Jeremy is transported into a fantastical storybook realm, whose inhabitants are at their wits' end dealing with the problem of a Giant King on the rampage! Can Jeremy help bring order to the realm?

In case of inclement weather, the show will move inside.

Support for this program has been provided by the Marney and Conley Brooks Fund.

05/27/2026

Dee Langley and the Masked Accordions are coming to the History Center tomorrow night - Thursday, May 28, from 6:30–7:30 PM!

This 15-member accordion ensemble brings an uplifting mix of music from around the world — from Bernstein to the Beatles, Balkan dance tunes to German polkas, French musette, folk, pop, and more. Don’t miss this crowd-pleasing concert of original ensemble arrangements!

Free Minnesota History Center admission and parking is available every Thursday from 4 pm-8 pm.

Image courtesy Dee Langley and the Masked Accordions

05/15/2026

Plan ahead if you are headed to downtown St. Paul this weekend! Construction will impact travel around the Minnesota History Center, the Minnesota State Capitol and the James J. Hill House. Please prepare for delays if you are visiting these sites.

05/12/2026

On Saturday May 16 at 10 AM, in conjunction with the History Theatre's production of "Courting Harry," four former law clerks to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun reflect on their time working with the Justice at the Minnesota History Center.

It's a unique opportunity to hear from distinguished scholars and advocates as they reflect on the US Supreme Court, then and now.

This event is free and open to the public. Learn more here: https://mnhs.info/4u2kdXP

04/17/2026

Each hand-carved horse at Cafesjian's Carousel at Como Park has its own personality—and a story to tell. Do you have a favorite horse or a special carousel memory? 🎠

Join Tracy Tolzmann this Saturday, April 18 at 2 pm for North Star Voices: History in Motion and go behind the scenes of this beloved treasure—from its beautifully restored horses to the mechanics that keep it spinning, all set to the iconic sounds of the Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ! 🎶

Take a spin through history—you won’t want to miss it!

Link to event: https://mnhs.info/4tfiwWp

IMAGE: Photo of the restored lead horse ( #1 of 68). Photo courtesy of Our Fair Carousel.