It’s all in Eden Prairie this weekend

This weekend offers two days of activities sponsored by the Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Department.

Arts and Antiques in the Park, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

A 1:30 p.m. performance by the Eden Prairie Community Band is scheduled during Arts & Antiques in the Park Saturday at the J.R. Cummins House, 13600 Pioneer Trail.

The art, craft and antique fair has been a tradition since 2003, occurring in early June to highlight the peony gardens at the Cummins-Phipps-Grill Homestead.

City Recreation Coordinator Sandy Werts said that Kidcreate Studio will have free art activities for children throughout the day.

She said there are a number of new vendors attending the event, including several from Eden Prairie.

Werts said you can expect to find Andean musical instruments, clothing and gifts; loomed rugs made from recycled material; rocks with sandblasted designs on them; watercolors; etchings in gold and silver on scratchboard; candles; Japanese watercolor painting, Origami papercrafts and pictures from Japanese sites; and windsocks.

LaVerna Leipold of Leipold’s Gifts and Antiques in Excelsior can help you learn more about your antique or collectible from 1-4 p.m.

Betsy Adams and Kim Carlander from the Historical Society will be on hand to conduct tours of the historic home. The group will have items on sale – including the city’s new Sesquicentennial mug.

Minnesota Festival of Jazz on the Prairie and Rib Fest, 2-8 p.m. Sunday

Bands scheduled to perform during the 18th annual event at Purgatory Creek Park, 13001 Technology Drive, are:

* 2 p.m. – River City Jazz Orchestra

* 3 p.m. – Good News Big Band

* 4 p.m. – Bend in the River Big Band

* 5 p.m. – Stan Bann Big Band

* 6 p.m. – Just Friends Big Band

* 7 p.m. – Jazz on the Prairie

In addition to enjoying jazz in a lovely outdoor setting, with host Jerry Swanberg of KBEM, a member of the Twin Cities Jazz Society, a Rib Fest has been added to the event this year.

The Eden Prairie Noon Rotary will be offering plates of ribs, coleslaw and chips for $7. They will also have beer for sale.

The fundraiser will support Noon Rotary projects like My Book Day, which provides a new book to every first-grader in the Eden Prairie School District – and beyond, and the group’s support of other community organizations, like Eden Prairie’s A Better Chance Foundation and Feed My Starving Children.

“What goes better with jazz than ribs?” asked Bob Danielson, who is on the fundraising committee of the Noon Rotary. Danielson said that Rotarian Tom Herzog has developed a secret spice rub for the ribs, which the Rotary members have taste-tested.

“They are delicious,” Danielson said. “He is the master chef for these ribs.”

The cooking starts at about 6 a.m. Sunday morning. “They will be available for sale starting at about 2 p.m.”

“People will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the ribs,” Danielson said.

Noon Rotary meets Thursdays at noon at Bearpath Country Club. New members are welcome.

For more information about the Rotary, contact membership coordinator John Steinlicht at 952-949-0430 or johnstein99@gmail.com.

For more information about the events, visit www.edenprairie.org, call 952-949-8450 or call the Concert Series Information Line, 952-949-8449, Ext. 5. In addition, information about upcoming concerts and events is included in this week’s paper in the city’s “Sounds Around Town” flyer.

– Compiled by Karla Wennerstrom