12 things about St. Paul’s Yacht Club Festival 🎶 you outta know 🎶

Plus: Your favorite concert memories [Plus: Your favorite concert memories] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Scroll to the end of today's edition for some excellent reader-submitted concert memories 🎸 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - ['Fight!': Minnesota Republicans show solidarity with Trump at RNC, vow to turn state red]( - [Minnesota housing finance agency is making racial segregation worse, Black organization claims]( - [A Hmong's family journey takes them to the banks of Plum Creek]( - [1 dead, 5 others hurt in south Minneapolis shooting]( - [Black Lives Matter activist will use fellowship to explore history, leadership, organic farming](   Avast ye, music lovers — the Yacht Club Festival beckons Brian Peterson/Star Tribune It's been unusually stormy lately, conditions that don't seem particularly conducive to a music festival or a leisurely cruise on a yacht. But the forecast calls for clear skies this weekend, which means smooth sailing for anyone aching to get out on the water. Gen Xers will be further blessed by the coming of a music festival that was practically concocted in a lab to appeal to their sentiments. That's right: The inaugural Yacht Club Festival is upon us. The two-day music extravaganza features a veritable who's who of '90s heavy-hitters, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (pictured above) to Alanis Morissette. (On a side note, it's a shame "Dogma" isn't available to stream anywhere, thanks to the reported machinations of one Harvey Weinstein.) The two-day festival comes courtesy of the same production company behind Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and other major musical events. We've got everything you need to know about the weekend's happenings at the links below, penned by none other than music writers Chris Riemenschneider and Jon Bream. Also, feel free to point and laugh at the almost uniformly poor predictions some of us had for the participating acts back in January. Mad ups to Abby Sliva and Casey Darnell for correctly guessing two of the headliners. Related coverage - [Festival, ahoy! A dozen things to know about St. Paul's Minnesota Yacht Club]( - [Harriet Island boasts long music fest history starring Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston and Dave Matthews]( - [Who will play July's Minnesota Yacht Club music fest? Strib staffers predict]( - [Is a major music festival finally coming to the Twin Cities? Lollapalooza backers say yes](     GOING OUT - [9 free things to do in the Twin Cities this week]( - ['English' gives Guthrie Theater audiences a different sort of immigrant story]( [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below. Introducing Fiber Shredder, a machine that shreds fiber A Duluth professor says she's found a way to make a dent in the 92 million tons of global textile waste we produce every year. Abigail Clarke-Sather and her team at the University of Minnesota Duluth have developed a machine called Fiber Shredder that ... well, shreds fabric so that it may eventually become yarn. Star Tribune intern Anna Armstrong has the [details about the machine and its development here](. Anna Armstrong/Star Tribune MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - [Chefs convene with farmers in northeast Minneapolis to talk farm policy]( - [Cyberattack costs growing at UnitedHealth Group, but profit still better than expected]( - [Man rescued after getting pinned between light-rail train and platform]( - [Willi Castro's unlikely rise to All-Star started with a promise to his dad]( thnks fr th mmrs Alex Kormann/Star Tribune Last week, we asked y'all to share your favorite concert memories from the Twin Cities. From angsty '00s rockers to pop legends, here are a couple of the best: Frankie Johnson, a local lobbyist and legal assistant, called out the time she saw Paramore, Phantom Planet and Jack's Mannequin play the Minnesota State Fair in 2008. (Side note: I am a massive Andrew McMahon fan and will be forever bummed that the Something Corporate reunion tour is skipping Minneapolis. Just needed to put that out there.) "I was 14 and it was my first unchaperoned concert with a friend and wow, the talent and the indie-emo vibes were off the charts," Johnson wrote." I was a huge 'O.C.' fan and hearing Phantom Planet perform 'California' live was amazing. I don't know that I've ever had more fun. It's a favorite concert memory for sure. And I do still have the Paramore t-shirt 16 years later." La Jefa and I also adore "The O.C." and maintain that the pilot episode is among the most perfectly executed 43 minutes of television ever created. Elizabeth Pavlica's favorite concert memory is a little more recent: Beyoncé at Huntington Bank Stadium in 2016. "The concert was delayed due to inclement weather, and the anxious Beyhive filled the Bank concourses, singing and hoping the concert would go on. (It did!)," she writes. "The most spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime moment came during 'Freedom' near the end of the show. Beyoncé and her dancers were stomping and dancing and kicking on a water stage when it started to rain. Even way back in the nosebleeds, we felt like we were on the floor and part of the show." Turns out Pavlica and I were both at Huntington Bank Stadium last year for the Renaissance tour. The moonrise over the skyline behind the stage made that one a night to remember, as well! IN OTHER NEWS - [Reagan shooting brought nation together in a way attack on Trump has not]( - MinnPost - [Some Somali voters say economy, social issues are driving them to vote for Trump]( - Sahan Journal - [Wisconsin faith leaders warn against white Christian nationalism as GOP gathers in Milwaukee]( - Minnesota Reformer     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE norvocaine via Reddit Apparently, even the practical jokers are "Minnesota Nice" around here. Reddit user norvocaine shared this touching story about a group of neighborhood pranksters who got more than they bargained for when they knocked on the poster's door only to find a big foam T. rex head snarling back at them. The kids left this note and flowers some time later, thanking the prankee for pranking them right back in good humor. More of this, please! Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter David Taintor, editor [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]([Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.