Did I see you last week at one of the amazing happenings in Saint Paul? Okay, maybe we were just too busy to cross paths, or maybe I was enjoying my mom’s food way too much, or maybe we just didn’t look up from one of the grooves we were in while an artist or two was laying it down for us. Yes, we are busy, but maybe this week we can catch some friends along this artists’ way.

Yes, it’s winter, several weeks early. In honor of an early winter, I won’t make you stand here freezing for long. We’ll get right to the business of art and literature and culture. Also, since we haven’t the sanity to avoid this weather, maybe I can help infuse a little sanity into your holiday plans.

As you will see, Thursday is a busy day in the Saint Paul arts world. Besides a lot of authors and artists reading, it is Give to the Max Day. Maybe you should write this down. (I did.) Of course, you can always take a look at the Almanac arts calendar.

Our neighbors are fabulous and brought that to Thursday’s book release party, as they do to everything Saint Paul. Even though the festiveness of the summer weather is escaping, our warmth and energy were enough to make it a great gathering.

It’s the week for the 2015 Saint Paul Almanac“To the Nines” Book Release Party at The Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar. We are glad you are with us this week. We hope to see you in Lowertown for the party, and a few other places, even if it’s just in your heart.

The Minnesota State Fair is something that draws a lot of people into Saint Paul. It makes traveling up Snelling Avenue a challenge, but there is something about the trail of vehicles that delights me with wonder—wonder about who is in those cars, who is part of the parade streaming into the gates, pausing at the cotton candy stand outside, in what part of the state their travels began that day, or even if they live in Minnesota.

The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing. The throngs are just part of the spectacular fest. There are lots of opportunities for art, whether it is the music, the 4H building art competition, seed art, or the juried art show, and more. Don’t forget, there is one more day to join fellow artists of every skill level for the The Sixth Minnesota State Fair Sketch Out on Tuesday, August 26.

I have noticed the State Fairgrounds getting busier and busier. Folks have been breaking in the place and the anticipation is enough to stave off the pangs that come with the last gasp of summer. Over the next two weeks, a lot of people, young and old, will be back to school. Something will be different, soon, if nothing else than a temporary reprise from the change of scenery staving off the fits of boredom that visit youngsters and some of us grownups who insist to a parent or caretaker, “There’s nothing to do!”

The most important thing you do this week is something that is happening on Tuesday, August 12, all over Saint Paul at a place close to you. In fact, it is happening all over Minnesota. It is primary election day. In spite of the many efforts to encroach on voting rights, Minnesota still remains one of the less problematic places to exercise that legal and moral entitlement.

We have about a month of summer left. Folks who bring us all the State Fair fun have been breaking in the fairgrounds and getting ready for the great get-together. The summer has not been lazy for a lot of us, especially the young people who have been pedaling around Storymobile, which has been a great way for us to meet even more neighbors than we’ve collected through the years of publishing the Saint Paul Almanac.

We are marking the days until the second Thursday of September, the same Thursday each year on which we hold one of the best parties in Lowertown. It is the Release Party for the 2015 Saint Paul Almanac, and it will, again, be a very fun night at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar

Storymobile continues to roll through town and people continue to flock to it—not quite like the ice cream truck, but with more focus and sincerity… and you don’t have to ask Mom or Dad for money before Storymobile rolls by. We have young people pedalling hard to keep up with all of your stories. And Saint Paul’s arts community is giving us a lot to keep us busy, making new stories as we remember the old ones.

I am already feeling nostalgic for summer, for some good reasons and for reasons that are, well, the sepia-colored-glasses type of recalling. We sure have had our share of rain, and like life, sometimes that rain brings flooding and other disaster. Maybe it’s time to...