Mystic Lake Casino Hotel held open casting calls for 250 temporary workers last week to staff a four-day pop-up concert on the entertainment complex grounds during Super Bowl weekend.
Club Nomadic, known for its high-buck parties, will host country-pop hitmakers Florida Georgia Line along with three other headliners in Prior Lake ahead of the Feb. 4 Super Bowl at downtown Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium. The makeshift concert venue, which is expected to hold 9,500, remains under construction outside of the casino. Tickets start at $200 for general admission.
Mystic Lake held a three-day job fair for interested bartenders, servers, cooks, bussers, custodians, and more. Qualified candidates were hired on site.
In recent years, Club Nomadic has hosted performers like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Dave Matthews Band, Pharrell Williams and Red Hot Chili Peppers to kick off its Super Bowl festivities.
The Club Nomadic gigs are organized by the New York-based events company Nomadic Entertainment Group, which is owned by the official hospitality partner of the National Football League. That same group will also put on concerts at the renovated Minneapolis Armory near U.S. Bank Stadium, site of Super Bowl LII. By contrast, Mystic Lake is 26 miles from downtown Minneapolis.
Liz Sawyer
Mendota Heights
Name chosen for Hwy. 110 pedestrian tunnel
Mendota Heights celebrated the opening of a new pedestrian and bike tunnel that runs beneath Hwy 110 about 1000 feet east of Dodd Road several weeks ago.
The tunnel, which has an opening in the median area to allow sunlight in, provides a safer crossing option and connects Mendota Plaza to the Village at Mendota Heights — both shopping hubs in the city. "It makes it much more charming and pleasant," Council member Ultan Duggan said of the open area.
The underpass was built at the same time that Hwy. 110 was resurfaced by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The city held a contest to name to the tunnel and received more than 200 entries, according to the city website. Duggan headed a committee of local residents to review the choices and pick one.
The committee chose "The Hole in 110," submitted by David Peterson of Minneapolis.
Duggan said the contest was a way to make government fun.
Though it is unofficial, the title will be used locally to refer to the pedestrian and bike tunnel.
Erin Adler
Hastings
City reacts to closing of Hastings Target
Target will close 12 underperforming stores on Feb. 3 and its Hastings location at 875 General Sieben Drive will be among them. It is the only store to close in the Twin Cities metro area, though in greater Minnesota the Fergus Falls store is also on the list.
Target told employees about the shuttering Monday and Hastings city officials reacted Tuesday.
"The city of Hastings has placed economic development as a top priority in the past several years," a news release said. "News of the local Target location closing is disappointing, but will not deter the city from moving forward with continued focus and increased efforts to support the local business environment."
The city recently created a new economic development coordinator position, the release said, "to review and improve the city's economic development tools."
"As far as filling the vacancy Target's departure will create, the city will continue to communicate with Target to learn about the opportunities and challenges of the property. The Target property is not owned or controlled by the city," the release said.
Hastings' Target is across the street from a Walmart near the Dakota County Government Center and not far from Hastings High School.
Erin Adler
Mustangs at rescue descend from war horses
This Old Horse, a horse rescue in Hastings, rescued 28 mustangs one year ago from a failed horse sanctuary in South Dakota. At least a quarter of them were blind and all were starving or neglected.
Since then the nonprofit has discovered that four of those mustangs are descendants of the Calvary Remount Program, an initiative that existed from the Civil War through WWI. Years ago, the U.S. calvary and private organizations released Morgan, Arabian and thoroughbred stallions into existing wild herds in hopes of creating a bigger and faster war horse, according to This Old Horse.
They rounded up the offspring to use as war horses in the U.S. and various European militaries, but not all were wrangled. The remainder continued to live in the wild. They were the ancestors of Warrior, Lieutenant, Sarge and Chief, currently owned by This Old Horse. They are being fostered by owners of a Stillwater farm.
There aren't many of these war horses left, the nonprofit said in a prepared statement.
"The ones that call This Old Horse home are wise old souls," the release said.
Erin Adler
Apple Valley
Minnesota Zoo to host winter camps
Spots are quickly filling for the Minnesota Zoo's winter day camps, offering educational programming to children ages 4 through 10.
A selection of classes — ranging from animal senses to dog sledding — are available over Christmas break between Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Course fees range between $20 and $75 a day, with the option of an additional child care fee if parents want to drop children off early or pick them up late.
For information and registration, mnzoo.org/education/camps/schools-out-camps, or call 952-431-9390.
Liz Sawyer
