29 things to do on Leap Day Feb. 29

By KAALTV

MGN / Leap Day photo illustration

(ABC 6 News) – Happy Leap Day from ABC 6 News! In order to celebrate this once-every-four-year occasion, our team came up with a list of fun things to do in and around our viewing area.

Our thinking — you may as well spend your Leap Day doing something out-of-the-ordinary. What are you going to do with your extra day?

Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list of events happening in SE MN and N IA Thursday. Did we miss a neat event? If so, email anne.halliwell@kaaltv.com with details.

The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council’s Language Revitalization Working Group, partnering with the Minnesota Humanities Center, is hosting the 3rd annual Dakota & Ojibwe Languages Symposium 8 a.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Friday, March 1. Call call Treasure Island Resort at 1-888-867-7829 for more information, and register here: Dakota and Ojibwe Languages Symposium – Minnesota Humanities Center (mnhum.org)
Join the Mason City Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting at Transform Yoga. Assemble at 525 6th Street SW at 8 a.m. More information here.
Get the preschool-aged kiddos out of the house – and to Miss Angie’s Place for literacy games and art from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. And learn about early reading support from RPL at the same time! Get your ticket here: Education – Miss Angie’s Place (missangiesplace.org) Bonus: Pop back in at 6:30 for an adults-only dance workout class. Tickets here: Miss Angie’s Place – Shake your Booty! with Bridget & Kristi (hisawyer.com)

Keep an eye out for scammers! Arcadian Bank is hosting a Fraud Prevention Q&A at the Albert Lea Senior Center (1739 W Main Street). Sign up at the front desk or call ahead at 507-373-0704.

Justify your sweet tooth with a Rochester Arts and Sciences fundraiser. Mention RASA when you pay for your (sprinkle-covered? Chocolate-dipped?) cone and 25% of your purchase will go toward the local, secular private school. 3535 22nd Avenue NW location only! Check the Facebook event for more information.
Then justify your pint at Foremost Brewing Cooperative (131 W Broadway Street, Owatonna). Starting at 3 p.m., a dollar from each pint of beer or root beer goes toward Little Theatre of Owatonna.
Calling all entrepreneurs – the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is holding a Small Business Resource Connection event 3-5 p.m. at 2900 19th Street NW. Learn about resources in the area and network! Sign up here: Small Business Resource Connection Registration – Formstack

Warhammer 40,000 is the most popular miniature wargame in the world – learn why at Gamez N More 4-9 p.m. every Thursday.
Find your new favorite (French!) vintage at Woody’s Liquor, 316 Elton Hills Drive NW. The wine-tasting begins at 4 p.m. Call 507-282-2426 for more information.
100% of sales 4-9 p.m. at Chianti Grill, Burnsville, will go to go to the families of Officer Paul Elmstrand, Officer Matthew Ruge, and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth. 14296 Plymouth Ave, Burnsville, MN. Reservations are highly recommended – call 952-892-7555 to get started.
Subscription-based healthcare biz HELPcare has an open house at 4 p.m. – head to 2150 2nd Street SW to learn about the monthly billing and unlimited visits model.

Head to Music Man Square, Mason City for a shot at giveaways from local businesses 4-8 p.m. All you have to do is lead your Chamber Trivia team to victory by knowing the most about the City, music, sports, history, and more. Information here: Chamber Trivia Night 2024 – Feb 29, 2024 – Membership Directory – Mason City Chamber of CommerceMason City Chamber of Commerce (masoncityia.com)
Sargeant’s on 2nd wants to teach you how to stop killing your potted plants. From 4:30-5:30, learn all about which soils are best for their delicate, picky roots. It’s free, but register here: The Scoop on Soils Tickets, Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 4:30 PM | Eventbrite
Watch “A Squirrel’s Guide to Success” at the Freeborn County Historical Society – it follows one documentarian’s quest to guide them through a diabolical (for squirrels, anyway) obstacle course. $5 for non-members for the Historical Society, and the movie starts at 4:30 p.m.
Head to Franklin Elementary School in Rochester for an arts and literature night 5-7 p.m.. “What’s In Our Community” is designed to help students and parents come up with a 4X8-foot mural to be displayed at the elementary. The event will be hosted by Jenin Mohammed, a children’s book illustrator known for titles like “Super Mom” and “All the Places We Call Home.”
Ring in the leap year with Bolan – head to the schoolhouse at 4206 Tulip Lane, Kensett for “Leaping to the Future,” where residents will serve soup and sandwiches, and there’ll be screenings of Bolan’s stint on “Late Night With David Letterman” from 35 years ago will air every half-hour! For more information, call 641-903-9472.
Strap on some wheels and head to Roller City Skate (600 2nd Street NW, Mason City) for a “bonus family skate.” Pricing information here: https://fb.me/e/3p6Hgw4pb. Call 641-423-2000 with questions!
Take a “leap of taste” with Food Union, located in Rochester’s subway system. For $25, they promise to help you “grow your culinary tastebuds by leaps and bounds.” 5:30-7 p.m., sign up here: A Leap of Taste Trust US — Shop Food Union (thisisfoodunion.com)
Take a class with Rochester artist Melissa Eggler – you know her from the ART(is)T Therapy Artisan Markets – and focus in on special colors, then turn bits of glass into a unique piece. $50 per person, 6-8 p.m. at First Unitarian Universalist Commons (1727 Walden Lane SW, Rochester). Details here: https://fb.me/e/6UkH434Y5
Bring the kids to an hour of Bingo at Spring Valley’s Pizza Place beginning at 6 p.m. Cost of entry: a receipt for a meal Feb. 29. https://fb.me/e/1jHVB6bX9
LTS Brewing’s Beer Choir benefits Resounding Voices, a Rochester-area choir for dementia patients and their caregivers. Admission is free with a donation to the choir. The music starts at 6!

Learn how to create embellishments – little decorations you can use to “upcycle” a drab thrift store find or disguise an unsightly detail – with seamstress Linda Severs from 6-8 p.m. Sign up by texting 707-508-9896 or messaging Linda on Facebook – details here: https://fb.me/e/1UTVdCmkl
Learn tips and tricks for Pediatric Dentistry at The Workshop in Rochester 6-8 p.m. Editor’s note: If Dr. Jasmine Yesil can explain how to get kids to floss, it’s probably worth popping in. More information here: https://fb.me/e/1Uj5h49Mr
The Friends of Forestville are a historical society dedicated to preserving Forestville State Park, Mystery Cave, and more. If you’ve been looking to join, they have an annual meeting at the Spring Valley Public Library tonight at 6.
Get in on the Hayfield American Legion’s annual Bingo nights – every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. 19 Center Ave S, Hayfield.
Join a group dance class at Blue Moon Ballroom at 7 or 8 p.m. – “social foxtrot” is a fun, rhythmic option (you’ll learn to twinkle, promenade, and grapevine!) while the Tango class is for experienced “Tangueros” (you’ll be hooking your partner’s feet and dragging them around, which does sound like an expert-level move). Call 507- 288-0556 or check pricing here: Class Schedule | blue-moon-ballroom (bluemoonballroom.com)
Listen to Prank Williams, “a fixture in the Minneapolis folk music community for over fifteen years,” 7-10 p.m. at Forager Brewery in Rochester. https://fb.me/e/1LiUWIYfy
Or follow Rochester songster Mike Munson to No Name Bar in Winona – if you can’t make it tonight, he’s performing there the next two Thursdays as well! https://fb.me/e/4jGuQNmIC
Finally, pick up the mic at Goonie’s Comedy Club, Rochester. Sign-ups for Open Mic Night are at 7:15, and the show starts at 7:30 – so no dilly-dallying! https://fb.me/e/6abbMWhi5