Those looking to learn how to cross country ski will have a free opportunity from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

The Nature Center staff will help get participants started. Participants may either bring their own skis or rent a pair from the Nature Center.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The event will be held if there is enough snow on the trail.Trail condition updates are regularly posted on skinnyski.com, with links on the Nature Center’s website and Facebook page.

The Nature Center does not require a Minnesota Ski Pass.

For more information, go to www.hormelnaturecenter.org or call 507-437-7519.

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2020 Wedding and Event Showcase

Attention all brides/grooms-to-be and event planners! The 2020 Wedding and Event Showcase will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Hormel Historic Home.

This event will allow you to find vendors and service providers to help make your wedding or event amazing.

Admission is $5 per person at the door; free admission for members of the Hormel Historic Home.

Enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne while you stroll through our 1871 Historic Home and Carriage Hall Event Center.

For more information, call 507-433-4243.

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Schedule of Events

Friday

• Community Connect, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Riverland Community College East Building Gym. Community Connect is a fun, free event that brings multiple resources to one location for local residents to access. Forty or more different organizations will be on hand to offer advice, assistance, and resources. Free transportation to and from the event is available on SMART bus routes. For more information, call 507-437-2313.

• Food and Friends: Dinner Party Worthy, noon at the Mower County Senior Center. Celebrate the New Year at this January meal. This special dinner features lasagna, green beans, garlic bread and dessert. Entertainment also provided. Cost for members is $8.50, non-members $9.50. To sign up or for more information, stop by the Senior Center front desk or call 507-433-2370.

• ArtRocks Open Jam Session, 7 p.m. at the Austin ArtWorks Center. Meet and play with other musicians from around the area. House band sets up and is available for back-up; you bring your music, instruments, and energy. Cash bar available. For more information, go to www.austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

Saturday

• Kids’ Studio – Pastel Polar Bears, 10:30 a.m. at the Austin ArtWorks Center. With Leila Hansen. Cost $5 per child; geared towards kids ages 5 – 10. To sign up or for more information, go to www.austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

• Fishing for a Cure, noon to 3 p.m. at East Side Lake. Help raise funds for and awareness about cancer research for The Hormel Institute at this annual event. Part of Paint the Town Pink. For more information, go to www.hi.umn.edu/pttp, email goPTTP@gmail.com or call 507-460-0259.

• Author Visit – Rachel Pieh-Jones, 1 p.m. at Sweet Reads. Meet author Rachel Pieh-Hones, Minnesota writer for the New York Times, Runner’s World, and more, and now author of a biography of Somalia’s Mother Theresa, the assassinated Annalena Tonelli. For more information, call 507-396-8660.

• Cure for Cabin Fever – “Summer School,” 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Historic Paramount Theatre. Before Mark Harmon was a regular on television, he starred in this hilarious Carl Reiner movie about a teacher longing for a Hawaiian vacation who finds himself stuck in summer school, teaching a group of students who don’t want to be there any more than he does. Purchase tickets at concession stand – no advance ticket sales.

Sunday

• Riders Pancake Breakfast, 9 a.m. to noon at American Legion Post 91. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat pancake feast at the Legion – pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and juice. Cost – $8 for adults, $4 for kids down to 6, free for kids under 6. All proceeds benefit Legion Riders programs. For more information, call 507-437-1151.