Mankato Riverfront Park/Vetter Stone Amphitheater…read more Well me and my Gal took a drive to Mankato for another of our Kid un-friendly events. We got tickets for a concert at the Vetter Stone Amphitheater at the Mankato Riverfront Park. We found some street parking close by and had a short walk into the park. Grabbed our 21+ wrist bands and headed to the beer tent. The line moved fast enough but as the night progressed we found out they really needed a few more tents. They had a full bar but cheap crappy beer. $4.50 for a Tall Boy Grain Belt wasn't bad. At least it wasn't expensive crappy beer. Standing in beer line ended up being some of the best entertainment at the event. So the lineup was Lita Ford, then Dokken, next Sebastian Bach and closing out the Show Ratt. We would have preferred to have just seen Lita and Sebastian as neither one of us were big fans of Ratt and Dokken back in the day. Lita Ford... Still hot at 54. Great show, Old stuff new stuff and even Cherry Bomb from the Runaways. 4 Stars. Dokken... We were pleasantly surprise we ended up enjoying them more than I thought we would. 3 Stars. Sebastian Bach... Kicked Butt! Still has the voice and puts on a great show. It was great when he stopped the show a few times to "encourage" the fans to get pumped up. Plus he has an awesome bass player. (I have all ways liked a great bass player better then an average lead guitar) 5 Stars. Ratt... I could take a pass. They were boring compared to the other 3 bands. We left the concert before they were done with their set. It was phoned in music in the 80's and hasn't improved with age. 2 Stars. The Park and Amphitheater... Good acoustics, great sight lines, they had plenty of Biffs, (however as I mentioned not enough beer tents) You can bring a chair or blanket if you want. (we had a blanket along but rock n rollers don't sit much during concerts ) 4 Stars.

Just attended our first event here - overall, it's a nice local venue and I'm hoping they can get…read moresome more great entertainment here. I understand it has been renovated, but had never been here prior. Seating - was all assigned and chairs were provided. The seating and rows were very tight. Bars - good, food trucks were also available which was fun/unique- but we had ate prior to the event, so we didn't try them. Restrooms - were just portapotty's - was often a line, could use some more. No lights, so hard to use once it got dark. Security - to get into the event went fine- checked ID's, bags, and metal detector.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is one of the last remaining dinner theatres in the United States and it…read morethe largest dinner theatre in the country. CDT has been open since 1968 and has been the launching pad for many actors who have become famous. It has several stages and the main stage is the one that has the dinner theatre. I have been to this theatre dozens of times over the years. The show that I saw recently was Guys and Dolls. CDT tends to present the classics, but does there own updating and choreography. This musical had a live orchestra. The shows at CDT are very high quality and to me are equivalent to the theatres in Minneapolis and St. Paul such as the Orpheum and the State Theatre. The quality of actors is excellent, as is the production value of the shows. Show-only tickets may be reserved no earlier than ten days prior to a Main Stage performance date, based upon availability, so let's talk about the dinner part of the dinner theatre. Honestly, this is not exactly their strong point. However, the value of the dinner is stated to be $22, which is not exactly a very large amount. The most famous choice is the Chicken Chanhassen, which I think is very good. You can order extra drinks, dessert, etc. and that is where their profit margin lies. All in all, this is an excellent theatre and represents our area well in terms of the arts and theatre.

We have been here many times for concerts and shows. The concert venue is nice and brings in great…read morebands; i.e. The Fabulous Armadillos. Shows vary but they tend to pick oldies like Grease too often. I remember seeing Shirley Valentine here decades ago when they took more risks. They do have a drag brunch monthly so that is something. Parking can be challenging for the concerts. On concert night there was a wedding, concert and Guys and Dolls. Maybe a comedy show too. Very packed. Show parking is good because you arrive earlier. The food is very standard. It has always needed an upgrade. Recommended, by now it is an institution.

The Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts is a state-of-the-art, 1000-seat auditorium, which…read moreincludes a 50' x 40' stage (plus 25' wings on each side), full fly loft, a green room, dressing/makeup rooms, black box theatre, a costume shop, a scene shop, an orchestra pit, and a catering kitchen. It was planned and built in conjunction with Spirit Lake High School and serves both community and educational needs. It's a very impressive facility, especially for small town Iowa. Gayle and I came here recently for a Town Hall Meeting that was hosted by Charles Grassley, the Republican US Senator from Iowa. Although the subject of Health Care is now prominent in the news, Senator Grassley has a long tradition of holding at least 1 constituent meeting every year in each of Iowa's 99 counties. At the same time, he has not missed a single Senate vote since the big Iowa floods of 1993 (when he was in State with then President Clinton). He also has a high approval rate in Iowa, even amongst Democrats. My parents aren't in that group and actually prefer the politics of the other Iowa Senator - Democrat Tom Harkin. However, during the August recess, Senator Harkin was pretty much MIA during this Town Hall season. And since Gayle and I were in town, why not come and hear what one of our representatives has to say (and even if we might disgree)? There were about 800 people at this Town Hall Meeting and that included a good group of students in the balcony from Spirit Lake High School. The big turn out was probably a combination of the health care issue and the fact that the Sami Bedell Center is in a resort area. There was one guy in the Lobby sporting a "No Socialism" shirt and handing out leaflets. And other than very rare "hooting" during the meeting and some soft grumbling when Nancy Pelosi was mentioned, Gayle and I didn't have the impression that we were in the presence of a right wing audience that was egged on my the likes of Sean Hannity. In fact, the words "Barack Obama" were never spoken. Both Gayle and I found Senator Grassley to be soft spoken, well versed, and respectful. And he took notes. And although a few members of the audience made statements instead of asking a question, all inquires were well considered, polite and heartfelt. We never got the impression that we were in the middle of a rally or that any of the questions were planted. In fact, at one point after an audience member asked for a show of hands on some health care related issue, Senator Grassley politely declined as he didn't want such a demonstration to intimidate anyone. He also patiently explained to a citizen on why (by law) she wasn't getting a cost of living increase on her Social Security this year. His best quote of the session was that "You'll never be able to raise taxes high enough to pay for all the money that Congress wants to spend." Other questions besides heatlh care were asked during this 1 hour plus session. That included the deficit, illegal immigrants, cap and trade, college costs, and wind energy. I especially enjoyed the conversation about delivery of medical care into rural areas (and a key reason Senator Grassley is at the negotiating table) and the future supply of primary care physicians in those communities if the public option is implemented. According to Senator Grassley, Iowa is a high quality, but low reimbursement state. But the most interesting conversation Gayle and I had after attending this very worthwhile Town Hall Meeting, was how selective even the local media is in broadcasting the resulting sound bites. During our attendance, there were 3 times that the audience reacted with applause (and some hooting). In order of loudest to less so, one citizen asked that health care legislation be pushed as a tribute to Ted Kennedy. Another gave a very heartfelt description of how her departed father thought he had the best insurance money could by and how she had trouble getting insurance based on her preexisting condition. Finally, a small business owner described his hard work in making a profit and providing his employees with health insurance. He then strongly asked that the government keep out his business and his life. Guess which clip was broadcast by the local radio station? Listening to that made Gayle and I wonder what was really going on at some of the other Town Hall Meetings throughout our great Country.

Enjoyable site, though seats are a bit close. Always clean…read more Bathroom is small for number of people, but again kept clean. Seating is fast and enough help to get everyone to their seats. If I recall, no issues with people in front, enough height to see over them, but right next and not easy to get out of seats, without people standing and stepping back. Almost no room for coats (many do not check), but floors very clean, so can be placed on floor

I've lived in the area for 25 years and recently was the first time I had ever been to the Ames…read moreCenter. We saw a cover band of Queen songs. I'm so glad I was finally able to experience this venue. Parking is easy with free ramp and street parking next door to the theatre. Our seats were right in the middle of the center section. The steepness of the seats was great in that the person in front of you never blocks your view. Drinks were available for purchase and you can bring them to your seat. Staff was super friendly. It felt a little odd to see a 'Queen' concert in a theatre when I felt people should be up dancing and singing but the band did a good job of engaging the audience and the last few songs got the crowd on their feet. Nice experience.

Cover Band for Pink Floyd, Far to loud, DB meter indicated over 110 dB. Don't know if that was to…read moremake up for the bands skills, or just a poor sound guy. The theater it's self is a nice place. The Theater if they are going to continue with music need much improvement in the acoustics. The staff were very friendly! The light show the band had was good. Again the Theater needs to address how loud a performance is, if they want to sell tickets!

Saw Tonic Sol Fa perform here. Nice venue, but nothing stands out to me right now to set it apart…read morefrom the rest.

Gayle and I recently attended and really enjoyed a 4:30 Saturday Matinee of "How to Succeed in…read moreBusiness Without Really Trying". It's been years since I attended an Okoboji Summer Theatre production and was impressed on how the auditorium and physical campus had been improved. The production itself, although a bit long, was professional, entertaining, and impressive. I also enjoyed the local feel of the place and knowing that we were witnessing a training ground for future successful actors and other stage professionals.

Worlds Best Theatre, spent some great summers there. the best crew that will make you feel like you…read moreare a part of the magic