By Evelyn Seffinga

1. Fountain Lake 5 and Tiger Trot

Southwest Middle School will host its 11th annual Tiger Trot 5k run/walk in conjunction with the Albert Lea Family Y’s Fountain Lake 5 at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Students, families and community members are invited to participate.

Registration for the Tiger Trot is $30 for adults and $20 for children in seventh grade and younger. Packet pickup will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end just before the races at 8:45 a.m. at Brookside Education Center.

Proceeds for the Tiger Trot will go to the Southwest Middle School student activity fund.

Register online at www.albertlea.org/events/details/tiger-trot-1496.

Registration for the Fountain Lake 5 is $27 for Albert Lea Family Y members or $32 for nonmembers.

The Fountain Lake 5 is a 5-mile run around Fountain Lake.

2. Healthy Kids Running Series

Sunday will kick off the first of five running events to encourage healthy activity for children with the Healthy Kids Running Series. Divisions will be determined based on age and grade. All races will be the same distance each week.

The cost of the five-week series is $35 total or $10 per race. On-site registrations are welcome each week; checks are preferred.

Registration begins at 3:15 p.m. each Sunday of the series and must be completed by the start of the races at 4 p.m. The events will take place at the Southwest Middle School grass area.

Children are encouraged to wear sneakers. T-shirts and bags will be provided to participants of the full series and prizes will be awarded.

The running series dates are April 23 and 30 and May 7, 14 and 21.

For more information, contact Katie Pestorious at 507-383-6858 or hkrsalalbertlea@gmail.com.

3. “Eugene Onegin”

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin will be transmitted live in high-definition on Saturday to the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.

Hosting this week’s opera is Renée Fleming. Anna Netrebko reprises one of her most acclaimed roles as Tatiana, the naive heroine of Tchaikovsky’s opera, adapted from Pushkin’s classic verse novel. Peter Mattei stars as the title character, who rejects Tatiana’s love until it’s too late.  Alexey Dolgov sings the role of Onegin’s friend-turned-rival, Lenski, with Elena Maximova as Tatiana’s sister, Olga, and Štefan Kocán as Prince Gremin. Netrebko reprises the role of Tatiana, which opened the production in 2013.

The opera runs approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes, with two intermissions. The production is sung in Russian with English subtitles.

The “Meet the Met” opera talk will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the theater. Discussion on the story, singers and facts will be presented. The opera begins at 11:55 a.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults and students are admitted free with a current student ID.

4. Taste of Heritage Festival

The eighth annual Taste of Heritage Festival will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Northbridge Mall.

The event celebrates the various cultures of past, present and future community members. Each exhibit at the festival will display diverse aspects of those living in Albert Lea, including multicultural food samples and children’s activities. Aztec dancers will be performing again this year.

5. Humane Society of Freeborn County fundraiser

A burger basket and bake sale fundraiser for the Humane Society of Freeborn County will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Moose Lodge.

Cost is $8 for a burger and French fries. Bake sale items will also be for sale.

Tickets are available ahead of time at The Pet Authority, the Humane Society and from the organization’s volunteers.