1. American Legion convention and Poppy Days

The 1st District American Legion will host its 98th annual convention on Friday and Saturday at the American Legion in Albert Lea.

At 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the convention will have a memorial service to honor veterans. The American Legion Auxiliary will meet at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center. The memorial service will be at the gazebo in Fountain Lake Park, across the street from the American Legion on North Broadway.

The American Legion has not hosted the convention since 2000.

The service is open to the public.

The American Legion Auxiliary will also host Poppy Days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at Hy-Vee and Marketplace Foods.

2. Murder Mystery Dinner

Wedgewood Cove Golf Club will host a murder mystery dinner on Saturday with a Las Vegas theme.

The club will be transformed into an extravagant casino on the Las Vegas strip. High rollers and big gamblers are invited as “hotel guests” to the club.

The stakes will be high at the event — someone at the party will fall victim to lawlessness and lies. Wedgewood Cove staff said there is no certainty to the events of the mysterious evening.

Special guests to the mystery dinner will be a cunning cocktail waitress, sexy showgirls and Elvis Presley himself.

The event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m., and guests are encouraged to wear Vegas attire.

Wedgewood Cove Golf Club is at 2200 West 9th St. in Albert Lea.

The cost for the event is $54.95 for single tickets or $350 for a whole table. The price includes dinner, drinks and the murder mystery show.

Anyone interested in the event is encouraged to buy tickets early at the Wedgewood Cove bar; however, tickets will also be sold at the door Saturday night.

People interested in reserving a ticket are encouraged to direct calls to Wedgewood Cove Golf Club at 507-373-2007.

3. Syttende Mai Banquet (Norwegian Independence Day)

The Freeborn County Historical Museum will host Syttende Mai, a Norwegian Independence Day banquet, on Friday.

The banquet will start at 5:30 p.m. and go until 8:30 p.m. A social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:00 p.m. Following dinner, The Singing Cowgirl Lisa Murphy, a professional entertainer and solo artist, will charm the crowd with her John Denver-style country music.

The Freeborn County Historical Museum is at 1031 Bridge Ave.

Tickets for the event are $15.   

For reservations, call Paul and Leola Anderson at 507-373-2729. The event is open to the public, but the deadline for tickets was May 10.

4. Albert Lea Farmers Market

The first Saturday market of the Albert Lea Farmers Market season will be in the municipal parking lot on North Broadway.

The market will be from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday along Bridge Avenue in the parking lot of Herberger’s at Northbridge Mall.

The market will run Wednesdays and Saturdays until the end of October.

Albert Lea Farmers Market marketing and social media director Patti Floyd said there will be less of a selection at early markets due to unseasonable spring weather.

Asparagus, rhubarb and maple syrup will be reliable products to find at the market on Wednesday.

Visitors of the farmers market can expect more products available in the coming weeks, such as radishes, kale, craft items, plants and farm-fresh eggs, canned products from jellies and jams to salsa and pickles, as well as maple syrup and craft items.

Anyone interested in more information can visit the Albert Lea Farmers Market Facebook page or their website.

5. “Nana’s Naughty Knickers”

The Marion Ross Performing Arts Center will host “Nana’s Naughty Knickers” Friday and Saturday.

“Nana’s Naughty Knickers,” a comedy set in a New York apartment, is directed by Brian Mattson.

The main character, Bridget, played by Kristi White, and her grandmother, played by Rebekah Sousa, are about to become roommates. Bridget has an experience that she will never forget when she moves in with her grandmother in New York for the summer. Not only is her grandmother selling naughty handmade knickers to other senior citizens in the city, but she is running the illegal boutique from the shared apartment.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. each night.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1-877-730-3144, online at actonbroadway.com or at the box office, which opens weekdays at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are also available at the Albert Lea Convention & Visitors Bureau.