Yay for Friday! This long post-holiday week is finally coming to a close! I'm actually flying at the time this email is going out so I didn't have a chance to add any "last minute" stuff. If anything as popped up it'll be added on Facebook or on the Current Great Deals page.

If you missed our Wednesday email, check it out HERE for Stillwater Trolley Tours, Touch-a-Truck Events, Sally Manzara Nature Center and a bunch of things in the freebies and deals section that are still good today.

If you're looking for weekend fun beyond what's included in the newsletter, check out our Events page and Attractions page and also LOTS of towns (14 to be exact) with Summer Festivals this weekend like Robbinsdale Whiz Bang Days, Litchfield Watercade, Lindstrom Karl Oskar Days, Edgerton Dutch Festival, Anoka Riverfest and Craft Show and more. There are also 7 Minnesota county fairs happening this weekend.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you again Monday for the next newsletter! Until then you can find anything new at ThriftyMinnesota.com or on Facebook. Thanks for being a subscriber! I appreciate it.

Como Zoo FREE Weekend Shuttle is Back

While we LOVE visiting Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, parking can get a bit crazy on the weekends.

To make things easier, Como has brought back their free weekend shuttle buses back again this year to make your trips to the zoo a lot easier!

The service runs Saturdays and Sundays from 9:45am to 6:30pm on a continuous loop between the off-site parking lot on Como Ave and the Como Visitor Center.

Walnut Grove Pageant and Village Fair

Following up on last week's look at the best Laura Ingalls Wilder places to visit in Minnesota, you can experience the ultimate pioneer celebration this month at the Walnut Grove Pageant and Village Fair! The free festival fills Walnut Grove City Park across three consecutive Saturdays in July (starting tomorrow) with the famous outdoor Wilder Pageant drama on both Friday and Saturday nights those same weekends.

The daytime fair features unique craft demonstrations, local food and craft vendors, live music, and fun skit performances. There are also hands-on activities like seed art, making corn husk dolls, mini golf, gunnysack races and more.

The Wilder Pageant is a family-oriented outdoor drama with a live performance each night in a hillside amphitheater, which has been developed with capabilities for extensive lighting, sound, and special effects.

FREE Fitness in the Parks Classes in St. Paul

Getting fit outdoors this summer is a little easier with Saint Paul’s FREE Fitness in the Parks class series! Organized by St. Paul Parks and Recreation, this awesome program runs all the way through September 26th at several different parks throughout the city.

No registration is required, making it perfect for a spontaneous workout. The schedule features a variety of options open to all fitness and experience levels—including everything from yoga and Zumba to high-energy cardio classes. They even offer special sessions specifically designed for parents and kids to participate together.

Because the classes welcome all ages and backgrounds, it is a great budget-friendly way to enjoy the warm weather while staying active.

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Get the details for how to get these deals and more on the Current Great Deals Page.

The latest food freebie is a FREE Chomps Original Nashville Hot Seasoned Chicken sample via Send Me A Sample! I know their samples cam really quickly last time.

July 10th is National French Fry Day and some of the deals you can get include free medium fries at McDonald's with $1 purchase, free any size fries at Burger King and Wendy's with $5 purchase, and free cheese fries with any order at White Castle with code CHEESY.

Every Friday Casey’s is offering customers a Medium Free Frozen Drink with Casey’s Rewards. Limit 4 per rewards member per Friday (available at select stores).

Kids can get a FREE tackle box and participate in lots of fun fishing activities at Fleet Farm's Kids Fishing Day on Saturday.

Be one of the first 150 MyLowe’s members in-store on July 11th or 12th starting at 10 a.m. to score your choice of freebie at the Lowe's Money Days Event. One of the choices is FREE MyLowe's Money.

On Saturday 7/11, kids can make FREE wooden space pals at Michael's! Then on Sunday 7/12, EVERYONE can learn to make watercolor cards, but you'll have to buy your own watercolors.

Hy-Vee has a 1-Day Sale is Friday, July 10 ONLY with deals like $.77 eggs, $4.99 ground chuck, shrimp $4.98 for 12 oz, Oreos family size $3.48 and a Market Grille breakfast for $5.

Want SiriusXM FREE for the summer? Right now you can get 3 months of in-car satellite radio for FREE with no credit card required.

Kohl's has started back to school sales (along with home and other sales) with a coupon code for 20% off PLUS $10 Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent.

Yankee Candle has a 5 for $25 Fragrance Weekend through Sunday only with a limit of 25. These are normally up to $12.99 each.

See the details for the things above plus lots more over on the deals page. If you ever spot a good freebie we need to include, please send it over. We all love those!

See All the Deals