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What’s Going On – Week of June 20th 2016

Twin Cities Jazz Fest — June 23 through June 25

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Get jazzed up this weekend in St. Paul at the 17th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival. This free event features over 100 Jazz groups from across the country. 2016 Headliners include the Ellis MarsalaTrio, 13 year old piano phenom Joey Alexander, the John Pizzarelli Quartet, Michael Franti and Spearhead and many other nationally acclaimed musicians.

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Motion Products Inc. – Winning is the Only Pedigree

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Motion Products Inc. was kind enough to host Morrie’s Luxury Auto and Morrie’s Heritage for a private tour at their facilities in rural Wisconsin last week. To say that we enjoyed ourselves is a bit of an understatement. Motion Products was founded over 30 years ago and in that time has become a world-renowned name for all things Ferrari, and they are now branching out into alternate luxury brands. “In the beginning it was a man and his passion for fast, beautiful cars and a desire to take his talents to the most powerful and influential stages in the world. Now a major player at such events as the Cavallino Classic and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, MPI’s passion and desire is what has defined the organization.” The company is made up of 45 experts that work out of 3 different locations and handle everything from service to full concourse level frame up restorations. “With hundreds of awards to our name and more than 500 cars and counting, MPI is a true leader in vintage Italian restorations.”

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What’s Going On – Week of 6/13/16

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Stone Arch Bridge Festival – June 17th through June 19th

You certainly have a great number of reasons to skip out of work early this Friday and the Stone Arch Bridge Festival is just one of them. If you’re not the deviant type you could always stop by on Saturday or Sunday as well to check out this event that features over 250 artists, four performance stages, a car show and motorcycle exhibition all with one of Minneapolis’ most picturesque view as a backdrop.

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Back to the Fifties – June 17th through June 19th

 If you’re looking for a good excuse to look at thousands of cool old cars from the fifties and sixties you should add the Back to the Fifties to your list of things to do this weekend. It’s the nation’s largest gathering of cars from the era with plenty of cars to cater to every interest.

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Rock the Garden – Saturday, June 18th

This year marks the 15th year for Rock the Garden and the first time it will go garden-less. Since the Walker Art Center lawn is currently in disarray, the concert put on by the folks at 89.3 The Current heads to Boom Island Park. Last we checked tickets are still available for this concert that features the Flaming Lips, Chance the Rapper, Polica, M. Ward, Hippocampus, Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats and more.

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 Psycho Suzi’s Father’s Day Car Show – Sunday, June 19th

 Swing by Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge for the 1st Annual Father’s Day Car Show. We’ll be down there with a selection of MHCC and Morrie’s Luxury Auto Vehicles.

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Euro Grand Prix Viewing Party – Sunday, June 19th

We’ll be the first to tell you that we don’t know much about Azerbaijan, but we do know it hosts round eight of the Formula One World Championship. Join us at Morrie’s Luxury Auto to watch the race from flag to flag. Who knows, you might event learn a thing or two about Azerbaijan too. Doors will open at 7:30am for the 8am race start.

What’s Going On 6/8-612

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Minnetonka Subaru Grand Re-Opening Celebration – Wednesday, June 8th

Morrie’s Minnetonka Subaru is throwing a little party to celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of its comprehensively remodeled Minnetonka Subaru location. The fun filled night includes rally cars, food from local food trunks, live tunes from Pho Funk, a racing simulator, climbing wall, interactive art-car demonstration from Juxtaposition and more.

Victoria Classic Car Night – Wednesday, June 8th

Victoria Classic Car Night is quite possibly the best classic car gathering that very few people know about. This event occurs semi-monthly during the summer months and regularly draws hundreds of cars. The event returns tonight at 5pm and runs until 8pm. Read Josh’s recap from the last event a couple weeks ago to get a glimpse of what Victoria Classic Car Night has to offer.

 

Canadian Grand Prix – Sunday, June 12th

Good news! If you want to catch some Formula 1 racing this weekend you don’t need to wake up at the crack of dawn to view it live. This weekend Formula 1 heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, a circuit known for drawing a large enthusiastic crowd and some great racing. The race kicks off live at 1pm this Sunday and we’ll open up the doors at Morrie’s Luxury Auto at 12:30pm. In lieu of donuts we might just serve some Canadian approved poutine.

Skyline Mini Golf at the Walker – Now through September

A little construction at the Sculpture Garden isn’t stopping the Walker from bringing back its Skyline Mini-Golf course. This time around they moved it to the rooftop so you can tee up on the terrace. We’re certain it’s the only putt-putt course where you’ll find a giant hot dog, Ping-Pong paddles, a tricky chicken coop, and more.

Excelsior Art on the Lake – Saturday, June 11th and Sunday, June 12th

Last time we were in Excelsior, for the 10,000 Lakes Concours, we made a mental note to spend more time there. Fortunately, there’s good reason to visit again this weekend. Excelsior Art on the Lake descends on Excelsior this Saturday and Sunday bringing outstanding artistic works from multiple disciplines.

What’s Going On 5/27 – 5/30

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Forever Young Prom – May 27th

Did you go to your Prom? If not, you can now! First Ave will be hosting the Forever Young Prom which will probably be a bunch of old people dancing poorly (Josh) to bad music from the 90s and early 2000s. Head downtown on Friday, May 27th in the main room.

Grand Prix de Monaco – May 29th

Morrie’s Luxury Auto will host a viewing of the Monaco Grand Prix viewing party on Sunday, May 29th. The Monaco Grand Prix may be one of the most prestigious racing event held in the world, maybe even more so than The 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is a long-running tradition of yachts, champagne and burning rubber on Circuit de Monaco. We will be catering in something special from our friends at Edelweiss Bakery. The doors open at 6:30 am and the race starts at 7:00 am.

Soundset Festival – May 29th

Minnesota is known for our locally-built music label Rymesayers Entertainment. They have a huge summer music festival called Soundset that is celebrating its ninth year. This year features over 35 performers who will take the stage on Sunday, May 29thTickets are available for the all-day event that takes place at the State Fair Grounds.

Memorial Day Weekend

As long as the Minnesotan weather cooperates with us this weekend, Memorial Day is the perfect time to be outdoors. As far as events go, step outside your front door. Go to the nearest tent. Buy things on sale. Done.

Stout’s Island Lodge

On a beautiful, if chilly, weekend in mid-May, a group of Morrie’s Luxury and Artful Living guests drove up to Birchwood, Wisconsin for an overnight weekend on a private island.

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The combination of old time charm with new luxury made for a fantastic driving experience. We met in the morning at Morrie’s Luxury Auto, and after getting everyone settled into their first car of choice, the group headed north. After bringing a few extra cars back to the warehouse, Josh and I were ready to rejoin the group. Not even 30 minutes into our adventure, misfortune had befallen us. A chunk of concrete flew into the windshield of the Land Cruiser, cracking it at the top and spiderwebbing across. Since we were already behind the rest of the group, we continued on our journey, hoping the worst was over. We made it to Hudson, where we fueled ourselves (with food) before later fueling the cars (with actual fuel). Onward!

 

The drive through Wisconsin was filled with many interesting sights to gaze upon, such as cows and fields and truck-campers for sale. Thankfully, I entertained the occupants of the Land Cruiser with my thoughtfully constructed playlist entitled “Road Trippin”. After arriving to Turtle Lake and not immediately heading to the casino, we realized we were missing a car. A few seconds later, we received the fated “help I’m broken down on a backroad in Wisconsin” call. After lots of back and forth phone calls, we were able to track down said car and its occupants. The poor Country Squire had decided it didn’t want to come with us to a private island, and gave up about halfway there. We managed to guide it to a nearby gas station, where we had to call a tow truck to take it home. After many hours of driving, we finally managed to make it to the parking lot of Stout’s Island. We then took the cars one by one to the gas station and made our banks suspicious by charging lots of 4 gallon purchases.

Cars to Stouts Island

Following the short boat ride across the water, we had arrived to the island. We were all given a quick tour of the premises and shown to our rooms, which all had incredible views. Since we were done driving for the day, it was time for our evening cocktails, followed by an island cookout for dinner that consisted of brats and burgers. After once again stuffing ourselves full of far too much Wisconsin food, we were ready for more food part 2 in the form of dessert. The lodge had prepared paper bags filled with marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate so we could make s’mores. The 8 foot long fire pit helped us all stay warm, which came in handy since it was under 40 degrees at that point. At the end of the evening (meaning 11:30PM), we all headed inside for food part 3 and drinks. There was even a roaring fire inside to keep the warmth going. The following day included a laid back morning of eating breakfast and wandering the 27 acres to find photo opportunities. After managing to get everyone back to the mainland, we started the trip back over to Minnesota. Thankfully, everything cooperated with us on Sunday, including the weather. It even got warm enough that most people were able to put the tops down on the convertibles! Although nobody wanted to give up their ride for the day, we made it back to the dealership.

 

So while we wait for the weather to warm up enough to enjoy the outdoor activities, we’ll reminisce on our northern journey to this beautiful private island.

Getting a BMW M3 ready for the Morrie’s Luxury Auto Track Day

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I have a friend who recently sold his Porsche 911 Turbo and picked a 1998 BMW M3 as a temporary car while he searches for the right car to replace the 911 turbo. He ended up liking the M3 so much he decided to buy another one that was in better condition and had lower miles. After searching he found a clean 1997 M3 in Milwaukee and decided to have a pre purchase inspection done. There were a couple of issues that were found while the list wasn’t too long some items needed to be dealt with before the drive back home to Minneapolis. The other issues found during the PPI were common BMW maintenance items and overlapped with some upgrades that were planned before he had even picked the car up.

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What’s going on 4/15 – 4/17

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Minneapolis Hitchcock Film Festival –April 14th – May 9th

This Thursday the Heights and Riverview Theaters kickoff the 7th annual Minneapolis Hitchcock Film Festival. This is your opportunity to enjoy four classics from the master of suspense all on the big screen.  The fest kicks off with a screening of Vertigo, a romantic story about obsession, manipulation and fear. More than one person has attributed the same words to classic car ownership. Good thing there’s a great little group out there that will rent you a classic instead, you know so you can avoide the fear, obsession and wallet manipulation.

Record store day – Saturday, April 16th

This Saturday is the official day to celebrate vinyl. Now we’re not talking about Grandpa’s Naugahyde couch or those cheap dress shoes you bought ages ago – no we’re talking about national record store day. It’s a day to get out and support your local independent record shop. Don’t have a favorite? You could always consider Fifth ElementTreeHouse RecordsElectric FetusDown in the ValleyHymie’sEclipse orKnowName just to name a few.

VSCR Spring Swap Meet – Saturday, April 16th

There’s no better way to celebrate the arrival of Spring than by stocking up on vintage car parts. You’ll have an opportunity to do so this Saturday at the Vintage Sports Car Racing (VSCR) Spring Swap Meet. Beyond offering a chance to browse the latest relics dug out of local garages the meet provides a great opportunity to do some bench racing with like-minded car enthusiasts. Who knows, you may even join the club. We’d recommend it.

Chinese Grand Prix Live Screening at the Dojo – Sunday, April 17th

Some people say that nothing good happens after 2am and generally we agree with them, that is unless there’s a lively Formula 1 viewing party on the calendar. Stock up on the Red Bull and join us at the MHCC Dojo this Sunday morning at 12:30am for a live screening of the Chinese Grand Prix. Alex will be there with a curated selection of sugar filled candies to help keep your eyes peeled.