Curious Minnesota

What happened to Minnesota's original Zombie Pub Crawl?

At its peak, an estimated 35,000 rotting Minnesotans participated in the annual Zombie Pub Crawl, founded 20 years ago. The event grew large enough to set a world record for the largest amount of people dressed as zombies. Then the festival seemed to have its own apocalypse. Our guest is columnist Laura Yuen [https://www.startribune.com/author/laura-yuen/8127999]. Still curious? Read more at the Minnesota Star Tribune [https://www.startribune.com/news-politics/curious-minnesota]. To support Curious Minnesota and the important work of the Minnesota Star Tribune, subscribe today by visiting Startribune.com/WorthItToSubscribe [http://startribune.com/WorthItToSubscribe]. Stay up to date with the Star Tribune at @startribune on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@startribune], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/startribune.com], X [https://x.com/StarTribune], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/startribune/], and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/startribune/].

What's the oldest bar in Minnesota?

Curious Minnesota goes on a bit of a bar crawl through history. We look into which of the state’s historic watering holes is really Minnesota’s oldest. The question is trickier than you might think.

What’s the story of Pipestone National Monument?

For thousands of years, Native Americans have quarried a sacred, soft red rock from a patch of Minnesota prairie. The site is now Pipestone National Monument. Reporter Jp Lawrence joins host Erica Pearson to share the story of this special place.

Why do anglers need a special stamp to fish for trout in Minnesota?

Minnesota’s trout stamp, a special add-on to fishing licenses, brings in more than $1 million each year. The program funds fish hatcheries, restocking efforts and more. Reporter Anna Sago joins host Erica Pearson to share the history of the program and give a glimpse into what a day's work is like at a trout hatchery.

How a 13-ton piece of public art no one wanted found a Minnesota home

A scuplture called “The Scroll” once had a prominent spot in downtown Minneapolis. It stood in front of the old central library for more than 4 decades. Alicia Eler, the Minnesota Star Tribune's visual art reporter and critic, joins host Erica Pearson to tell the story of how the sculpture narrowly missed ending up in a scrap heap when the library building was demolished to make way for a new one.