The Hilde Finale That July Air Canceled Now Lands the Night Before Plymouth's Parade Returns

"The concert was rescheduled following its July cancellation due to poor air quality."

That one line on the City of Plymouth's event page means the last show of the Hilde Nights series is now on Friday, Oct. 9, at the Hilde Performance Center, 3500 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth on Parade comes back the next morning after a two-year hiatus. It steps off from City Hall at 3400 Plymouth Blvd. and finishes at the Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave. N.

So two of the city's signature free events, one pushed back by bad air and one missing for two years, now share one weekend and a few City Center addresses. The same addresses also carry most of what's on Plymouth's calendar through mid-November. If you live here, you can plan a lot of this fall around one stretch of Plymouth Boulevard.

Two events, one boulevard, one set of sponsors

The overlap isn't only a matter of timing. Both events are run by the City of Plymouth, both have food trucks, and both list the same group of local sponsors: the Plymouth Lions, the Kyle Vitense State Farm agency, First Class Plumbing and Renewal by Andersen. Gateway Fiber is also a Hilde Nights sponsor.

That makes Oct. 9 and 10 one long community weekend built by the same people. It also means the practical details carry over from one day to the next. Bring cash or a card for the food trucks both days, and figure on the City Hall and Hilde area being the busiest part of town from Friday evening through Saturday midday.

The Sun Sailor reported the parade's return on Sept. 24, and the city's listing uses the same wording about the two-year hiatus. If your kids were small the last time the parade went down Plymouth Boulevard, this may be the first one they remember.

Friday, Oct. 9: the finale that waited three months

Hilde Nights wraps up with two bands. The Shane Martin Band opens with a mix of modern country and classic and contemporary rock and pop. Then headliner Kat Perkins comes on with her Country Roads Band for what the city calls "a night of sing-along country party songs."

What to know before you go:

• Time: 6 to 10 p.m.
• Cost: Free and open to the public.
• Bring: Blankets or lawn chairs, plus cash or a card for drinks and food trucks.
• Weather check: The city runs a weather hotline at 763-509-5205 for cancellation updates.

Keep that hotline number handy. A summer concert series ending in October means sitting outside on an autumn evening in Minnesota, and the first try at this show was already called off once. Bring an extra layer along with the lawn chairs.

Saturday, Oct. 10, in order

Saturday starts early and goes into the afternoon. Here's how the day lines up, using times from each event's own listing:

1. 7:30 a.m., breakfast on Highway 55. Latuff's Pizzeria at 10820 Hwy. 55 serves breakfast Tuesday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The breakfast menu brings back roughly 90% of the old Pannekoeken Huis recipes, including Dutch-style pannekoeken and chicken and waffles made with Latuff's fried chicken. According to the Sun Sailor, staff still shout the signature "pannekoeken" call. The Star Tribune reported that breakfast service started in June, with the combined grand opening on July 11. For many families, parade morning will be their first chance to try it.
2. 10:30 a.m., the parade steps off. The route follows Plymouth Boulevard and 34th Avenue from City Hall to the Community Center. The city says the parade usually includes local organizations, city vehicles and equipment, musical acts, dance and gymnastics groups, and floats. This year's grand marshal is Greg Gibson, former president of the Wayzata Youth Hockey Association, who has more than 20 years of hockey administration experience.
3. Around 11:30 a.m., food trucks. The city's listing has the parade running from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., with food trucks selling concessions.
4. 3 to 6 p.m., Plymouth's inaugural Pride event. It takes place at 12235 Old Rockford Road after the parade, according to the Sun Sailor.

If you're out of town or working Saturday morning, CCX Media is streaming the parade live on its website. That's also an easy way for grandparents who live elsewhere to watch a grandchild's dance group or scout troop go by.

Where the blocks around City Hall feed you

Food trucks cover the events themselves. But the City Center area has plenty of permanent places too, which helps when Friday's concert runs late or Saturday turns into a long afternoon. The City of Plymouth's City Center visitors guide lists The Fox and Pantry, ElMar's NY Pizza, Ceviche Seafood House, How Sweet It Is, Kobe Japanese Restaurant, India Bazaar, People's Organic, Nautical Bowls and Von Hanson's Meats, along with familiar chains like Chipotle, Panda Express, Noodles & Company and Applebee's.

Some of these are especially close to the parade route:

• Kobe Japanese Restaurant, 15555 34th Ave. N., serves hibachi and sushi on the same avenue as the Community Center, where the parade ends.
• India Bazaar, 3355 Plymouth Blvd., is an Indian café and grocery near City Hall, where the parade starts.
• The Fox and Pantry, 15725 37th Ave. N., Suite 7, has coffee, to-go ordering and classes. Its neighbor ElMar's New York Pizza is listed at 15723 37th Ave. N.

The newest addition nearby is Hashtag India. The City of Plymouth's business news reported that it opened in April at 3195 Vicksburg Lane N., Suite D, serving Indian street-food favorites, mandi and curries. If you haven't been yet, a weekend you're already spending around City Center is a good time to try it.

The same addresses carry November

The pattern holds after parade weekend. Several of the remaining fall events go back to the same few City Center addresses, and the ones that don't are at familiar city parks.

Oct. 30, Halloween at the Lake. This free, family-oriented event runs 5 to 8 p.m. at Parkers Lake Playfield. It's the same lot that hosted the Plymouth Farmers Market on Wednesdays from June 17 through the end of its season on Sept. 30. Families who got used to those Wednesday market trips will be back at the playfield in costume a month later.

Nov. 5, Veterans Drive Thru Breakfast. It takes place at the Veterans Memorial, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., the same address as City Hall and the parade's starting point. The breakfast is free for Plymouth veterans, and advance registration is required. The city's listing gives two end times, 11 a.m. in the description and 11:30 a.m. in the header, so plan around the 9:30 a.m. start.

Nov. 14, Plymouth Artisan Market. It runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave. N., where the parade ends. Admission is free.

Away from City Center, French Regional Park has a full fall program schedule through Three Rivers Park District. It includes a Trails Club for Women on Tuesdays from Oct. 6 to Nov. 17, Nordic walking on Wednesdays from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4, and Trick or Treat Geocaching on Saturday, Oct. 24. There's also a naturalist walk on Nov. 15 and an eco-art program on Nov. 30. If you walk the trails regularly, note that Three Rivers has scheduled archery deer hunts at French Regional Park for Oct. 5 to 7 and Nov. 2 to 4. The park stays open with normal amenities during the hunts.

The city's event listings are live pages and can change, so check the Hilde weather hotline and each event page the day before you go. As of today, the plan looks like this: a free concert at 3500 Plymouth Blvd. on Friday night, a parade from 3400 Plymouth Blvd. to 14800 34th Ave. N. on Saturday morning, and those same two addresses again in November for the veterans breakfast and the artisan market.

If a weekend of walking around City Center has you wondering what your own Plymouth home is worth this fall, Stephanie Cook and the Cooking Real Estate Team can give you a clear, local answer whenever you're ready. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and enjoy the parade.