Click once, check the calendar twice for the rest of the day

Trust nothing at first glance today.

Click once, check the calendar twice. Maybe all the dogs of Hennepin County really are getting promotions today. Or maybe it’s the first day of April.

Downside: Social media is going to be even more unreliable than usual today.

Upside: This is the day social media teams have trained for all year. Let them show you what they’ve got. You know they worked hard on this choreography.

Now there are those who will tell you that in an era of alternative facts and the Big Lie, the last thing we need is a day devoted to trickery and nonsense. But even the April Fools’ Day deniers have to respect the craftsmanship that went into this post about the North Loop’s new Franchise Row. Finally, the neighborhood Outback Steakhouse nobody asked for!

Like all quality April Fools’ Day jokes, it puts the land of lofts and turmeric lattes out of its misery with a quick nod to the calendar and the reassurance: We remain an Applebee’s-free Zone.

In Minnetonka, a wee dachshund peeked over the window of a patrol car, reporting for duty. Per the Police Department’s social media, his name is Winston and he is (checks notes) “ready to take a ‘bite’ out of crime … or maybe just your sandwich! #AprilFools.”

The best April Fools’ jokes aren’t mean-spirited, they don’t make anybody feel too foolish for falling for them for a split second and, maybe, just maybe, they awaken a dream we didn’t know we had.

Why can’t the Voyageurs Wolf Project team up with “Dr. Hors Manoor” and the Institute for Sasquatch Proliferation? Why aren’t weenie dogs on patrol? Why can’t we golf with goats?

And so it was that Edina’s Centennial Lakes Park debuted goat golfing on this, the first day of April. Featuring the movable hazards/ground crew goats “Edison, Edith, and their kid Eddie.”

“They are sure to be fun obstacles on the golf course!” park staff assured Facebook visitors, next to a tranquil vista of goats Photoshopped on the park’s pristine golf course. “When they aren’t your furry companion as you putt your way to victory, you’ll see them out and about eating the turf to help free up our maintenance staff’s time and give our lawn mowers a rest.”

Meanwhile, spare a thought for anyone trying to break actual news today. Like the city of St. Paul, where kids can register for free swimming lessons, starting today.

Happy April Pool’s Day, everyone! I have personally checked all the links to make sure you won’t get Rick Rolled. Unless you click on the words “Rick Rolled” above. They will definitely Rick Roll you. But the swimming lessons are real.

No, really, it’s a fantastic program! Go ahead and — oh, forget it. You can register the kids on April 2.