Family fun calendar: Pollinator Festival and more

The Pollinator Festival teaches citizens how to be kind stewards of nature. Learn how you can preserve native plants and help improve the bee population through restoration events and scavenger hunts. Follow flying creatures on a guided bird walk. The preliminary designs will be revealed for a new cultural and environmental interpretive center. Also music, photo stations and a food truck. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. today. Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, 804 Margaret St., St. Paul. lowerphalencreek.org.

Learn about the life of Eloise Butler, founder of the wildflower garden and bird sanctuary nestled inside of Theodore Wirth Park. Find out about the area's humble beginnings and the birth of the surrounding city of Minneapolis. Walk the trails and admire wildlife and afterward enjoy refreshments at the visitor shelter. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today. Free. Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, 1 Theodore Wirth Pkwy., Mpls. minneapolisparks.org.

With a location perfect for an Owamni, or "falling water" in the Dakota language, this event occurs beside the only waterfall on the Mississippi River. Enjoy family activities celebrating indigenous Minnesota culture with food, displays and art. Hoop dancers and native musicians will perform. 1-5 p.m. today. Free. Father Hennepin Bluffs Park, 100 6th Av. SE., Mpls. minneapolisparks.org.

The youth acrobatic troupe takes audiences on a fairy tale journey through the Black Forest for their annual summer show, "Twisted." Watch performers of the contemporary circus arts group tell the story of Russian sorceress Baba Yaga and her sisters as they create chaos in the lives of those around them. 1 & 7 p.m. today-Sun. Ends Aug. 11. $18.50-$32.50. Circus Juventas, 1270 Montreal Av., St. Paul. circusjuventas.org.

Over the past six years this festival has become so popular that it has now expanded to a two-day event. Sponsored by African Economic Development Solutions of Minnesota, the family-friendly event starts today with a parade along Snelling Avenue and ending in Hamline Park. Sunday's festival features art, music and cultural displays. 4:30 p.m. today; noon-9 p.m. Sun. Hamline Park, 1564 Lafond Av., St. Paul. littleafrica fest.com.

MELISSA WALKER