Weekend Planner

Events are beginning to wind down in the Albert Lea area as school starts next week.

This Labor Day weekend there will be two golf tournaments, the final Bayside Skiers Water Ski Show Team show of the season and the first weekend of a new show at the Albert Lea Art Center, among other events.

The 83rd annual Shortstop Tournament at Green Lea Golf Course will run Saturday through Monday with tee times starting at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Green Lea Golf Course owner Jeff Elseth said there will be 128 players from the Upper Midwest and other parts of the country who are participating in the event.

Defending champion Brent Miller, a former Albert Lea resident now living in South Dakota, is returning for another year.

On Saturday, players will golf 18 holes during a qualifying round and will then be flighted based on those results.

On Sunday and Monday, match play begins.

The championship flight finals will get under way at 1 p.m. Monday.

The public is invited to spectate.

Also this weekend, Wedgewood Cove Golf Club is hosting its first-ever women’s three-person best shot tournament with a 9 a.m. shotgun start on Saturday.

Cost is $25 per player for season pass holders and $50 per player for non-season pass holders. Fees include a cart, range balls, prize pool and lunch after play.

The women will play in threesomes. Flights will be determined after play is completed.

On Monday, the Bayside Skiers Water Ski Show Team will present its final show of the season from 2 to 3 p.m. on Edgewater Bay of Fountain Lake. This year’s theme is “Masters of Disguise.” Pre-show starts a half hour before the show. There is no admission charge, but the club does pass the hat to help defray expenses.

The following is a roundup of other events happening in the area this weekend:

Friday

• This is the first weekend for an exhibit by Gilbert Johnson Jr. at the Albert Lea Art Center. Johnson is showing about 75 acrylic and oil paintings. The show began Aug. 31 and will continue through Sept. 25. The Art Center is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
• A Pelican Breeze II pizza cruise will begin at 6 p.m., departing from the Pelican Breeze boat landing. Call 383-2630 by 4 p.m. Friday for reservations. Pizza cruises are $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 and younger.

Saturday

• The Albert Lea Farmers Market will be open in the North Broadway Avenue parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon.
• Artwork by Gilbert Johnson Jr. will be on display at the Albert Lea Art Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• A Pelican Breeze II public cruise will begin at 4 p.m. at the Pelican Breeze boat landing. Call 383-2630 for more information. Cost is $5 per person.

Sunday

• Golden K-1 Kiwanis will host a Dad’s Belgian Waffle breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fairlane Building of the Freeborn County Fairgrounds. Cost is $6 for adults. Kids 5 and under are free.
• A Pelican Breeze II public cruise will go from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Pelican Breeze boat landing. Call 383-2630 for more information. Cost is $5 per person.