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The Alexandria area has a wealth of events and things to do during the summer, but for theater lovers there's no better place to go than Theatre L'Homme Dieu.

Theatre L'Homme Dieu on Lake L'Homme Dieu is a nonprofit professional summer theatre operated since 1961 by St. Cloud State University in partnership with a group of Alexandria citizens. It has two goals: To produce excellent professional theater and to provide a valuable experience for students.

Plays are performed and directed by actors and directors from Minneapolis and St. Paul. St. Cloud State students perform behind-the-scenes tasks and occasionally make their way on stage. All shows will have two week runs from Tuesday through Saturday evenings, curtain time at 7:30 p.m.

Another fun thing to do in Alexandria is attend the Vikingland Band Festival, always on the last Sunday in June. The 2006 event featured 18 of the finest high school marching bands in Minnesota.

The Awake the Lakes festival takes place Memorial Day weekend. Events include the Midwest Rides Carnival, a ribfest, a beer garden, live music and on Friday a fireworks display. On Saturday the events include the "Show 'N Shine" car show, "Breakfast with Big Ole," kayak rides on Lake Agnes, artisans, food vendors and entertainers at Fort Alexandria, kids fishing on the City Park dock, sidewalk chalk art downtown, the carnival rides, a brat supper, a beer garden and live music until midnight. Sunday brings only the carnival, while Monday sees the Memorial Day parade at 10 a.m.

And don't forget the Grape Stomp in September. There's a wine and cheese reception and a variety of musicians on three stages playing everything from bluegrass to classic rock. There are also more than 200 food and craft vendors. Two-person teams are needed to compete in the Grape Stomp -- one grape stomper and one juice collector. Stomp well and you could win a prize.

Alexandria was started in 1858 by the Kinkead brothers, Alexander and William. William was commissioned to survey a government road from St.Cloud to Fort Abercrombie. In 1858, the brothers formed a town site company with investors from eastern Minnesota. In 1859, Alexander Kinkead established a U.S. Post Office and served as the postmaster, thus the town site received its name.

No discussion of Alexandria would be complete without its two most interesting inhabitants: Big Ole and the Kensington Runestone.

Alexandria is often called the birthplace of America.That designation comes from the Kensington Runestone.

In the fall of 1898, Olaf Ohman, a farmer near Alexandria found a large stone with strange carvings.

The stone is a native rock called graywacke and measures 31 inches long, 16 inches wide and 6 inches thick. It weighs 202 pounds. The stone was brought to Kensington about four miles away and was exhibited in the window of the local bank. Thus it was identified as the "Kensington Runestone."

H. R. Holand of Ephriam, Wisconsin, a well-known Norwegian scholar and historian, translated the runes:

"8 Goths and 22 Norwegians on exploration-journey from Vinland over the west. We had camp by 2 skerries one days-journey north from this stone. We were and fished one day. After we came home found 10 men red with blood and dead. Ave Maria. Save from Evil. Have 10 of our party by the sea to look after our ships 14 days-journey from this island Year 1362."

Various 14th century Scandinavian implements -- three battle axes, a firesteel and a spearhead -- have been found in the vicinity of the route the party must have taken to reach Alexandria.

The Kensington Runestone is now on exhibit in the Runestone Museum in Alexandria.

Big Ole the Viking is also on display in Alexandria.Ole, 28 feet tall and weighing four tons, was built in 1965 for the New York World's Fair where his display was billed as "The Birthplace Of The Nation," a reference to the Kensington Runestone. In two days, more than 250,000 New York fairgoers viewed the Viking. On December 21, 1965, the statue arrived in Alexandria where it was placed downtown.

Big Ole was repainted in 1985, 1991, and 1996. In 1991, he acquired a more youthful look when the color of his beard and hair was changed from gray to blonde.

High winds in 1996 put a sway in Big Ole and he was laid flat for repairs. Alexandrians and Big Ole fans ponied up $27,000 to repair him.

Ole is also present each Thanksgiving at the annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony. Crowds gather at the foot of Big Ole to watch Santa flip the switch that turns on all the Christmas lights up and down Broadway.

Contributed by John Fitzgerald. John is a freelance writer based out of Buffalo Hills, MN. 

For Lakeshoredreams.com, the counties grouped in Alexandria MN include:

Traverse County MN, Grant County MN, Douglas County MN, Big Stone County MN, Stevens County MN, Pope County MN