About Prior Lake Events
I’m Mark Gores. I’ve lived in Prior Lake since 1986, and I built Prior Lake Events so there’s one place to find out what’s happening around town: concerts, family activities, school events, fundraisers, festivals, local business happenings and everything in between. One calendar, so you don’t have to piece it together yourself.
Why I built this
For years I had the same problem a lot of people here have: I’d hear about a great event the day after it happened. A festival I would’ve taken my family to. A fundraiser I would’ve supported. A concert I didn’t know about until someone posted photos.
The information was out there, scattered across social media pages, city announcements, school newsletters and word of mouth, but there was no single place to see it all. So I built one.
There’s no team behind Prior Lake Events. It’s me, and when you write in, you’re writing to me.
What you’ll find
- Family and kids: library programs, school happenings, festivals, seasonal activities
- Arts and culture: live music, theater, galleries, classes, author events
- Food and drink: tastings, pop-ups, brewery nights
- Outdoors and recreation: group runs, parks programs, lake activities
- Community: nonprofit fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, city festivals
- Business and networking: workshops, grand openings, markets, chamber events
Beyond the calendar, I’ve put together a guide to living in Prior Lake with neighborhoods, schools, local history and the kind of things you’d normally ask a longtime resident. And Around Town follows local decisions from city councils, the county, the school district and the watershed district.
How it works
I collect events from public sources, organization calendars and community submissions. Anyone can submit an event. It takes a couple of minutes, and a standard listing is free. I review each submission for clarity and fit before it goes on the calendar.
If something needs a correction or an update, email me at mark@priorlakeevents.com and I’ll take care of it.
Get the newsletter
I send two emails a week, every Monday and Friday morning:
- Monday: everything coming up in the week ahead
- Friday: the weekend, Friday through Sunday
Every email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. If you hit reply, it comes straight to me.
Add your event
If you’re hosting something the community should know about, whether it’s a fundraiser, a show, a class or a grand opening, you can add it to the calendar yourself.
- Enter the date, time, location and a short description
- Add a photo or flyer if you have one
- I’ll review it, and if it fits, it goes on the calendar
Or if you’d rather just send me the details, that works too. Email them to mark@priorlakeevents.com and I’ll take it from there.
Standard community listings are free. If it’s open to the public and fits the coverage policy, send it in.
Supporting the site
Prior Lake Events is free for readers, and standard community listings are free. To keep it running, I sell one sponsorship a week: $145 for a week, $540 for four weeks or $960 for eight.
That week, the sponsor’s ad runs at the top of both newsletters and in a banner across the site, with a post on the Prior Lake Events Facebook page. I design the ad, and the sponsor gets a recap of views, clicks and reach at the end of the week.
One sponsor a week, clearly labeled as sponsored.
What gets listed (and what doesn’t)
Prior Lake Events is focused on community happenings: things people can attend, take part in or support. I include public events like city festivals, library programs, concerts, fundraisers, school activities and varsity home games. The calendar covers Prior Lake, plus events in Savage and Shakopee that are within about 10 minutes of central Prior Lake.
I don’t list individual garage sales, real estate open houses or routine daily specials. I don’t list government meetings either. The decisions made at them show up in Around Town. The goal is to keep the calendar useful and easy to browse.
Quick answers
Is it free to list an event?
Yes. Standard community listings are free.
How do I update or remove my event?
Email me the change at mark@priorlakeevents.com and I’ll update it.
Where do the events come from?
A mix of public sources, organization calendars and direct submissions. If I missed something, send it in.
Are the times always accurate?
I do my best, but event details can change. Always confirm with the organizer’s page before heading out, especially for weather-dependent events.
Can I add a photo?
Yes. You can upload a photo or flyer when you submit, or email it to me and I’ll add it.
A bit more about me
My kids are coming up through the Prior Lake schools. By day I sell real estate: I’ve sold homes here for 22 years, and I’m a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Advantage Plus. I also built PriorLake.RealEstate, a market site with MLS data for the area, updated twice a day.
Prior Lake Events came from a different place. I just wanted a community calendar that worked, and here the events come first.
For real estate, reach Mark Gores of RE/MAX Advantage Plus directly: call or text 612-201-5447, or visit markgores.com.
Get in touch
Send me an event, a correction, a sponsorship question, an idea for the site or just a note to say you like it. I read them all.
Prior Lake Events is on Facebook too.
Thanks for being here. I’ll see you around town.
Mark