This weekend brought world-class eaters to Mystic Lake Casino to pig out on ribs, and an Olympic gold medalist was enshrined in bronze in her hometown of St. Paul.

Around the metro

The St. Paul RiverCentre hosted the Show Me Reptile Show on Saturday, one of the largest reptile and exotic pet shows in the region. Organizers say the hope is to educate and introduce people to these animals in a safe, controlled environment.

A monthly auto extravaganza returned to Chanhassen on Saturday. Cars and Caves features a variety of cars, and this weekend it was all about American-made automobiles.

The World Rib-Eating Championship on Saturday featured reigning champ and the world’s No. 2-ranked competitive eater, Geoffrey Esper, who came in second to nine-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest winner Miki Sudo, who ate a whopping 5.2 pounds of rib meat in 12 minutes.

Minneapolis-based Miracle Ear Foundation gave out more than 300 hearing aids Saturday at Target Field, along with on-site care and services.

A bust of Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast and St. Paul native Suni Lee was unveiled Sunday at Phalen Regional Park. The installation honors her gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympic Games and her contributions to Hmong-American culture.

Dozens of local artists showed off their art Sunday at the Loring Park Art Festival in Minneapolis. There were around 140 booths with creations made of paint, clay, wood and ceramics.

Some of the stoutest canines around took to the track at Canterbury Park. Corgis were the featured breed Sunday for the latest Dog Race Days competition, running for a chance to compete in the dog race finals on Sept. 3.

In the studio

The 30th annual Minnesota Fringe Festival starts next weekend, bringing together performers and audiences for a number of stage shows over the course of 10 days. Dawn Bentley, the festival’s executive director, joined anchor Brett Hoffland in the studio with a preview of the event.

The Uptown Art Fair runs from Aug. 4-6 and features internationally recognized artists, locally produced goods, demonstrations, activities and a variety of food vendors. The fair’s director, Jill Osiecki, told us what to expect when the event kicks off.

Mount Olivet Lutheran Church of Plymouth is again hosting Brews, Eats & Beats on Aug. 5, and organizers say this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. Pastor Beth Horsch joined 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Saturday morning to talk about this year’s celebration.