The Taste of Minnesota festival — which runs Thursday through Sunday at Harriet Island across from downtown St. Paul — hopes to persuade some of its music and food lovers to become informed voters.

The festival will feature a Minnesota secretary of state booth, where visitors can learn about voter registration and other voting information. You can even register to vote right there in the booth. It's nonpartisan.

Taste founder Ron Maddox, who never misses an opportunity to publicize his event, says in a press release:

"Taste reaches a lot of eligible voters, so teaming up with the Secretary of State makes a lot of sense. This is an opportunity to show first-time voters what to expect at their polling place and answer any questions people have well before they vote. I appreciate all the efforts of the Secretary of State's Office, Mayor [Chris] Coleman, and Councilman [Dave] Thune in making this happen."

Admission to Taste is free; the festival makes its money to pay for the performers and nightly fireworks — and make a profit — by taking a cut of the revenue from the food and merchandise vendors.

Schedules and parking information are available here. — Joe Kimball