ST. PAUL-Yoga on the Capitol lawn. Panel discussions over hot dish. A Prince dance party. Craft beer tastings. Breakfasts featuring the state drink (milk) and muffin (blueberry). A fireworks display.

Those are among the events scheduled during the Minnesota state Capitol grand opening celebration Aug. 11-13.

Although the Capitol reopened in January after a four-year, $310 million renovation, the three-day affair was planned to reintroduce Minnesotans to the restored "people's house."

"There's going to be a little something for everybody, and it's free," state Administration Commissioner Matt Massman said Tuesday during a news conference in the Capitol Rotunda.

Gov. Mark Dayton thanked Minnesotans for strongly supporting the renewal of architect Cass Gilbert's 112-year-old landmark.

"This is your Capitol," Dayton said. "I hope you'll come to the grand opening and enjoy it. Come and see the splendor of this place and what it represents ... the place where our democracy resides."

The festivities start Friday, Aug. 11, with free breakfast and yoga on the Capitol lawn, followed at 9 a.m. by a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Behind-the-scenes tours of what Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea of the Minnesota Supreme Court called "one of America's most beautiful public buildings" start at 10 a.m. and continue every half-hour. Participants will see parts of the building that are usually closed to the public, including the governor's office, Senate retiring room, Supreme Court conference room and Quadriga, the golden chariot statue in front of the dome.

The celebration continues throughout the weekend with diverse music and dance performances, a Saturday night fireworks show, a Sunday evening community sing-along on the lawn and nightly raisings of the Rotunda chandelier.

Children are invited to a "kids zone" with events sponsored by museums, libraries, the Minnesota Zoo and the state Historical Society.

A series of "hotdish" panels will cover a variety of state issues, led by speakers such as former Vice President Walter Mondale and former Gov. Al Quie.

The building tradesmen and women who restored the Capitol to its original grandeur will be honored with the dedication of a memorial plaque at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by a workers' ice cream social and celebration.

All the events are free of charge. Metro Transit will provide free rides to the Capitol on Saturday and Sunday. Free parking will be available in designated Capitol area lots.

The privately funded celebration will cost an estimated $560,000, Massman said. Forty-six sponsors and partners have already donated nearly $500,000 for the festivities. The St. Paul Pioneer Press is listed among the sponsors and donors, as is the building trades union, the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune, Xcel Energy and the Minnesota Vikings.

Who is donating to celebration?

The three-day public party to celebrate the renovated state Capitol will cost more than $500,000 and is being funded through donations largely from Minnesota companies. The donors include the St. Paul Pioneer Press and others. Here are the big donors and the level of their donations, according to the state:

•JE Dunn Construction ($50,000)

•Metropolitan Council ($50,000 in-kind)

•Minnesota Building Trades ($50,000)

•St. Paul Pioneer Press ($50,000 in-kind)

•Star Tribune ($50,000 in-kind)

•Cargill ($25,000)

•Craft Brewer's Association ($40,000)

•HGA (10,000 pledged, $15,000 in-kind)

•Hubbard Broadcasting ($25,003.13)

•Pohlad Family Foundation ($25,000)

•Minnesota Vikings ($25,000)

•Xcel Energy ($25,000)

•3M Co. ($10,000)

•Blue Cross Blue Shield ($10,000)

•Best Buy Co. ($10,000)

•Bolander Co. ($10,000)

•Clear Channel ($10,000 in-kind)

•Comcast Corp. ($10,000 + in-kind)

•Delta Airlines ($10,000)

•Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Timberwolves ($15,000)

•Minnesota Power ($10,000)

•Mortenson Construction ($10,000)

•Minnesota Public Radio ($10,000 in-kind)

•Shakopee ($10,000)

•Target Corp. ($10,000)

•Tunheim ($15,000 in-kind)

•U.S. Bank ($10,000)

•Wells Fargo & Co. ($10,000)