BROOKLYN PARK

The Brooklyn Park City Council on Aug. 4 voted 5-2 against a proposal to make city parks tobacco free.

At a future meeting, the Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission will consider developing language for signs suggesting that tobacco not be used around children in parks, said Jon Oyanagi, recreation and parks director.

Looking for a home in Brooklyn Park?

If so, visit the Homebuyers' Fair sponsored by the city today. Lenders and real-estate agents will provide information on a variety of homes and options for down payment and closing cost assistance.

Admission is free. The fair will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Activity Center, 5600 85th Av. N. Door prizes, activities for kids ages 4 to 12, home buyer education class coupons and refreshments will be provided. For more information visit www.brooklynpark.org/housing or call 763-493-8054.

ANOKA COUNTY

Anoka County Commissioner Robyn West was recently appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to the new state High-Speed Broadband Task Force.

"I look forward to being part of a diverse group investigating the implications of deploying high-speed alternatives to areas of the state with and without broadband," West said in a statement.

The task force has 26 members, including 20 appointed by the governor. West's term will expire in March 2010.

First-time home buyers in Anoka County may qualify for low-interest loans through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA).

A loan can be used to buy a home valued at up to $298,125 anywhere in the county. Other funds may be available to help with closing costs and down payments. Buyers must use an MHFA-approved lender.

To participate, potential buyers must meet income limits (a maximum gross income of $64,800 for a household of up to four people, for example) and other requirements. The county has mortgage funds reserved until Oct. 14. To receive an information packet, call the Anoka County Community Development office at 763-323-5764.

Moody's Investor Services, one of the nation's largest bond-rating services, recently reaffirmed Anoka County's strong Aa2 bond rating. The rating is a measure of the county's credit and helps the county get better interest rates on major loans.

Only five of the 87 counties in the state have a higher credit rating than Anoka County.

If you're headed to the library soon, please note on your calendar that all Anoka County Library locations will be closed on Friday, Aug. 22, for a staff development day.

ELK RIVER

You'll be able to get a real feel for farming 150 years ago during Children's Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River.

Visitors are invited to become "Kelley Farmers" and help harvest crops in the garden, play games, ride on a horse-drawn trolley and hand-pump their own drink of water. Also on tap: music from 1858.

The admission fee is $8 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens, and $5 for children ages 6-17. Kids 5 and younger get in free. The farm is off Hwy. 10, 2.5 miles southeast of downtown Elk River. For more information, call 763-441-6896.

NORTH METRO AREA

Mickman Brothers, the longtime Ham Lake garden and lansdcaping company, is helping the state reforest 27 acres of public land in central Minnesota.

The company's donation of $5,562.50 to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources paid for the spring planting of 18,750 white and Norway pine seedlings in the Sand Dunes State Forest and 6,250 Norway pine seedlings on state lands north of Nisswa, near the Crow Wing State Forest.

"We're very grateful to John and Chris Mickman for their generous donation," said Mark Ellison, DNR area forester in Cambridge. "This gift is a real testament to their conservation ethic and their commitment to good resource stewardship."

Donations this size from the private sector are rare, and they help the DNR carry out projects that might not otherwise be possible, he said.

COMPILED BY Jim Adams and Kathleen Clonts