BLOOMINGTON

Photos sought for Veterans Photo Wall

The annual Veterans Photo Wall will be on display throughout November at Bloomington Civic Plaza and Creekside Community Center.

The current collection includes more than 275 photos of men and women from all branches of service. If you would like to include a photo for the 2014 display, visit Human Services at Creekside Community Center or Bloomington Civic Plaza.

High-quality photos can also be e-mailed to humanservices@BloomingtonMN.gov. Please include name, rank, branch and years of service.

EDEN PRAIRIE

City to hold open house for community

Eden Prairie will hold a free open house for the community on Oct. 11, showing off all city departments.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Rd. It will include jail tours, the police department's SWAT team and other city departments. The event is free and parking is available in the City Center parking lot.

GOLDEN VALLEY

Open house for families with autism

Families with autism are invited to an open house on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m., hosted by the Golden Valley police and fire departments and the Autism Society of Minnesota.

The event will be held at the Golden Valley Public Safety building, 7800 Golden Valley Road. It will provide an opportunity for families to build relationships with local police officers, firefighters, paramedics and police K-9 units, as well as learning about community autism resources and safety information. For more information, contact the Golden Valley Police Department at 763-593-8079.

MAPLE GROVE

New hours for farmers market

The Maple Grove Farmers Market will have new hours in October.

The market is open from 3-6 p.m. every Thursday afternoon through Oct. 23 at the Maple Grove Community Center, located at 12951 Weaver Lake Road. For more information, go to maplegrovemn.gov or facebook.com/maplegrovefarmersmarket.

ORONO

City celebrates 125-year anniversary

The city of Orono will celebrate its 125th anniversary on Oct. 18.

The city, which was incorporated as a township on April 9, 1889, from parts of Medina and Excelsior townships, will celebrate with an open house from noon to 3 p.m. at Pioneer Museum, 1953 Wayzata Blvd., Long Lake.

The event includes tours of the museum, local storyteller Bob Gasch, past and present city leaders and a group photo at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 952-249-4600 or go to www.ci.orono.mn.us

MINNEAPOLIS

U prostate cancer group meets Oct. 9

The University of Minnesota prostate cancer support group will meet from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, at Hope Lodge, 2500 University Av. SE., Minneapolis. Progress in prostate cancer research will be the discussion topic; Scott Dehm, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, will be the featured guest. Wives, family and friends are welcome. There is no charge, parking is free, and light refreshments will be served. For further information, call 612-388-3588.

Plymouth

Fire department hosts annual event

The Plymouth Fire Department will hold its annual open house on Saturday, Oct. 11.

The event will take place from noon-3 p.m. at Fire Station III, 3300 Dunkirk Lane. The free event includes emergency service personnel doing a kitchen-grease fire demonstration, displays and hands-on activities. Visitors can climb inside a fire truck, meet a police K-9, shoot water from a fire hose and enjoy complimentary refreshments.

The fire and police departments will also compete in the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin' Wing Challenge at 2 p.m. during the open house, attempting to eat 12 of the hottest chicken wings in less than six minutes without a beverage, dipping sauces or napkins. The sauce is reputed to be 60 times hotter than jalapeño peppers.

For more information, call 763-509-5198 or go to www.plymouthmn.gov.

Workshop to focus on child safety

The Plymouth Police and Fire departments will host a Home Alone Workshop for children ages 8-10 on Oct. 16.

The workshop, which will teach children how to respond to an emergency when they're home alone, will take place from 6:30-7:45 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Public Safety Building at 3400 Plymouth Blvd. The cost to attend is $5 and the class is limited for 30 participants.

Police officers and firefighters will teach children how to deal with issues such as dialing 911, preventing crime in a home, dealing with severe weather or scalds and burns, planning for a home fire escape, dealing with Internet safety and cyber bullying. For more information, call 763-509-5198. To register, call 763-509-5200 or go to www.plymouthmn.gov

Domestic abuse victims to be honored

A Plymouth church is hosting a domestic-abuse healing and memorial service Thursday, Oct. 9, to honor the 38 victims who died in domestic violence homicides in Minnesota in 2013.

The event is put on by Allina Health at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, 12235 Old Rockford Road in Plymouth.

This is the second year of the multidenominational service. Other sponsors are Alexandra House, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Home Free, Maple Grove evangelical Free Church, Partners in Faith for Peace, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church, St. Raphael's Catholic Church and Safe Journey.

For more information, call 763-559-2775.

MINNETONKA

City hosts fall festival at amphitheater

Minnetonka will host a fall family festival Oct. 26.

The event will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Minnetonka outdoor amphitheater, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka. It includes activities such as live music by the AlphaBits, storytellers, hayrides, face painting, pumpkin painting, hot apple cider, games and treats. Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.

The cost to attend is $8 for children ages 1-10; free for adults. Registration is required; call 952-939-8203 or go to www.eminnetonka.com.

VICTORIA

Event to teach art of bird banding

Three Rivers Park District is hosting an event for people of all ages to learn more about bird banding. The program will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Lowry Nature Center, in Carver Park Reserve, Victoria.

Attendees will be able to see songbirds up close as they are carefully trapped, tagged, studied and released. You may hear a bird's heartbeat before releasing it.

The program is free, but groups are asked to call Lowry at 763-694-7650 to reserve a start time. Children 17 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

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