Excelsior

Cold pushes Lions' Crappie Contest back

The Lake Minnetonka Lions Club's annual Crappie Contest has been delayed a week because of late ice-out on the lake.

The family fun day, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, will now take place on April 27 at Bayview Event Center, 687 Excelsior Blvd.

The event begins at 9 a.m., and the first 100 kids age 17 and under will receive a free rod and reel. Also featured are informational booths, a raffle, a silent auction from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that benefits the American Diabetes Association of Minnesota and live music at 1:30 p.m. The fish weigh-in is at 1 p.m.

For more information, go to mnlakeparty.com.

Chamber celebrates Person of the Year

The Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce will award an individual with the Person of the Year recognition this week.

The event — which is open to the public, business owners, residents, community organizations and past award winners — will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday at the Commons Workplace, 540 Lake St. in Excelsior. It includes beverages, food, a fine dessert and a coffee bar, music of Gary Heil and a raffle. Register online at www.tinyurl.com/personoftheyear2013.

Raffle tickets cost $10 each or three for $25 at various retailers. Call the Chamber office for locations at 952-474-6461.

Prizes include nights on the Town Prize Bundle, a Chamber wine basket, a Paradise Charter Cruise, two VIP tickets to the 10,000 Lakes Concours d'Elegance plus a gourmet picnic from Epicurean Garden Catering, and a catered dinner for two from Epicurean Garden Catering with a personalized garden centerpiece from Gray Gardens.

Church hosts breakfast fundraiser

Our Savior Lutheran Church will host a breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, April 21.

Made-to-order omelets, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, sausage and hash browns will be served at the church, located at 23290 Hwy. 7 in Excelsior, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Proceeds from this tax-deductible event will support Our Savior students attending the LCMS National Youth Gathering, a ministry workshop conference. As part of the fundraiser, students will also be "auctioned off" to do service projects.

Tickets are available at the door and cost $7 for age 55 and older, $8 for adults, $3.50 for ages 4-10, and they are free for children under age 3. For more information, call 952-474-5181 or visit www.oslcs.org.

Richfield

Wood Lake Nature Center fundraiser

The Friends of Wood Lake will hold their annual fundraiser to benefit the nature center's programs and facilities on Friday, April 26, at 6 p.m.

This year's event, held at the Minnesota Valley Country Club, features a gourmet dinner, a naturalist and animals from the Minnesota Zoo's Zoomobile, and a silent auction and prizes.

Tickets are $45. For reservations, call 612-861-9365 or go to www.woodlakenaturecenter.org.

Board approves Richfield Parkway

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners has approved Richfield Parkway, a new road and recreational trail that will be built where 17th Avenue South now runs from 63rd Street to 65th Street, across from the Home Depot and Target at 66th Street and Hwy. 77.

Houses on the two blocks will be removed. The trail will provide a direct connection from south Minneapolis. Development of the new connection will allow removal of a road around nearby Taft Lake and improve the lake's water quality.

The project is a partnership between the county, Richfield, Three Rivers Park District, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and Metro Transit. The county is contributing $627,000 to the project.

Bloomington

Citywide curbside clean up begins

The city's annual curbside cleanup is in full swing, collecting bulky waste that is not normally picked up by weekly garbage haulers.

Remaining pickup dates are: Saturday, Portland to Penn; April 27, Penn to France; May 4, France to Normandale; and May 11, west of Normandale.

This program is available only to residents. Materials should not be put out more than two days before pickup. Use of plastic bags is prohibited.

Materials should be set at the curb before 7 a.m. on pickup day, and trucks will go through neighborhoods only once.

Volunteer assistance may be available for seniors or people with disabilities. For more information, call 952-563-8700 or go to http://www.startribune.com/a2165.

Edina

Skaters to celebrate Edina's 125th birthday

The Braemar City of Lakes Figure Skating Club will present it 47th Annual Ice show at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Braemar Ice Arena.

The show, entitled "Skating the Colors of Life," will feature skaters from age 3 to 18. The Friday show, dedicated to the 125th Anniversary of the City of Edina, also will include local dignitaries and the Edina High School Band. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for students and seniors, an free for age 5 and under. The ice arena is located at 7501 Ikola Way in Edina.

Edina Reads discusses book on bullying

Retired Edina High School teacher and book club leader Betsy Cussler will lead a discussion on the novel, "A Thinking Man's Bully," by Michael Adelberg.

The event is on Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fireside Room at the Edina Senior Center, 5280 Grandview Square.

The novel explores the idea that many bullies are very smart and subtle in the physical and mental pain that they create for their victims.

For more information on the HRRC or to get involved, visit www.EdinaMN.gov. For more information on Adelberg, visit www.michaeladelberg.com.

The event is sponsored by the Edina Human Rights & Relations Commission, the Friends of the Edina Library and League of Women Voters Edina.

St. Louis Park

'Who gets grandma's stuff?'

The St. Louis Park Senior Program will offer a class titled "Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate or Grandpa's Fishing Lures," with practical information to help families make such difficult decisions.

Personal belongings can be both treasured mementos and a source of friction for a family and lead to conflicts when a death or major life change occurs. Shirley Barber, a retired University of Minnesota faculty member, will teach the class from 10:30-11:30 a.m. April 30. Deadline for registration is April 25.

The St. Louis Park Senior Program is based at the Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd. in St. Louis Park. For more information, call 952-928-6418.

Spaghetti dinner set for April 26

A spaghetti dinner catered by Nelson's Meat Market and Catering of Hopkins will be sponsored by the St. Louis Park Senior Program from 4:30-6:30 p.m. April 26 at the Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd. in St. Louis Park.

Dinners will include spaghetti with or without meat sauce, salad, a breadstick, ice cream and a beverage. Advance tickets are $8 ($8.50 at the door) and $4.75 for children under 10. They can be purchased at Lenox.

For more information, call 952-928-6444.

Children First holds annual fundraiser

Children First will host a fundraiser April 24 at the Doubletree by Hilton Minneapolis Park Place in St. Louis Park.

The Champions Breakfast will take place from 7:15-8:15 a.m. April 24 and includes a video of the young people who have co-chaired the initiative the last 10 years and a light breakfast sponsored by Japs-Olson Company.

There is no fee to attend, but it is Children First's annual fundraiser, so a donation is suggested. Gifts will be matched through donors including the Park Nicollet Foundation, which is providing a $10,000 matching grant.

Registration begins at 7 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Children First at 952-928-6075 or Atkinson.karen@slpschools.org.

West metro

Southwest LRT open houses in April, May

Hennepin County is hosting open houses to engage the public in planning around proposed light rail transit (LRT) stations for the Southwest LRT line, which will run 15 miles from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie and is scheduled to open in 2018.

Station area plans are being prepared to help communities and neighborhoods take advantage of opportunities that are expected when the line opens.

For each of the 17 stations, initial concepts have been assembled including options for pedestrian, bike, bus and vehicular connections and land use and development opportunities. At open houses, participants will see initial station alternatives and can comment and help guide planning.

Open houses are scheduled for:

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at St. Louis Park Recreation Center, 3700 Monterey Drive;

• 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet;

• 6-8 p.m. May 2 at the Bryn Mawr Elementary School auditorium, 252 Upton Av. S. in Minneapolis;

• 5-7 p.m. and May 13 at Eden Prairie City Hall, 8080 Mitchell Road.

At the Hopkins meeting, stations in both Hopkins and Minnetonka will be discussed.

Maple Grove

Farmers Market kicks off 10th season

The Maple Grove Farmers Market will kick off its 10th season this year, starting with an indoor spring preview May 9.

The event will take place from 3-7 p.m. at the Maple Grove Community Center, 12951 Weaver Lake Road. It includes 20 vendors offering meats, breads, eggs, bedding plants, Lebanese specialty items, canned goods, BBQ sauces and rubs, and other items.

The outdoor season begins June 13, and the market will be open every Thursday through Oct. 24, with the exception of July 4th. Hours are 3-7 p.m. June to September and 3-6 p.m. in October.

This year, the market will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. For more information, go to www.maplegrovefarmers market.com or facebook.com/maplegrovefarmersmarket.