BLOOMINGTON

Tickets available for 50+ country dance

A 50+ country-western dinner and dance will be held Friday, June 26, at the Bloomington Armory, 3300 W. 98th St. Tickets are $15 and must be purchased by June 19 at Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Av. S.The evening kicks off with line-dance lessons from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by dinner and then live music by the Saddle Sores from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

CARVER COUNTY

Award-winning bike event returns

Carver County Parks, Chaska Parks and Recreation and Victoria Parks are once again hosting Bike Konnect, an 8-mile family bike ride.

This year's event will be held Saturday, June 20, with the ride beginning in Victoria and ending at the Chaska Community Center. More information is available at chaskacommunitycenter.com or ci.victoria.mn.us.

Last year's event received an award of excellence from the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association.

EXCELSIOR

Art on the Lake returns for 35th year

The 35th annual Art on the Lake will take place in Excelsior this week.

The festival features local artists, musicians and food vendors. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 13 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 14 at the Commons park.

More details are available at excelsior-lakeminnetonkachamber.com.

HOPKINS

Church sets fish fry, forum with Steger

The public is invited to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Hopkins on Wednesday, June 17, for a fish fry and a free community forum with polar explorer Will Steger.

Reservations are required for the 5:30 p.m. fish fry. (A spaghetti alternative is available.) Tickets for the dinner are $12 for adults, $6 for kids ages 6 to 12. To buy tickets for the dinner, contact the church office at 952-935-1753 or gethsemane@glconline.org.

Reservations are not required for the 7 p.m. forum, entitled "Eyewitness to Global Warming." Steger, a native Minnesotan and polar explorer, will talk about environmental changes he has seen in Arctic regions over four decades. He will share photographs, satellite imagery and videos that document deterioration in the polar ice caps.

For information, go to www.glconline.org.

Blue Water presents 'Drowsy Chaperone'

Blue Water Theatre Company will present the Broadway musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" at 7 p.m. June 11-13 at Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins.

The cast features more than 40 teen actors from a dozen area schools.

The production is directed by Charlie Leonard, with musical direction by Kirsten Hoiseth Thayer and choreography by Katie Fischer.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for students. They can be purchased in advance at www.bluewatertheatre.com or at the door beginning one hour before each performance. Seating is reserved.

For more information, go to www.bluewatertheatre.com, call 952-855-9147 or e-mail charlie.leonard@bluewatertheatre.com.

MINNEAPOLIS

U prostate cancer group to meet June 11

The University of Minnesota prostate cancer support group will meet from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at Hope Lodge, 2500 University Av. SE, Minneapolis. This session will be an open discussion at which participants can discuss their experiences with prostate cancer to help each other learn, support and connect.

Family and friends are welcome to attend. There is no charge, free parking is available behind the Lodge or on adjacent streets, and light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 612-388-3588.

PLYMOUTH

Openings for on-call firefighters

The Plymouth Fire Service is looking to hire paid-on-call firefighters and will hold a recruitment open house from 9 a.m. to noon June 13 at Fire Station III, 3300 Dunkirk Lane.

The part-time jobs offer an hourly wage, a chance to qualify for a pension and extensive training.

For more information, go to plymouthmn.gov/become-firefighter or call 763-509-5120.

Free concert for kids to be held Wednesday

Plymouth will hold a free kids concert featuring the group Sticks and Tones at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 10, at Parkers Lake Park, at County Road 6 and Niagara Lanew.

The event is sponsored by Abbott Northwestern-WestHealth and TCF Bank.

Wi-Fi now available on Metrolink buses

Free high-speed Wi-Fi is now available on all 32 Plymouth Metrolink express service buses.

The new feature follows the launch of a free mobile app with real-time bus tracking, a route planner and push notifications of rider alerts (go to plymouthmn.gov/metrolinkapp for more details).

ROBBINSDALE SCHOOLs

'Pathways to Career' fair set for Thursday

Current and former students, families and community members are invited to the Robbinsdale school district's Pathways to Career fair from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 11.

The free event will be held at Cooper High School, 8230 47th Av. N., New Hope.

The district describes the fair as a chance "to explore numerous career pathways and learn more about various postsecondary options available to further an education or advance in a career."

Local community and technical colleges will provide information, and staff will be available to help families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Summit Academy OIC, a nonprofit vocational and educational training center, will also be on hand, holding hourly information sessions.

To register for one of those, call 763-504-8027.

STAFF REPORTS