West news briefs: Ice Castles open in Miller Park Dec. 29

EDEN PRAIRIE

Ice Castles open in Miller Park Dec. 29

Utah-based Ice Castles LLC will open in Eden Prairie's Miller Park starting on Dec. 29, as long as weather permits.

Two years ago, the Mall of America in Bloomington hosted the company's creations and the acre-sized ice attraction now moves to the west metro suburb, along with places in Utah, Vermont and New Hampshire. Crews are "growing" 5,000 icicles a day on "ice farms," and "harvesting" the icicles, lighting them up at night with thousands of multicolored LED lights.

The ice castles will be open at the park, 17970 E. Miller Pkwy., from 2 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 10 p.m., on weekends from Dec. 29 through March. From Monday to Thursday, tickets will cost $7.95 for children ages 4-11 and $9.95 for general admission. From Friday to Sunday, tickets will be $9.95 for children and $11.95 for general admission.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.icecastles.com. Up to 70,000 people are expected to visit the attraction.

EDINA

'La Boheme' scene at heart of holiday show

CORO, an ensemble of outstanding vocal soloists who perform a wide range of classical music, including scenes from opera, will present its annual Christmas concert at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 6716 Gleason Road, Edina, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14.

The Café Momus Christmas scene from Puccini's "La Boheme" will be presented in concert form, along with traditional and nontraditional carols. Admission is $20, and includes a reception with hors d'oeuvres and beverages.

CORO was founded by and is directed by John Scott Moir of Eden Prairie. Its members represent many communities in the west suburbs. See www.corosings.org for additional information.

EXCELSIOR

'Tapping History' program is Dec. 23

Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society's next monthly "Tapping History" program will be held Dec. 23.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will discuss Deephaven native Mike Plant's journey lost at sea in 1992. The presentation, "Coyote Lost at Sea: The Michael Plant Story," will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 23 at the Excelsior Brewery, 421 3rd Street in Excelsior.

Julia Plant, Plant's younger sister, will share stories of his life from her 2013 book, "Coyote Lost at Sea." Mike Plant was lost at sea while sailing his "Coyote" to the Vendée Globe race in France.

The Historical Society's "Tapping History: Pints and Reflections on Lake Minnetonka's Past" is a series featuring a history expert on the second Monday of each month at the Excelsior pub (the Dec. 23 program is a special date). For more information, contact info@elmhs.org or call 952-221-4766.

HOPKINS

Women's Club to help a family for holidays

The Women's Club of Hopkins will hold its monthly meeting at noon, Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Mizpah United Church of Christ, 412 5th Av. N.

Lunch will be served at noon, followed by a short business meeting and a 1 p.m. program. The program will feature the instrumental group The Generations.

The outreach topic for the month is "Adopt a Family" for the holidays.

To attend, call 952-988-7740 for a reservation by Dec 12.

OSSEO

New gun club is now open to the public

A new gun club in Osseo that spurred some controversy in 2013 when a developer first proposed it near a high school is now open to the public.

The gun club, located at 22 4th St. NW., opened Dec. 2. In July 2013, the city approved the project, turning an empty parking lot into a $3.3 million 18,000-square-foot building housing a 20-lane indoor gun range, gun safety classrooms, retail and banquet facilities. The gun club initially divided the community, with some opposing it because of its location two blocks from the school while dozens of Twin Cities gun owners argued that it would meet the needs of a growing group of gun owners and attract visitors to the northwestern suburb.

For more information on the gun club, go to osseogunclub.com.

ST. LOUIS PARK

Art of Dr. Seuss featured at exhibit

"The Art of Dr. Seuss: A Retrospective and International Touring Exhibition," celebrating the art and life of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), will continue through Dec. 31 at Jean Stephen Galleries, 4811 Excelsior Blvd.

The exhibit begins with early drawings in Life magazine, including editorial, advertising, military, and book illustrations, and finally, works from the Secret Art collection. Imagery in the exhibition is drawn from significant public and private collections, including the Dr. Seuss Archives at the University of California, San Diego, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, and the Dr. Seuss Estate, featuring rare and never-before-seen images from the 1920s to '90s.

Thirty-two panels present both original and reproduced historical ephemera from 1927 through 1990, along with a selection of authorized estate editions reproduced after Dr. Seuss's lifetime under permission from his family. Visitors to the exhibition will come away with an in-depth look at the multifaceted artistic career of America's best-known children's book author.

For more information, go to www.jsgalleries.com.

VICTORIA

Forest restoration primer set for Dec. 16

Learn about forest restoration from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 16 at Lowry Nature Center in Carver Park Reserve, Victoria.

Three Rivers Park District staff will discuss the challenges of combating and removing invasive species, disease management and efforts put into new plantings and protecting them from browsing.

The program costs $5 and is for ages 16 and older. Three Rivers volunteers may attend free of charge.

WACONIA

Holiday toy drive to be held at fire station

The 11th Annual Waconia Toy Drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Fire Station.

Volunteers are needed to help with the event.

Contact Lisa at 801-455-3034 or at lisa.amott@yahoo.com if you are interested in helping out as a personal shopper.

WEST METRO

3 cities' police chiefs certified by group

The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association has certified three west metro police chiefs with the highest certification level in the association's new credentialing program.

Plymouth Police Chief Mike Goldstein, Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner and Hopkins Police Chief Michael Reynolds were certified as master practitioners as part of the first group of 18 Minnesota law enforcement leaders to receive the association certification. Along with the suburban police chiefs, Three Rivers Park District Chief Hugo McPhee was also among the leaders certified.

The certification is based on a review of their Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) Certification applications, which detailed law enforcement experience, academic achievements, community service and professional contributions. The association says the program will better prepare law enforcement leaders for their careers and communities.

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