West news briefs: Marching-arts event at Eden Prairie High School

EDEN PRAIRIE

Some of the world's top drum and bugle corps will compete when Drum Corps International presents DCI Eden Prairie on Friday at Eden Prairie High School's football stadium.

These elite groups will include the 15-time DCI champion Blue Devils of Concord, Calif., and the 2011 DCA champion Minnesota Brass, a nonprofit, all-ages corps based in the Twin Cities. (For more information about it, go to www.mnbrassinc.org.)

Scott Palmer, director of the award-winning Eden Prairie High School band program, serves on the brass staff of both the Blue Devils and Minnesota Brass, and several Eden Prairie students perform with Minnesota Brass.

Other competitors will include the Bluecoats of Canton, Ohio, and the Boston Crusaders of Boston, as well as Legends of Kalamazoo, Mich. Rounding out the field are Jersey Surf of Camden County, N.J., and an international guest, the Blue Saints of Sudbury, Ontario.

These corps were slated to compete on the same date at DCI Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. When that annual event was displaced by activities related to the All-Star Game, Eden Prairie — along with La Crosse, Wis. — won the right to host the corps as part of DCI's national summer tour.

Three winners have been announced from 90 proposals for artistic installations that would help build a sense of community in the new neighborhood known as the South Loop, near the Mall of America and Bloomington Central Station.

Winning proposals are from Nicole Ponath of Minneapolis, an "Airplane Mound Park" where people could watch planes taking off from the nearby airport; from Jodi Refsland of Minneapolis, "Acoustic Ecology," a trail that would feature sound-enhancing sculptures, and from Troy Gallas of Minneapolis, "Pallet Pavilion," which would take discarded pallets and assemble them in unique forms, mixed with plant material.

For more information and to see visuals of the winning proposals, go to http://btacmn.org/placemaking/idea_prize.html.

EDINA

The public is invited to a site walk of Fred Richards Golf Course at 7 p.m. today, July 9, with consultants who are helping the city determine the future park use of the land.

The course is closing at the end of the year and the city wants the public to weigh in on what sort of park should be there and what the impact is on residents who live around the course.

For updates on the course's future, go to www.EdinaMN.gov/fred-richards-repurpose.

The Maple Grove Farmers Market is starting a kids' club that organizers say is the first of its kind in Minnesota.

The Power of Produce (PoP) Club is open to children ages 5-12 who visit the market from July 10 to Aug. 14. Kids who participate will receive $2 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables every time they visit the market during the six-week program, which also includes weekly special events.

The farmers market says the program is the first of its kind in Minnesota, supported by Whole Foods Market-Maple Grove, the Opus Group and Partners in Pediatrics/Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. For more information, go to www.maplegrovefarmersmarket.com.

The University of Minnesota prostate cancer support group will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Hope Lodge, 2500 University Av. SE. Dr. L.C. Cho, a radiation oncologist, will speak, with a question-and-answer segment to follow. Spouses, family members and friends of patients are welcome. There is no charge, parking is free, and light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 612-388-3588.

Last year's award recipients included business, government and citizens such as Carver County, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the City of St. Louis Park, students of El Colegio High School, Medina Mayor Elizabeth Weir, Ken Gothberg and Lee Keeley.

To submit a nomination, go to www.minnehahacreek.org/nominate or send it to Telly Mamayek at tmamayek@minnehahacreek.org with the name of the nominee, the award category and a brief (less than 200 words) description of the nominee's contribution or accomplishment in one of the following categories: Excellence in Development Award, Innovation in Government Award, Outstanding Partner Award, Youth Naturalist Award, Citizen Engagement Award, Outstanding Contribution Award and Lifetime Stewardship Award.

For more information, go to www.minnehahacreek.org.

The Minnetonka Night for Neighbors will be held on Aug. 5. The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. Minnetonka residents can register their neighborhood party at www.eminnetonka.com or call 952-939-8546.

The deadline to apply for a spot on the Plymouth Advisory Committee on Transit is July 31. The city is looking for residents with an interest in public transit to fill vacancies on the committee. The committee advises the City Council on the Plymouth Metrolink bus system, which provides express service between Plymouth and downtown Minneapolis, local shuttles and a Dial-A-Ride service.

To apply, go to www.plymouthmn.gov/commissions; to have an application mailed, call City Clerk Sandy Engdahl at 763-509-5080 or e-mail sengdahl@plymouthmn.gov. The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. July 31. The council will interview applicants and appoint committee members at a council meeting. The term will begin immediately and run through Jan. 31, 2016.

"Treasures Uncovered" experts are coming to Richfield July 19 to appraise antiques in an event that will benefit the Richfield Historical Society.

At a cost of $10 for up to two items, experts will evaluate and appraise antiques from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Gramercy Park Cooperative. Due to time limitations, appraisers cannot review dolls, wristwatches, jewelry or firearms. People are asked to only bring items they can safely carry themselves.

To register, mail a check for $10 payable to the Richfield Historical Society to Gramercy Park Cooperative, 6711 Lake Shore Dr., Richfield, 55423. The deadline for registration is July 14, and the donation is tax-deductible.

People who only want to watch appraisals must reserve a seat by calling 612-861-1378. Refreshments will be served.

Bond, who recently published the novel "Ruby," will speak at the book store at 7 p.m. July 16. Bond has taught writing to homeless and at-risk youth throughout Los Angeles for more than 15 years; she now works as a writing consultant and teaches therapeutic writing in Los Angeles.

The Bookcase is located at 824 E. Lake St. in Wayzata. For more information, go to bookcaseofwayzata.com.