Best burger competition returns to Stillwater

Blockbuster video will close its Cottage Grove store at the end of the month, and outlets in Woodbury and Hudson, Wis., will close in the middle of March, company officials have confirmed.

Video rentals have ceased and the liquidating process has started at the Cottage Grove store at 8461 E. Point Douglas Road, said Kelsey Smith, a spokeswoman for the company, based in McKinney, Texas. Video rentals will continue until the end of January at 1960 Donegal Drive in Woodbury and 101 Carmichael Road in Hudson, Smith said.

The company said it will relocate as many employees as possible from the affected stores.

For $20, you can eat 6 burgers and pick the bestOne of the best post-holiday deals going might the "Best Burger in the Valley" cards on sale at Stillwater area retailers.

For $20, card holders get one burger from each of six participating restaurants on Main Street in downtown Stillwater. Those who buy the cards also can vote for the best burger.

The cards can be used through March, with proceeds from the sales going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Leo's Grill & Malt Shop won the competition last year. Along with Leo's, participating restaurants this year include Brine's Restaurant & Bar, Pub Monique, Reve 324, Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque and the Water Street Inn.

There are 500 cards available. They can be bought at Alesci Furniture Gallery, Northern Vineyard, Trade Wild Spice Co., Reve 324 or Leo's. They also are available by calling KLBB Radio at 651-439-5006.

Weight Watchers will move and update in larger spaceThe former C'Est-Si-Bon French Bakery and Cafe in Tamarack Village will soon be the new home of Woodbury's Weight Watchers branch.

Weight Watchers has had a small shop in the shopping center at Radio Drive and Hudson Road, but it will move its operations across the parking lot to Suite 501 during the third week in January, said Michelle Brzozowski, one of the store's nine team leaders.

The move to the center of Tamarack Village will increase the branch's visibility, allow for better signage, and, with an additional 800 square feet and interior updates, will provide "a more comfortable atmosphere" for the branch's 40 to 50 members, Brzozowski said. It also will have longer hours.

Woodbury is one of more than 400 Weight Watchers branches across the country being transformed to create spaces that offer "a warm, inviting weight-loss experience," Brzozowski said. Upgrades also are planned for branches in Minnetonka, Maple Grove and Maplewood.