Briefs: Washington County wins award for lighted ski trail project

The National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials has recognized Washington County with an award for its new lighted ski trail at the Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

The County Board accepted the 2012 award in the Park and Recreation Facility category.

In 2011, the county parks department installed more than 200 LED lights along 5.5 miles of cross-country ski trails to allow for night skiing throughout the 2,100-acre park at 1515 Keats Av. N.

Spaced 120 feet apart and five feet high, the lights have lens covers that direct the beam onto the trail so the light does not escape into the dark sky.

Along with the lights, the park also widened trails, converted two-way trails into one-ways and put in a trail exclusively for snowshoers.

Event will feature antique record players Scott Holthus, an expert on late 19th- and 20th century record players, will give a presentation on the history of the devices and play a sample of pre-World War I records at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Historic Warden's House Museum, 602 N. Main St.

Holthus owns the Vintage Music Co., which he operates in Minneapolis. It is one of the last remaining businesses in the country dedicated solely to selling and repairing pre-1950s record players.

For information call 651-439-5956.

Youth Advantage is awarded $5,000 grant Youth Advantage will have an extra $5,000 to work with thanks to a grant from RBC Foundation USA.

The money will be used to fund the nonprofit's core mission, which is to provide access to extracurricular arts, athletics and educational enrichment opportunities for children whose parents or guardians can't afford to pay for them.

New Kiwanis Club is ready to organize An organizational meeting of the new Kiwanis Club of Stillwater will be held at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Youth Service Bureau in the Historic Courthouse, 101 W. Pine St.

Kiwanis is a local service club that will focus on providing opportunities for youth to experience volunteer service and develop leadership skills. The club will be part of Kiwanis International.

High school gets new phone numbers Phone numbers at Mahtomedi High School have changed. The school's main number now is 651-762-5800. New phone numbers for school staff and departments can be found on the school district's website at www.mahtomedi.k12.mn.us.

Nominations for MHS Athletic Hall of Fame Mahtomedi Public Schools is accepting nominations for the high school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

The hall recognizes former athletes, former coaches and community members who have displayed outstanding athletic abilities or have made exceptional contributions to the school district's athletic programs.

Award recipients will be honored during halftime of the Sept. 21 Mahtomedi High School homecoming football game, and a plaque will be displayed in the high school.

Nomination forms are available at www.startribune.com/a1594.

The chamber is seeking volunteers to set up and take down the course, staff water stops and aid stations, and perform other tasks during the 31st annual event on Aug. 26.

Volunteers also are needed to hand out race packets from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 25 and 7 to 11 a.m. Aug. 26. To sign up, call 651-578-0722.

Crossing work will begin Monday Crews from Union Pacific Railroad on Monday will begin replacing the crossing surface in front of the 3M plant on County Road 19A, also known as Innovation Road. The work is expected to last through Friday.

During the closure, traffic to and from the 3M plant will be rerouted around the site via the Jamaica Avenue crossing. Detour signs will be posted.

Students earn AP Scholar awards More than 35 current students and recent graduates of Forest Lake High School earned AP Scholar awards given by Advance Placement, a national program sponsored by the SAT College Board.

AP Scholar awards with honors were given to 10 students who earned an average of 3.25 on all the AP exams they took and earned scores of 3.0 or higher on four or more exams. Students who earned the AP Scholar award with distinction scored an average of 3.5 on all AP exams they took and scored 3.0 or higher on five or more exams.

Public invited to hit links at Forest Hills Normally open to members only, Forest Hills Golf Club opens to the public Monday for a fundraiser to benefit the Second Harvest Heartland food bank.

The par 72 course at 7530 N. 210th St. will be open from 10 a.m. to dusk. Green fees, $35 or $45 for players who want to use a cart, will go to the charity.

This is the 16th years the club has opened to the public. Previous beneficiaries have included foundations that serve people with Down's Syndrome, cancer and diabetes. For information: 651-464-3097, ext. 14.