South news briefs: Cedar Lake Farm park closed for construction

Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park near New Prague closed last week and will be closed until May 27, 2016, for construction.

The Phase 1 development project will include a maintenance building, 0.6 miles of paved trails in the park's core, 2.5 miles of soft trails, beach improvements, boat launch improvements, handicap parking, utility improvements, parking upgrades and barn restoration.

The troupe Treasure Beyond Measure will present a comedy pirate show at 7 p.m. Thursday at Huber Park, 150 Fillmore St. N. in Shakopee. The show is part of the Huber Park Performance and Event Series along the city's riverfront.

Children can practice their reading by reading out loud to a certified therapy dog from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Shakopee Library, 235 Lewis St. S.

"Waggin' Tales" is a drop-in event, so no registration is necessary. For more information, call the library at 952-233-9590.

SandVenture Aquatic Park's annual "Goldfish Hunt" will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the park, 1101 Adams St., Shakopee.

Sunday is the park's last day of the regular season. There will be entertainment from 4 to 5 p.m., and the goldfish hunt at 5 p.m.

People 55 and older can learn to use a computer and surf the Internet at a session from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Elko New Market Library, 110 J. Roberts Way.

The session is geared to older adults who have little or no experience on computers. For more information, call the library at 952-496-8030.

The Blue Drifters bluegrass group will perform from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at McColl Park ELC, 13550 Dakota Av. S. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.

Choir alumni from Burnsville High School classes of 1980 to 1983 will hold a reunion and concert Friday and Saturday. Rehearsals will be Friday evening and Saturday morning, with a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Berean Baptist Church, 309 E. County Road 42.

The reunion choir will be directed by Loren Squires, who led the Burnsville High School choirs for more than 35 years. After the concert, there will be a gathering at Old Chicago Pizza at County Road 42 and Cedar Avenue.

A "Block Bash" with food and entertainment will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday in Market Plaza at 208th Street and Holyoke Avenue in downtown Lakeville.

The acoustic duo Erin and Madison will start off the music, followed by FlashMob!, a pop rock cover band. Food trucks will be on site and adult beverages will be available from Brackett's Crossing Country Club.

Tickets are $5 in advance and include a free beer. They are available at any Lakeville ACE Hardware, Ben Franklin, the Pink Door Boutique and Citizens State Bank. Tickets at the party are $10.

The party is sponsored by the Downtown Lakeville Business Association.

Prior Lake's Free Family Movie Night presents "Big Hero 6" on Friday in front of the band shell at Lakefront Park, 5000 Kop Parkway. The show will start about 8:15. Advice from organizers: "Bring a chair, blankets, bug spray, snacks and your friends." For more information, call 952-447-9820.

The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority will have special buses running between the south metro and the Minnesota State Fair from Aug. 27 to Sept. 7.

The fair buses will operate on weekdays (except Labor Day) from the Burnsville and Eagan transit stations and on weekends and Labor Day from the Burnsville, Eagan and Marschall Road (Shakopee) transit stations.

The round-trip fare is $5 for riders age 5 and older. There are no one-way fares. Payments must be made in bills or coins; passes are not valid for the State Fair buses.

On weekdays, buses will leave hourly starting at 8 a.m. from Burnsville and starting at 10 a.m. from Eagan and will run to the fair until 7 p.m.

On weekends, buses will run every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Burnsville and Eagan and every hour from Shakopee.

For more information, call 952-882-7500.

The Minnesota chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) will offer a free course in Hastings for families dealing with mental illness.

The course will discuss resources, help build communication skills and give pointers for reducing stress and finding support.

The Family-to-Family course is taught by others who have benefited from the free class. More than 3,000 people have attended past meetings.

The class is from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 16 at Hastings High School, 200 General Sieben Dr.