Excelsior is a tiny town that draws big crowds, but being the epicenter of some 200 events each year on Lake Minnetonka is taking its toll.
This spring, the city's Police Department has started declining some event requests. The city has raised fees for the events it approves and hired a coordinator to manage a problem that many other Twin Cities suburbs would love to have.
"Excelsior is an outlier. They are a very, very popular destination for special events," said South Lake Minnetonka Police Chief Mike Meehan, whose 15-officer department patrols Excelsior and three other cities.
"I don't think it's an issue in the other cities we serve … or in other suburbs. Excelsior is, to a degree, a victim of their own success."
Like Wayzata across the lake, Excelsior long has grappled with how to balance being a metro-area destination with the increased traffic and other problems that it brings to a community of 2,400.
In the last year, city leaders have cracked down on the overserving of alcohol after seeing a spike in drinking-related incidents, and explored solutions for the parking crunch that results when thousands flock to the city's lakefront, restaurants and boutiques each summer.
Residents often are annoyed by the city's myriad summer events, which stretch police and fire department resources and clog up streets in the compact (one-square-mile) town.
Excelsior is on pace to top last year's 169 public and private events, with the City Council just this week approving a triathlon, brewery event and yoga festival.