RICHFIELD

Ole and Lena dinner set for April 17 The 14th annual Ole & Lena Spaghetti Dinner Show and Silent Auction are set for 5 p.m. April 17 at Richfield Lutheran Church, 60th & Nicollet Av. S. in Minneapolis.

A social hour and silent auction will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6.

All who attend are encouraged to wear Ole and Lena outfits, and special prizes and awards will be given out.

An Uffda King and Queen will be chosen and crowned from among the ranks of those attending.

Music and humor will be provided by LeRoy Larson and the Minnesota Scandinavian Ensemble. The RLC Strolling Scandinavian Musicians also will be on hand, and there will be "open mic" joke sessions for those who have Ole and Lena stories to share.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $5 for children under 12, or families may be admitted for the family rate of $45. Call Sharon or Burt Miller at 612-869-4997 or e-mail smiller6712@msn.com.

Proceeds will be used for scholarships and to defray costs of the Luther Park Camp & Retreat Center near Danbury, Wis., a ministry of 45 Evangelical Lutheran Church congregations.

MAPLE GROVE

Hennepin library prepares for big move Hennepin County Library will close its Maple Grove branch at 8351 Elm Creek Blvd. at 5 p.m. on April 17 to begin the move to its new home at 8001 Main St. The new library will open on May 22.

Book drop-offs at both libraries will be closed from 5 p.m. April 17 until the new library reopens on May 22.

The new 40,000-square-foot library offers more than twice the space available in the old library. It also has 114,000 books, CDs, DVDs and other items, and will have 21 more computers, for a total of 69.

For more information, call 952-847-5550 until April 17, or go to www.hclib.org .

EXCELSIOR

Library book sale on April 10 The Friends of the Excelsior Library will conduct a spring used-book sale from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 301 County Road 19, Excelsior.

For sale will be hundreds of adult and children's fiction and nonfiction books, both hardcover and paperback. DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes also will be offered.

From 2:30-3:30 p.m., there will be a "Bag O' Books" sale during which buyers can stuff a bag full of books for $5. For information, call 952-847-5450.

MINNEAPOLIS

Teen Job Fair set for Saturday The Hennepin County Library is sponsoring a free Teen Job Fair from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall.

Teenagers will have a chance to meet employers and get information about job openings. They'll also be able to apply for a job on the spot, sign up for job training, or find out about internships and volunteering.

Two workshops also will be offered during the Teen Job Fair: At 1 p.m., a panel of representatives from businesses such as Jimmy John's and the Mall of America will discuss applications and résumés, interviewing and other job-search concerns; at 2 p.m. there will be a workshop on job-search tips.

The Hennepin County Library is offering other teen job assistance programs through May. For details, go to www.hclib.org .

ST. LOUIS PARK

Class to help women plan for their future The St. Louis Park Senior Program is sponsoring "What's Next? Life Planning for Women," focusing on helping women move through the transitions that can come later in life.

Subjects to be covered include protect health, managing money and connecting with others.

The class will meet from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays April 12-26. Registration deadline is Friday.

The classes will be held at Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park. For more information, call 952-928-6444.

PLYMOUTH

Lion's Club breakfast set for Sunday The New Hope Lions Club has scheduled its annual pancake-and-sausage breakfast fundraiser and a silent auction from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Plymouth Middle School, 10011 36th Av. N., Plymouth.

Cost is $6 for adults and $5 for seniors and youth up to age 13. Preschool children accompanied by an adult are free.

Proceeds will go to support local charities and programs.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or from members of the New Hope Lions Club. For more information, go to www.newhopelions.org.

BLOOMINGTON

Program planned on ethnic German history The German-American Fellowship Association of Bloomington will present Prof. Gary Cohen, director of the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota, in a discussion of the "Expulsion of 12 to 14 million Ethnic Germans from East and Central Europe post-World War II."

The event is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday at the Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church, 9350 Portland Av. S. For more information, go to www.gafa.org .

EDINA

Spring burning ban now under way Restrictions on open burning are now in effect in Edina because dry vegetation and strong winds during the spring increase the risk that outdoor fires will get out of control.

Burning restrictions will remain in effect until vegetation greens up enough to significantly lower the fire danger.

Residents can get a recreational fire permit through the city website, but recreational fires will not be allowed until the ban is lifted. Once the ban is lifted, residents still will be required to call the recreational fires hotline at 952-826-0398 before burning to ensure it is allowed.

For more information, go to www.cityofedina.com/fire or call the city fire department at 952-826-0378.

BLOOMINGTON

'Community Success Day' at Normandale Normandale Community College is organizing a Community Success Day on Tuesday to help community members define what success in their lives means and find the route to achieving it.

The free event will begin at 8 a.m. and continue to 4 p.m. at the college at 9700 France Av. S. in Bloomington.

Speakers will include Joan Steffend from HGTV, speaking about success in your personal life; Hank Shea, a former assistant U.S. attorney, speaking about business ethics; Teresa Daly, discussing ways to differentiate yourself in the job market; and Jonathon Jasper, talking about the rights and responsibilities of being over 18 years old.

A college fair is also planned from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For a full schedule of events, go to www.normandale.edu/successday .

MINNETONKA

League to host forum on budget The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a forum on "Budget and Bonding: Are There Any Solutions?" at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Minnetonka City Hall council chambers, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd.

Minnetonka City Manager John Gunyou will be the speaker. The discussion will involve: "How do we get back to balance? How does the state finance system work? What can we do to improve consistency of forecasts and improve our ability to drive positive results?"

Gunyou previously served as state finance commissioner and as finance director for the city of Minneapolis.

WEST METRO

Newcomers Club plans meeting at U The Newcomers Club of the West Metro is planning a luncheon and cooking class at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the University of Minnesota Campus Club at 403 Coffman Union, 300 Washington Av. SE, Minneapolis.

To attend, RSVP to Barb Miller at 612-865-3862 or miller. barb@gmail.com or to Mary Chambers at 952-303-4220 or marychambers@yahoo.com.

The club is also planning a coffee meeting from 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 22 at the Dunn Bros. coffee shop at 8107 Eden Prairie Road in Eden Prairie.

For more information on the group, go to www.new comersmn.com.

BROOKLYN PARK

Use your wits and GPS to race for the cache Brooklyn Park will hold its first Amazing GPS Race for teams to find caches in area parks using GPS.

The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. on April 17 at the Community Activity Center, 5600 85th Av. N.

The first three teams to return to the center with cache items from city parks will win prizes. All participants will receive a T-shirt and are invited to a post-race pizza party.

Individuals or teams of up to eight can register. Cost is $5 per person. Go to www.brooklynpark.org or call 763-493-8333.

STAFF REPORTS