North/east metro briefs: New art exhibit unveiled at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony

New exhibit unveiled at Silverwood Park

A pair of artists will unveil their latest exhibition, "Why Do Diamonds Sparkle?" on Jan. 14 at Silverwood Park. Artists Gina Hunt and Jamie Winter Dawson will greet patrons from 6-8 p.m. at Silverwood Gallery, 2500 County Road E, St. Anthony. The exhibition runs from Jan. 14 to Feb. 29. This program is free and open to all ages, however, children 17 and younger must be accompanied by a registered adult. Silverwood Park is part of the Three Rivers Park District. Register at ThreeRiversParks.org.

The Anoka Conservation District is now accepting preorders for the annual tree and shrub sale. A variety of native plants are for sale including black cherry trees, mixed oak trees, red maple trees and white pine trees. The trees and shrubs measure 10-24 inches. They may be purchased in bundles of 10 for $17, or 25 for $30 plus tax. Native prairie seeds are also available.

Orders will be accepted until mid-April and will be available for pick up April 30 at the Anoka County Fairgrounds. To order go to AnokaSWCD.org.

Residents can recycle old strands of Christmas lights free of charge at Ramsey City Hall. The city is again partnering with the Recycling Association of Minnesota to be a collection site.

Along with holiday lights, residents can also recycle electric, telephone cords and appliance cords. The light strands are dismantled and each component is properly recycled. Bins are located at Ramsey Municipal Center, 7550 Sunwood Dr. NW. and collections continue up to Jan. 31.

For more information, contact City Planner Chris Anderson at 763-433-9817 or canderson@cityoframsey.com.

The comical effort is to be staged from Jan. 14-24 and is called, predictably, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)."

Three actors cover 37 plays in what the company calls a "high-energy roller-coaster ride."

For tickets and information, call 651-429-5674 or visit the Lakeshore Players Theatre website at lakeshoreplayers.org.

A free event for parents considering preschools for their children will be held on Saturday, Jan. 9.

Entertainment is sprinkled throughout the day, in addition to displays offered by school officials and other businesses serving families with young children.

Entertainment for kids, as parents circulate, includes magic tricks, martial arts, a sample Washington County library story time with interactive books and singing, a dance performance and other activities.

The event has been arranged by the MOMS Club of Woodbury-South, a nonprofit support group for part-time and full-time stay-at-home moms.

For more details, visit woodburypreschoolfair.com.

The city of Arden Hills is assuring citizens that it is determined to pursue their complaints and suggestions under a program launched by the city.

A new service called Request Tracker will record concerns and requests ranging from potholes to snowplowing.

Previously, no one tracked what happened to citizen complaints, requests or suggestions.

"There is more accountability with this new system," the city's announcement said, "and [people reporting in] have an opportunity to track the status of their issue or concern, ensuring that those requests will not fall through the cracks."

The system will also analyze trends in the nature of complaints.