North metro town briefs

Mayors ride again, others invitedThe mayors of Andover, Anoka, Oak Grove, Ramsey and St. Francis will host the second annual Mayors Trail Ride snowmobiling event on Jan. 22, and the public is invited to join in the fun.

The ride will start with registration at 10 a.m. at the Anoka County Fairgrounds, 3200 St. Francis Blvd. in Anoka. The group will embark on a four-hour ride at 11 a.m.

The day will include snow golf at River Hills Golf Course and opportunities to win prize drawings. Registration is $10 in advance and $20 on the day of the event.

Proceeds will go to Andover Anoka Ramsey Youth First. For more information, call 763-421-7130.

Shade-tree orders being taken nowThe Anoka Conservation District is accepting orders for shade trees. The sale will be held April 30 at the Anoka County Fairgrounds, 3200 St. Francis Blvd. NW., Anoka.

Trees and shrubs are sold in bundles of 10 and 25 and are available to residents and nonresidents alike. Prices are $16 for 10 trees and $28 for 25 trees. For more information, go to www.anokaswcd.org or call 763-434-2030, ext. 10.

Superintendent, others will rock to raise fundsAnoka High School will hold a symphonic rock concert next month to raise money to help needy Anoka High students.

Featured ensembles will include the Anoka High School concert orchestra and choir. Carlson, district Chief Technology Officer Patrick Plant, and School Board Member John Hoffman will perform what a district press release refers to as "some of the greatest classic rock songs of all time."

Tickets are $10 for reserved seating and can be purchased by calling 763-506-6439. Tickets must be bought in advance; seating is limited.

Diaper drive Saturday at Mall of AmericaA Blaine-based nonprofit organization will present what it's billing as "The Biggest Diaper Drive in America" on Saturday at the Mall of America in Bloomington.

The nonprofit, the Diaper Drive, was started last May to help provide needy families with diapers.

The goal of Saturday's event is to collect 200,000 diapers and to raise public awareness about the need. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Best Buy rotunda.

The Diaper Drive accepts both disposable and cloth diapers, from newborn to adult sizes. Diapers are donated directly to emergency shelters, food shelves, nursing services and other services aiding those in need, the organization says.

For further information, go to www.thediaperdrive.org .

One last chance to drop off treesThe Bunker Hills compost site will be open again this weekend to accept Christmas trees, as well as evergreen garland and wreaths (with wire, ornaments and tinsel removed) and other types of yard and tree waste. There is a $1.50 charge for each tree recycled.

The site will be open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday and from noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday. It is located one mile north of Main Street on Hanson Boulevard.

Women's heart health event is next monthMercy Hospital Women's Heart Health will offer cardiovascular screenings as part of an event from 7-11 a.m. Feb. 12 at the Mercy Heart & Vascular Center, 4050 Coon Rapids Blvd.

Participants will be able to review their results with a health care professional and receive a personalized health improvement plan and additional educational material.

Cost is $30 and participation is by appointment. For more information, call 763-236-8041. To register, call 1-866-904-9962 or go to www.allina.com/classes.

3 from Noble School excel in poster contestThree fourth-graders from Golden Valley's Noble Elementary School have won first- through third-place honors in a statewide human rights poster contest.

Sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the contest required student participants to interpret in their posters the U.N. Commission on Human Rights' definition of what "human rights education" should be. The first-place winner in grades 2-4 was Jonathan Schertner. Second-place went to Samuel Budilovsky and third-place to Valeri Wellnitz.

The 12 statewide contest winners were honored at the Minnesota Human Rights Day conference last month. The winning posters are featured in a 2011 Minnesota Department of Human Rights calendar.

Feed My Starving Children is based in Coon Rapids, at 401 93rd Av. NW.