North news briefs

ANOKA 'Truth about Women' on stage Saturday "The Truth about Women and Horses," a one-woman play written and performed by Anoka native Nancy Conger, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lyric Arts Theater, 420 E. Main St., Anoka.

The show looks at 11 characters and their relationships with horses -- among them a barrel racer who finds that her horse offers the kind of attention and cooperation she'd really like from a human, a saddlebred rider grooming herself for a show and grappling with aging, and a 7-year-old girl who romps around on her stick horse.

Seating is $20 for advance tickets, $22 for box seats and $25 at the door. For details or reservations, call 763-422-1838 or go to www.lyricarts.org.

Lions Club to hold pancake breakfast The Anoka Lions Club will hold its annual pancake breakfast on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Anoka American Legion, 400 W. Main St.

The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children 3 to 12, and free for toddlers. Free screening for diabetes, eyes, blood pressure and cholesterol will be available, and there will be a bake sale.

Skate with the skater on stilts for a cause An open skating session with "Too Tall Ike," who ice skates on stilts, will be held Sunday at Fogerty Arena, with proceeds going to the Second Harvest Heartland food bank. The event, which will include a silent auction and $1,000 shootout, will run from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 for skaters and $5 for non skaters. The arena is at 9250 Lincoln St. NE, Blaine.

Art show reception set for Thursday An open-house reception for the Robbinsdale Area Schools Spring Art Show will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Brookdale-Hennepin Area Library. Music will be provided by the Robbinsdale Middle School Chamber Strings. Art by students from throughout the Robbinsdale Area district is on display through April 6. The library is at 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Brooklyn Center.

Wind ensemble to play at Anoka-Ramsey Pavia Winds, a chamber music ensemble, will present a free recital at 7:30 p.m. on April 1 at the Coon Rapids campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College, in the Performing Arts Center. The ensemble was formed in 2005 by musicians from area colleges and universities.

For more information, go to webs.anokaramsey.edu /music/ .

Lions Club collecting used eyeglasses The Coon Rapids Lions Club is encouraging neighbors to donate the old eyeglasses they may have unearthed during spring cleaning. The glasses will be cleaned and categorized at a Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center in Wisconsin, to prepare them for redistribution.

Donors can drop them off at the Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes at Peace Lutheran Church on Northdale Boulevard, Wal-Mart, Pearle Vision, Cub Foods, Rainbow Foods, all at Riverdale; and in Coon Rapids at Select Eyecare at Foley and Northdale boulevards, Cub Foods on Northdale Boulevard, Coon Rapids City Hall, Mercy Hospital, Emma B. Howe Northtown Family YMCA and the Coon Rapids VFW.

Totino-Grace holding fish-fry fundraiser Totino-Grace High School will host a Fish Fry Fundraiser on Friday to raise money for Angel Outreach, a program that provides financial help for the basic school-related needs of students experiencing extreme financial hardship. These needs may include money for lunches, uniforms, tickets to school dances, school supplies, and more.

Meet administrator hopefuls on Friday Residents are invited to meet city administrator candidates at a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday at Arden Hills City Hall, 1245 Hwy. 96. For information, call 651-792-7800.

Maple syruping class for kids Kids ages 7-12 can learn how maple sap is collected and turned into syrup in a class from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Monday at French Regional Park, 12605 Rockford Road, Plymouth.

Participants will collect sap and get to see it cooked down to syrup for tasting. The cost is $10 for residents of New Hope, Crystal and Robbinsdale and $16 for nonresidents. To register or get more information, call the New Hope recreation office at 763-531-5151.

Art exhibition opening at Century College The 37th Annual Northern Lights Exhibition opens Monday at Century College. The juried exhibition, presented by White Bear Center for the Arts in conjunction with the college and other sponsors, will feature 29 artists and 50 artworks. The exhibition is free and runs through April 23 in the West Campus Theatre Gallery. The college is at 3300 Century Av. N., White Bear Lake. For more information, go to www.whitebeararts.org

JIM ADAMS, PAUL LEVY,