South news briefs: Art students' design wins Shakopee contest for Holmes Tunnel Mural

Main Street Shakopee has announced the winning mural design for the Holmes Tunnel Mural.

The winning design was chosen by public vote and submitted by students in Rachel Paulson's Advanced Placement Art class at Shakopee High School. The design shows the city's growth through a tree motif arranged to show a Shakopee cityscape in the upper branches and a landscape in the roots with SHAKOPEE through the middle.

The second-place winning design also was arranged in a treelike pattern and is themed "Past and Present Cultures." It was submitted by a group of students at Shakopee East Junior High. That design will be turned into a mini-mural to be painted in downtown Shakopee in the future.

Three other mural designs will be saved for consideration as panel murals in potential future mural expansions along the riverfront retaining wall that connects Huber Park to the downtown business district.The next step for the mural project is to get a professional artist skilled in murals to work with the winning team to complete their design. The team hopes to start painting by midsummer. Follow the progress of the project at www.shakopee.org.

The South of the River Community Band will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday at Huber Park, 150 Fillmore St. N.

The Huber Park Summer Performance and Event series provides free, family entertainment Thursdays and some Saturdays through August. For more information, call 952-233-9502.

Shakopee's SandVenture Aquatic Park will open for the season Saturday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The park is located in Lions Park at 1101 Adams St.

The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) is conducting a potential rider telephone survey of residents in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Prior Lake, Rosemount, Savage and Shakopee.

The calls to both cellphone and land lines started last week. Surveyors will arrange an alternate time to talk with residents if needed.

Residents in the survey's cities are encouraged to answer their phones if they see a call from Morris-Leatherman. The survey is expected to be done by the end of June, with results available in August.

The purpose of the survey "is to learn about what barriers exist that prevent residents from using transit and what incentives we might consider that would encourage transit use," said MVTA executive director Beverley Miller.

MVTA is the public transportation provider for Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Prior Lake, Rosemount, Savage and Shakopee.

Among the myths being considered: Will a banana peel planted with your seedlings add additional potassium? Are there boy and girl peppers? Does recycling your grass clippings increase thatch and will it improve your turf?

The answers will be uncovered during the science-based course from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the library, 14395 S. Robert Trail in Rosemount. The event is free but space is limited.

An exhibit of Rita Ryan's watercolors will be on display at the Lakeville Area Arts Center gallery starting Friday through July 31.

The exhibit opening will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Regular hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ryan has studied with master watercolorists Alvaro Castegnetta, Marian Alstad, Dennis Aubrey and Carol Brody. Her work is in private collections overseas and in the United States.

A free workshop for people 55 years and older on how to use the Internet will be held from 10 a.m. to noon June 10 at the Prior Lake Library.

The class is geared toward people who have little or no experience with computers. Attendees will learn how to type in a web address and move between Web pages, how to determine if a website is secure, how to do searches and how to access websites like Medicare.gov, Minnesota-Help.info and others.

Registration is required; space is limited. Call 952-447-3375.

More spaces will be open Saturday in the Savage Book Club for children entering second- and third-grade this fall.

Once registered, participants should visit the library to check out the book club copy of the featured book, then read it and be able to talk about it at the next book club from 3 to 3:30 p.m. June 8. The book is DC Super Heroes: Batman Undercover.

The event has limited space and organizers asked parents to be sure their children can attend before registering. If you have already registered and need to cancel, please call 952-707-1770 at least 24 hours of advance.