Twin Cities north metro briefs: Blaine World Fest on Saturday

Blaine will hold the sixth annual Blaine World Fest from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Town Square Park. It will include food, entertainment and cultural arts.

City parks and rec staff tout the event as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate Blaine's growing cultural and ethnic diversity.

Blaine is accepting applications for seats on its planning commission and park advisory board. Applications are due by Nov. 1. The mayor and council will review applications and make three appointments to the planning commission and four to the park advisory board. All are two-year terms.

Applicants must be residents of Blaine. For more information, call the city clerk's office at 763-785-6122 or 763-785-6124.

Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart will host an open house today, Sept. 18, at his office and the Tri-County Regional Forensic Laboratory. The event will run from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Sheriff's Office, 13301 Hanson Blvd. NW. in Andover.

It will feature displays of vehicles and specialty units, including the SWAT team, dive team and crime-scene unit. There will be tours of the sheriff's office and the forensic lab.

Brooklyn Park will host its first "open streets" event, La Vida Zane, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. A stretch of Zane Avenue, from 69th Avenue to Brooklyn Boulevard, will be closed to traffic to encourage residents to bike, walk, shop and socialize with neighbors.

Activities include fitness classes, a bike rodeo, yoga and healthy cooking demos. The event is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and ACER, a local group seeking to help communities of color improve their health, educational and socioeconomic conditions.

The Southern Anoka Community Assistance (SACA) Food Shelf will hold two events this weekend. The first is a two-day garage sale set for Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will take place at SACA, 627 38th Av. NE, Columbia Heights.

The other event is the 6th Annual Evie Memorial Ride on Saturday, Sept. 21. The ride, for motorcycles or cars, begins at Tasty Pizza, 875 45th Av. NE, Columbia Heights, with registration at 9 a.m. The ride will begin about 10:30 a.m. and go to Stillwater and back with various stops. The fee is $20 and includes a spaghetti dinner after the ride.

All proceeds from both events will benefit the Food Shelf.

Columbia Heights Public Schools will host a Latino Arts Festival on Saturday. Sept. 21. The event is open to the public and will run from will 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school district office, 1440 49th Avenue NE. in Columbia Heights.

The festival is free and includes art from local artists and students, music, dance, food, piñatas and children's activities.

Fall ice skating lessons at the Coon Rapids Ice Center will begin Saturday, Sept. 21, and Monday Sept. 23, and run for 12 weeks. Lessons are offered for figure skaters, hockey players and adults and follow the Basic Skills graded program.

The classes are 30 minutes, with an additional 30 minutes of practice time. The Monday classes will run from 6:10-7:10 p.m. and the Saturday ones from 10:35-11:35 a.m., depending on level.

The ice center is at 11000 Crooked Lake Blvd., Coon Rapids. Go to www.coonrapidsicecenter.com/skateacademy.htm for more information, fee schedule and registration materials.

The annual Kids' Garage Sale will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Crystal Community Center gym, 4800 Douglas Dr.

It will feature such things as old toys, games, books, sporting goods and other items. The deadline for reserving a table to sell items has passed, but there's still the chance to shop; admission is free.

A prostate cancer support group will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at North Memorial Outpatient Center, 3435 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale. Dr. Christopher J. Weight, a urologic oncologist, is conducting research on the decisionmaking process after a prostate cancer diagnosis. Attendees will be asked whether they'd like to participate in this ongoing study. Snacks will be served, and wives and friends are welcome. For further information, call (612) 388-3588.

staff Reports