Twin Cities north metro town briefs: WWII planes stopping in Anoka County

Planes that played a key role in World War II will be at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport Thursday through Sunday when the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour touches down.

The aircraft include a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber and a P-51 Mustang fighter.

Visitors will be able to look at the planes inside and out. The cost is $12 for those 12 and over and $6 for kids under 12. World War II veterans can tour the aircraft at no cost.

Also available will be 30-minute flights on either the B-17 or B-24, for $425 per person, and 30- and 60-minute P-51 flights for $2,200 and $3,200, respectively.

Hours for the ground tours and display are 2-5 p.m. Thursday, July 18; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 19-21. The flights are usually scheduled before and after the tour times.

The tour will be at the Golden Wings Museum, at the south end of the field, 8891 Airport Road.

The Coon Rapids police and fire departments will offer a safety camp next week for Coon Rapids students entering fourth and fifth grades this fall.

Campers will learn water safety, fire safety, electrical safety, basic first aid, how to use 911 and more.

There is a $40 registration fee, which covers supplies, a T-shirt, snacks and lunch, and transportation to and from the swimming pool; $15 scholarships are available to children based on their eligibility for the free and reduced-price school lunch program.

There will be a graduation ceremony next Wednesday, July 24, at 7 p.m. at the Coon Rapids High School Auditorium.

For more information, go to <URL destination="http://www.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us ">www.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us<PARAGRAPH style="$ID/[No paragraph style]">cq

East Bethel's Booster Day community celebration will be held this Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20.

The East Bethel Community Center, 2241 221st Av., and Booster Park, 22269 Palisade St. NE., will be the main sites for Saturday's events. Among the activities at the community center will be a car/truck/tractor show from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., "Musikal Mayhem" from 12:30 to 5 p.m., bingo from 1 to 4 p.m. and Cedar Creek Ecosystem Reserve Tours from 2 to 5 p.m.

Saturday events at Booster Park East and West will include the Grand Parade at 11 a.m., a tractor pull at 1:30 p.m., the 52nd annual Firefighters Dance from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and fireworks at dusk.

The East Bethel Royalty will hold their pageant at the East Bethel Ice Arena at 2 p.m. Saturday.

For further information, go to http://www.startribune.com/a2348.

The Fridley Community Theatre's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" will open a five-show run on Friday, July 26, at the Fridley District Auditorium at Fridley High School, 6000 W. Moore Lake Drive.

Salutes to Bob Dylan are set for Wednesday, July 24, at the Town Green in Maple Grove and Saturday, July 27, at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in St. Louis Park's Wolfe Park.

The free concerts will feature area musicians performing an evening of songs by Dylan. This marks the fifth year the salute has performed at the St. Louis Park amphitheater and the third annual event in Maple Grove.

The lineup includes bandleader Billy Hallquist, Matt Fink, Patty Peterson, Mary Jane Alm, Jeff Dayton, Gary Lopac, Lonnie Knight, Scott Sansby, Stan Kipper, Chico Perez, Paul Metsa, Dan Israel, Gene LaFond, James Loney, Jim Steinworth, Ralph Dacut, Aaron Ollswang, Kenny Krona, Barbara Meyer, Steve Grossman, Jeff Victor and master of ceremonies Marc Percansky, all veterans of past tributes. Making their first appearance at the tribute show are Arne Fogel, Willie Walker and Courtney Yasmineh.

Both events also will promote Guitars for Vets, a national organization that helps veterans suffering the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Each concert is scheduled for 6:30-9:30 p.m. The Town Green in Maple Grove is located at 7991 Main St. The Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in St. Louis Park is located at Wolfe Park, 3700 Monterey Drive.

The topic will be "Treating Erectile Dysfunction and Urinary Incontinence." Ken Mitchell, MPAS, will discuss Surgical Impotence Management Strategy (SIMS), a new treatment.

The session is free. Wives and friends are welcome. For further information, call 612-388-3588.

Several members of a Brooklyn Park group attended Target Corp.'s annual meeting in Denver last month and asked the company to provide jobs to city residents at Target's expanding Northern Campus.

Brooklyn Park has agreed to give Target about $5 million in property tax rebates in return for the company providing 1,500 new or transferred jobs to fill twin office towers Target is building on Hwy. 610 in Brooklyn Park. The company has said it expects to transfer up to 3,000, mostly information technology, workers from its Minneapolis headquarters by the time the towers are done in 2014.

Joy Marsh Stevens, a leader of the Isaiah group, said that she spoke at the meeting and that she and others were able to meet for the first time with Target executives in Denver and again in Minneapolis. She said company officials made no commitments other than to continue meeting. "I am optimistic about our ongoing work, that as we partner and bring pressure on Target it will result in benefits for Brooklyn Park," she said.