Twin Cities west metro town briefs: Book sale will raise money for Bloomington Crime Prevention Association

Book collection is underway for the 23rd annual Bloomington Crime Prevention Association sale in June. Donated used books, CDs, DVDs, games and puzzles will be sold to benefit the association's annual grants.

The annual Book 'Em sale is scheduled for June 6 to 20, with a preview night on June 5, at 1901 W. American Blvd.

Donations can be dropped off at the sale site through June 12 on Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. They also will be accepted at several locations through June 4, including Bloomington Civic Plaza, Bloomington grade schools, Jefferson and Kennedy High School activity centers, and Southtown and Valley West shopping centers. A list of sites is at bcpamn.org. For more information, call 952-220-2537 or e-mail bookem@bcpamn.org.

Seniors are invited on a fishing trip to Lake Riley in Eden Prairie on Monday, June 8. The morning pontoon cruise is sponsored by the nonprofit organization Let's Go Fishing. Cost is $10, and those under 90 need a Minnesota fishing license. Life jackets, fishing rods, gear and a snack will be provided. The group will leave at 9:15 a.m. from Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Av. S., and return at 12:45 p.m. To register, call 952-563-4944 or visit Creekside Community Center.

Annette Meeks, founder and CEO of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota, will speak to the Republican Seniors of Minnesota at their June 2 luncheon meeting. Her topic will be "A Review of the Recently Ended Legislative Session."

The long-established group of Republicans age 50 and over meets on the first Tuesday of each month at Poor Richard's Commonhouse, 8301 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington. For further information, call 952-828-1943 or e-mail repseniorsmn@gmail.com.

The Corcoran Lions Tractor Pull will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at the Corcoran Lions Park. Admission is $10 to folks 12 years and older, $5 for 4- to 11-year-olds, and free for children 3 and under. The park is at County Roads 101 and 10 (Bass Lake Road), 5 miles west of Interstate 494 on County Road 10. No coolers allowed; beer and food are available on the grounds.

It will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Drive N., with a presentation and facilitated discussion at 6.

The planned Blue Line Extension (Bottineau) light-rail project will operate about 13 miles from downtown Minneapolis through north Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal and Brooklyn Park, drawing riders northwest of Brooklyn Park. For more information, go to www.BlueLineExt.org.

The highly anticipated new Kowalski's grocery store in Excelsior is now set to open this summer after delays to construction due to bigger designs.

The store at 440 Water St. was initially slated to open in March but was delayed after Kowalski's went back to the city for new approvals to expand the size from 15,000 to 18,000 square feet. It will be the first grocery store in Excelsior in three decades and Kowalski's 10th store in the Twin Cities.

The entire development, the Excelsior Marketplace, includes the grocery store and an adjacent 20,000-square-foot retail and office building on the former Mason Motors site in downtown Excelsior. The office building will have Oppidan Investment Co., the developer of the project, and its corporate offices on the upper level. On the street level will be Miyabi Japanese and Asian Bistro and M the Art of Hair hair salon. Oppidan bought the block-long development in 2012, with the first building, at 470 Water St., occupied by Steele Fitness, College Nannies + Tutors, SportClips and YogaFit.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon throughout the city. Participants should bring gardening hand tools, gloves and kneeling pads; no previous gardening experience is required. For more information, call Jackie Maas at 763-509-5230 or e-mail jmaas@plymouthmn.gov.

A prostate-cancer support group will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, at North Memorial Medical Center, 3300 Oakdale Av. N. Robbinsdale. John Tiesberg, a technical illustrator/designer and prostate cancer survivor, will present his mechanical depiction of the structure and function of the prostate gland. A question-and-answer segment will follow. There is no charge, and family and friends are welcome. For further information, call 612-388-3588.

Union Congregational United Church of Christ of St. Louis Park invites the public to a free outdoor puppet show, "The Adventures of Katie Tomatie," being presented by Open Eye Figure Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at the church, 3700 Alabama Av. S. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for the outdoor performance, which will be moved inside in case of inclement weather.

For more information, go to http://openeyetheatre.org.

Three west metro restaurants will host fundraisers to benefit Wiggle Your Toes, a Bloomington-based nonprofit.

The Edina Morningside Rotary Club announced nine recipients of its 2015 grant awards. Receiving grants were Edina A Better Chance Foundation; Matter; Connecting with Kids; Volunteers for America; Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative; Bridging; VEAP; Edina Community Foundation, and Senior Community Services.

Edina Morningside Rotary, celebrating its 25th year, has raised and awarded more than $1 million to community nonprofit organizations. The club meets at 7:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Edina Country Club. For information, go to emrotary.org.