West metro news briefs: Auto show to bring hundreds of vehicles to Wayzata

The Wayzata Rotary Auto Show is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, along Lake Street in Wayzata, part of the 39th annual James J. Hill Days this weekend.

The event, which is free to spectators, will feature hundreds of vintage, classic, rod and custom, and foreign, sports and exotic cars. Proceeds from entry fees, which are $20 per car, go to charity.

For more details go to www.wayzatarotarycarshow.com.

A full schedule of the James J. Hill Days events is at www.jamesjhilldays.com.

The community festival will include a street market, live music, fireworks, a parade and much more from Friday through Sunday.

The Friends of Wayzata Library will also sell hundreds of books for $1 or less to raise money to benefit the Wayzata Library. The used-book sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday at the Wayzata Community Room, 600 Rice St. For more on the Friends of Wayzata Library, go to http://bit.ly/TWXudP.

New election laws that took effect this year are the subject of the Sept. 12 League of Women Voters Edina meeting.

For more information, go to www.lwvedina.org.

The city of Golden Valley is asking residents to help design a new playground to replace 18-year-old equipment in its largest community park.

Residents can tell the city what kind of equipment and layout they'd like to see in the park in an online survey at www.goldenvalleymn.gov/parks/brookview/index.php.

Brookview Park, located off Winnetka Avenue just south of Hwy. 55, is one of the more heavily used playgrounds in the city. The new playground equipment will use the same footprint as the old and will likely be split into two sections, one for kids ages 2 to 5 and another for kids ages 6 to 12.

The public is invited to an open house on Monday on the preservation and renovation of the Franklin Avenue bridge.

For more information, go to www.hennepin.us and search for "Franklin Bridge."

The second annual Taste of Epiphany is set for 1-7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Church of the Epiphany, 4900 Nathan Lane in Plymouth.

The event features free food samples from Latin America, Central and West Africa, Europe, Malaysia and the Philippines. Kids' games including a bounce house will be available, and for adults there will be beer, wine, a raffle and bingo, plus grilled burgers and brats for sale.

For more information, go to www.epiphany-episcopal.org.

The Lupus Walk for Hope and 5K Run is open to all walkers and runners Sept. 14 at French Regional Park in Plymouth.

Online registration makes it easy to recruit team members and meet fundraising goals. Go to www.lupusmn.org.

French Regional Park is located at 12650 County Road 9 between I-494 and Hwy. 169.

The Westonka Historical Society will host its second annual fundraiser from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, aboard Al & Alma's yacht, "The Bella Vista."

Cost is $50 per person and includes a meal and the three-hour cruise.

Boarding begins at 12:10 p.m. Call 952-472-9800 for tickets.

Visitors will be able to tour the Tonka Toy Room at the museum and enjoy a light lunch at noon. There also will be a short program and time to reconnect with fellow workers who built Tonka Toys in Mound.

Cost is $10 per person. Call 952-472-9800 for tickets.

The St. Louis Park Senior Program will sponsor bridge lessons beginning Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd. in St. Louis Park.

Learn the fundamentals of the game in "Beginning Bridge" from 10-11:30 a.m., or expand your knowledge in "Intermediate Bridge" from 1-2:30 p.m. Instructor Dick Welander will teach both classes — he's a Life Master Player and Certified Instructor.

The senior program will also offer "Snapshots of the Civil War," an eight-week class beginning 12:30 to 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16.

The Bloomington Theatre and Art Center will present "Proof" Sept. 13-Oct. 6 ate the center's Black Box Theater.

In the play, Catherine, a troubled young woman, is dealing with her emotions following the death of her father, a famous but unstable mathematician. She struggles with how much of her father's madness, and genius, she inherited. The play was a winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play.

Performances are set on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. A special discounted performance will be offered on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors age 62 and older, and $17 for ages 25 and under. Call 952-563-8575 or go to www.btacmn.org.

The Black Box Theater is in the Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road in Bloomington.

The contest has a $20 entry fee. All scarecrows will be on display from Sept. 21 through Nov. 3 as part of the arboretum's autumn celebration.

Suggestions include a scarecrow who reflects a favorite pastime such as bird-watching, stargazing, planting or playing a yard game.

Entries may come from artists, community organizations, businesses, individuals, families and teams of all ages. Each entry will win an arboretum pass. Prizes will be awarded to the arboretum staff's choice and to people's choice.

Applications are due by Sept. 6, and the scarecrow entries are due between Sept. 6 and 17. The fully assembled scarecrows must be delivered to the arboretum's Margot Picnic Shelter area between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Arboretum staff will install and determine the placement of all entries. Winners will be announced Oct. 31.

For more information and to download a registration form, see the arboretum website at www.arboretum.umn.edu, or call 952-443-4401 or e-mail kells006@umn.edu.