West metro town briefs: Eden Prairie to host first-ever 'green crawl'

Applications are open until Friday for Eden Prairie businesses and homeowners to apply to participate in the city's first-ever "green crawl."

The citywide event is part of the Eden Prairie Ecopalooza on May 17, showcasing the sustainability efforts or conservation practices of Eden Prairie residents and businesses. Apply by Feb. 14 to be featured as one of the stops on the green crawl. For more information, go to bit.ly/LPYbD8.

The Interfaith Outreach and Community organization has raised a record $2 million to help families in need through its 2013 Sleep Out campaign.

The campaign started Nov. 9 and officially ended Dec. 31, but donations will continue to be accepted through March 31. The campaign has raised more than $19 million to help families with housing, child care, food, transportation and employment in its 18 years. Last year, the campaign supported 1,777 local families.

For more details, go to www.iocp.org or call 763-489-7500.

The Plymouth Fire Department will host four "Home Alone" workshops for children ages 8 to 10 this month and throughout this year.

The workshops will teach children how to respond in the event of an emergency while they are home alone. The next workshop will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the Plymouth Public Safety Building in the second-floor training room at 3400 Plymouth Blvd.

Similar workshops designed for parents, hosted by the Plymouth Police Department, will be scheduled in the near future. For more information or to register, call 763-509-5200 or go to www.plymouthmn.gov.

The city of Plymouth and the Plymouth Arts Council will host "Jazz Impressions," a jazz event with Davina and the Vagabonds that includes a Valentine's Day dinner and dance.

The event will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Av. N. Attendees must be 18 or older. Cost is $38. To register, visit plymouthartscouncil.org.

The 2014 West Metro Home Remodeling Fair is looking for ugly rooms that need to be rescued. Operation Rescue Room will give $1,000 to the homeowner whose room is voted most in need of help by visitors at this year's fair.

To enter, contestants must submit one photo of their room along with a 100-word description of their improvement project. Complete rules and entry forms are available at www.homeremodelingfair.com/rescue. The entry deadline is Feb. 16.

The possibility of outliving retirement income and losing your nest egg is a reality. Bloomington Human Services will hold a Lunch & Learn program at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, to learn safe ways to protect your retirement.

To make a reservation, call 952-563-4944. More information is available at http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us by searching for "Protecting Your Nest Egg."

"A Toast to VEAP," a wine-tasting benefit for Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People, will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 at VEAP's newly remodeled building at 9600 Aldrich Av. S.

Featured will be an assortment of wines and craft brews, along with appetizers from Kincaid's, Pizza Lucé, David Fong's and Houlihans. There also will be a raffle featuring wine baskets and local excursions, in addition to guided tours of VEAP's new facility.

As March approaches, food shelves across the state become increasingly bare. "This is the perfect time for an event such as this," said Susan Russell Freeman, VEAP's executive director.

Metro Blooms and the city of Bloomington are presenting two workshops on healthy yard care and protecting lakes, rivers and streams by adding a rain garden.

The first rain garden workshop, from 11 to 11:50 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Bloomington Civic Plaza, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, will feature information about rain gardens and one-on-one meetings with a landscape designer. The workshop is part of the city's Home Improvement Fair.

The second workshop, open only to those who attended the first session, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Bloomington Public Works Training Room, 1700 W. 98th St. Participants will meet with a landscape designer and Master ­Gardener. There is a fee of $10 to 15 for this session.

To register, visit www.myraingar den.org, call 651-699-2426 or mail a check payable to Metro Blooms and include the workshop location, your name, address, ZIP code, phone ­number and e-mail address to Raingarden Workshop Registration, P.O. Box 17099, Minneapolis, MN 55417.

The Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs and Alumni will present a radio-show-themed benefit concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Bloomington Center for the Arts' Schneider Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road. The event will be hosted by Aaron Humble and Gary Ruschman, who are members of the vocal ensemble Cantus.

The Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs organization has four choirs that involve 200 young people in grades 2 to 12.

Former Deputy Police Chief Dave Nelson has been promoted to police chief, succeeding Jeff Long, who became police chief in Lakeville.

Nelson, who grew up in Bloomington, has an associate degree in law enforcement and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He started his career with the Anoka County Sheriff's Office as a patrol deputy and joined the Edina Police Department two years later.

Nelson was the city's first full-time school liaison officer and has been a member of the SWAT team, a detective, overseer to the patrol unit and since 2010 deputy chief.