West metro town briefs: Friendship Village gets a face-lift

Senior living community Friendship Village of Bloomington has broken ground for a $5.2 million renovation to improve dining experiences for residents, including adding a second dining venue, a kitchen expansion, a new wood stone pizza oven and other upgrades.

Officials say the renovations will better position the community to cater to an emerging group of modern seniors who have more adventurous tastes. "The focus is on resident-centered design that enhances quality of life," said Pauline Drake, marketing director.

Tremain Architects and Planners of Minneapolis designed the renovation. The project is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

Edina will mark Earth Day on Monday, April 28, with a free public forum called "What Will Turn You On In 2030? Powering Our Energy Future."

The forum is at South View Middle School and begins with a resource fair from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by keynote speaker Michael Noble, executive director of Fresh Energy, which promotes a clean energy future. Students from Cornelia Elementary, South View Middle School and Edina High School will present skits, reports and projects on energy and environmental issues.

Enter South View from door No. 7. There will be door prizes for those who bike to the event and a drawing for three Home Energy Squad Visits from the Center for Energy and Environment.

For more information, contact Ross Bintner at 952-903-5713 or RBintner@EdinaMN.gov.

Trinity Lutheran Church and Feed My Starving Children need more volunteers to pack nearly 350,000 meals to nourish children in El Salvador whose bodies lack vitamins and minerals needed for proper growth.

The event will be held April 25, 26 and 27 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2060 6th Av. N., Long Lake.

More information and registration is available at www.trinitylonglake.org. Larger groups that wish to register are asked to call the church office at 952-473-8577.

Boy Scout Troop #211 will partner with Tech Dump, an electronics ­recycling nonprofit, on May 31 to collect unwanted electronics as a fundraiser.

Gently used, obsolete or damaged electronics can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 31 in the parking lot of Advent Lutheran Church at 9475 Jefferson Hwy., Maple Grove.

Tech Dump will destroy all information and data on the electronics at their facility in Golden Valley.

The fundraiser will support the troop's weekend camping and outing fees, and other supplies. For more information, go to www.TechDump.org/Troop211.

Minnetonka-based Lucid Brewing is one of two breweries representing Minnesota craft brewers at a Washington D.C. event in May.

The west metro brewery is one of 76 small and independent craft breweries from 29 states selected to participate in the seventh-annual "SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience" May 9-10. Brooklyn Center-based Surly Brewing is the other Minnesota brewery at the event.

Lucid, which opened in 2011, is owned by Eric Biermann and Jon Messier and has 14 distributors selling in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The Plymouth Fire Department will host its annual low-cost bike helmet program starting May 1.

Helmet sales will be held from 6-8 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month from May 1 through Aug. 21 at Fire Station III, 3300 Dunkirk Lane N.

Helmets also will be sold during "Music in Plymouth" on July 1 to replace the usual Thursday sale; no sale will be held July 3.

Bell helmets range in size from toddler to adult extra large and come in a variety of styles and colors. Traditional bicycle helmets cost $13; multisport helmets, $16-23.

Since 2000, the city has sold more than 10,500 helmets.

The event, "Well Women: Breast Care Basics," features a panel on health care and will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Plymouth Creek Community Center, 14800 34th Av., Plymouth. Registration is required at www.piperbreastcenterplymouth.eventbrite.com or by contacting Lisa Wahl at 612-262-4393 or lisa.wahl@allina.com.

The event includes a discussion about breast care and wellness featuring surgeon Margit Bretzke, radiologist Kevin Edelman, breast surgeon Dawn Johnson and cardiologist Courtney Jordan Baechler.

Wayzata's Public Works Department will host a free public forum on the emerald ash borer on Saturday, April 26.

The event takes place from 9-11 a.m. at City Hall. The focus will be on how Wayzata residents can prepare for the arrival of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that infests and kills all species of ash trees. A certified arborist will also take questions.

An emerald ash borer infestation is about nine miles away from ­Wayzata, and the city says it's only a matter of time before Wayzata's ash trees will be at risk.