West metro town briefs: Fundraiser planned in Medina for Elmore family

A fundraiser for the family of a Brooklyn Park man who drowned Dec. 7 in a snorkeling accident while vacationing in Puerto Rico will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Medina Entertainment Center.

Matthew Elmore, who would have turned 31 on Dec. 8, is survived by his wife, Breanna, and three small sons, Caleb, Anthony and Jackson. Money raised at the event will go to help the family.

Items featured in silent and live auctions will include a 60-inch television, a Strikemaster auger and one week in a Florida beachfront house. There will be entertainment for kids and live music.

For more information or to donate items for the auction or to the fund, e-mail Elmore's sister, Erin Elmore Breen, at erin.elmore@earthlink.net or go to www.elohimito.com/elmore.

Donations also are being accepted at all Wells Fargo Banks. Checks can be made out to "The Matthew Elmore Fund."

Wayzata's frozen Lake Minnetonka golf festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The Wayzata Chilly Open is expected to draw hundreds of people from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 8 on Wayzata Bay, which will have a golf course carved out on the ice.

Registration fees are $40 per golfer for the nine holes of golf. The event also features all-you-can-eat chili and live music. To register or get more information, go to wayzatachillyopen.com.

Minnetonka Mayor Terry Schneider will give the 2014 Minnetonka state of the city address on Feb. 12.

It will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd.

A continental breakfast will be served. To attend, RSVP by Feb. 3 to ktelega@eminnetonka.com or at 952-939-8211.

The city of Minnetonka will hold Kids' Fest, a free family event, next month.

For a complete schedule, go to www.eminnetonka.com.

Historian Frank M. White will share stories and photos about the history of black baseball in Minnesota and the Midwest at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Av. S. This event will include a special stadium-style meal for lunch.

At 1:30 p.m. that day, the exhibit "They Played for the Love of the Game: Adding to the Legacy of Black Baseball in Minnesota" will go on display at Bloomington Civic Plaza, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd. The exhibit will be up through Feb. 27.

Lunch registration is due by Feb. 4 by calling 952-563-4944 or visiting Creekside Community Center.

These Black History Month events are co-sponsored by the Bloomington Human Rights Commission.

The talk will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Av. S. Coffee and treats will be provided.

Registration is required by calling 952-563-4944.

More information about the home loan program is at http://bloomingtonmn.gov/cityhall/commiss/hra/cdbg/cdbg.htm?r=us.

Families with school-age children are invited to an Edina Reads program that will focus on preventing bullying at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Edina Senior Center Fireside Room, 5280 Grandview Square.

Featured will be children's author Nancy Carlson, an Edina native. She will read from her book "Henry and the Bully" and lead a discussion.

For more information, contact Annie Coyle, city management fellow, at acoyle@ edinamn.gov.

The session is sponsored by the Edina Human Rights and Relations Commission and the Friends of the Edina Library.

The seventh annual Winter Neighborhood Night Out will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday at 12 Edina parks. Participants are encouraged to plan ­activities, share refreshments and visit with Edina police officers.

Festivities will be take place at:

• Arden Park, 5230 Minnehaha Blvd.

• Creek Valley Park, 6301 Gleason Rd.

• Countryside Park, 6240 Tracy Av.

• Highlands Park, 5200 Doncaster Way.

• Lewis Park, 7300 Cahill Rd.

• Normandale Park, 6501 Warren Av.

• Strachauer Park, 6200 Beard Av. S.

• Todd Park, 4429 Vandervork Av.

• Walnut Ridge Park, 5801 Londonderry Rd.

• Weber Park, 4115 Grimes Av. S.

For more information, visit www.edinaparks.com.

The Minnesota History Center exhibit explores the accomplishments, sacrifices, disappointments and challenges that shaped the legacy of Minnesota's Greatest Generation.

Among the things visitors can learn from the exhibit: what it was like to deal with rationing of products in short supply, to farm during a labor shortage, to work on the Iron Range, to develop war inventions, to be trained as a translator at Fort Snelling and to endure starvation to help science and the war effort.

The Richfield Historical Society, at 6901 Lyndale Ave. S., is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, go to http://www.richfieldhistory.org.