West metro town briefs

Historian to discuss old boats that plied Lake MinnetonkaThe Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society will sponsor a presentation on "The Old Boats of Lake Minnetonka" at 7 p.m. April 28 at Southshore Center, 5735 Country Club Road in Shorewood.

Historian Scott McGinnis, a lifelong resident of the Lake Minnetonka area, will discuss his book, "A Directory of Old Boats - Lake Minnetonka's Historic Steamboats, Sailboats and Launches," which was published last year. His research led him from scouring newspapers and visiting local museum archives to museums as distant as Connecticut as he gathered information on the sailboats, steamers, gasoline-power boats and even some dredgers and rowboats that plied Lake Minnetonka.

He will use photos from his collection to share highlights of some of the most interesting boats.

Local sites featured on History ChannelHennepin County's infrastructure -- including its garbage burner, the Lowry bridge and transportation department technology -- was among the stars in the premier episode over the weekend of "Inspector America," a new series on the History Channel.

The show, scheduled for Sunday nights at 9 p.m., highlights roads, bridges, tunnels, dams and other public infrastructure in six locations across the country to find out what works and what needs fixing. It's hosted by Timothy Galarnyk, a longtime infrastructure safety inspector, who studies the structures and tries to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

Hennepin County spokeswoman Carolyn Marinan said that the production crew shot footage last fall and this spring. They also examined other Twin Cities area sites, including the Stillwater lift bridge.

Other locales featured in coming episodes are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Las Vegas and Seattle.

Medicine Show Music Company will provide the entertainment, and there will be live and silent auctions, a raffle and dinner.

The club's goal is to raise more than $20,000 for local charities and scholarships. Funds raised will benefit the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery's effort to assist families in crisis, Store-to-Door's grocery deliveries to senior citizens, Tree House's support for at-risk teens, and the Golden Valley Historical Society work.

The club also will contribute funds for scholarships for a teacher's continuing education and college-bound students graduating from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School.

Tickets are $75 each or $650 for a table of 10. For more information, contact Chad Boger at chad@bogerdental.com or 763-370-9387.

Crystal Lake Trail master plan airedThe Three Rivers Park District is seeking public comment on its draft master plan for the Crystal Lake Regional Trail.

The Crystal Lake Regional Trail Task Force guided development of the master plan with other local and regional agencies.

Copies of the plan are available at www.threeriversparks.org, where they can be found by searching for "Crystal Lake" using the search box at the upper right corner of the home page. They also are available at Three Rivers Park District's administrative center at 3000 Xenium Lane N. in Plymouth. And copies are available at the Rockford Road Library, 6401 42nd Av. N. in Crystal; the Brooklyn Park Library, 8600 Zane Av. N. in Brooklyn Park; the Maple Grove Library, 8001 Main St. N. in Maple Grove; and the Osseo Library at 415 Central Av. in Osseo.

Comments will be accepted through May 11, and may be submitted by e-mail to crystallaketrail@threeriversparkdistrict.org, by fax to 763-557-5248, or by mail to Three Rivers Park District, Crystal Lake Regional Trail, 3000 Xenium Lane N., Plymouth, MN 55441.

Volunteers named for advisory boardsThe Hennepin County Board recently filled a number of citizen advisory boards with new and returning volunteers.

Adult Mental Health Local Advisory Council: New appointees -- Roxanne Jes, Plymouth; Marrissa Lewis, St. Paul; Katie O'Brien, Long Lake; Stephen Olson, Roseville; David Altrowitz, Minnetonka; Melissa Hensley and Robert Sivanich, Minneapolis; reappointed -- Cynthia Breen, Mound; Kim Lutes, Minneapolis.

County Extension Committee (Minnesota Extension Service): New appointee -- Mitchell Davis Jr., Minneapolis; reappointed -- Rhonda Farran, Plymouth; Emily Wang, Minneapolis.

Three Rivers Park District Board: Reappointed -- Larry Blackstad, Minnetonka.

Workforce Investment Board: New appointees -- Tamra Sieve, Eagan; James Dow, Brooklyn Park; David Gaither and Meyrick Vaz, Plymouth; Irene Quarshie, Minneapolis; Peter Parris, Waconia; Brenda Dickinson, Bloomington; John Sullivan, Chaska; Mary Schmidt, St. Paul; Anne Mavity, St. Louis Park; reappointed -- Martin Adams, St. Paul; Lyle Clemenson, Nancy James and James Ross, Brooklyn Park; Vonnie Phillips and Jenny Winkelaar, Minneapolis; Gwen Jansen, Chaska.

IOCP FoodShare drive sets a recordInterfaith Outreach & Community Partners' MN FoodShare campaign last month surpassed its goal of collecting 50,000 pounds of food and $50,000 in donations.

It received a record 53,316.85 pounds of food and $55,739.63, according to Lenore Franzen, IOCP marketing communications manager. In comparison, last year's collections were 37,650.6 pounds of food and $29,732.96 during the March campaign.

She attributed the increase to better educating the public on "suburban poverty and the specific need in our community," and providing tangible examples of the impact that donations can make.

For more information on the IOCP, which is based at 110 Grand Av. in Wayzata, go to www.iocp.org or contact Franzen at lfranzen@iocp.org.

Learn how to grow orchards in the cityWith more urban groups getting interested in growing apples and other fruits, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is planning a symposium on "The Community Orchard: Growing Fruit in the City."

The event, scheduled for 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday at the arboretum, will address such questions as: What locations are suitable? How long will it take to cultivate an orchard? What fruits should you grow, and which varieties grow best?

Groups are encouraged to bring a "team" to the symposium, and individuals will find the event helpful as well in trying to grow fruit trees at home, the Arboretum said.

Register in advance at 952-443-1422 or www.arboretum .umn.edu/horticulturetechni ques.aspx. Registration the day of the event will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Cost is $30 for arboretum members and $35 for non-members.

Immunizations to be offered at several sitesHennepin County will offer low-cost immunizations in May to people whose health insurance doesn't cover vaccines or who lack health insurance.

The clinics are scheduled for:

• Bloomington, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. May 3 and 7 at the Bloomington Division of Health, 1900 W. Old Shakopee Road.

• Brooklyn Center, from 9 to 11 a.m. May 24 at the Brookdale Service Center, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy.

Donations are requested but not required for the immunizations. For more information, call 612-348-2884 or click on www.hennepin.us/vaccines.

Retired judge to speak to Republican seniorsRetired Hennepin County District Judge Thor Anderson will speak at a meeting of the Republican Seniors of Minnesota on May 3 at VFW Post 5555, 6715 Lakeshore Drive in Richfield.

The group meets at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month for discussion followed by a noon luncheon with a speaker. Lunch prices range from $6 to $10, with a minimum charge of $2.50 to cover meeting expenses.

For more information, call 952-828-1943 or e-mail repseniorsmn@aol.com.