West metro town briefs

The Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society's next Tapping History event will take place Monday, March 10.

Historian Scott McGinnis will present "Wet vs. Dry: The Hawkins Vendetta — The History of Alcohol in Excelsior" starting at 7 p.m. at Jake O'Connor's, 200 Water St., Excelsior.

The Historical Society's "Tapping History: Pints and Reflections on Lake Minnetonka's Past" is a new monthly series featuring a history expert on the second Monday of each month at the Excelsior pub.

On Monday, McGinnis will discuss the decades-long struggle over Prohibition in Excelsior, conflicting with its nature as a tourist town in the early 20th century. It ended with the prosecution of Excelsior hotel and bar owner Fred Hawkins by churches, the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Minnetonka Record newspaper.

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

Wayzata's massive redevelopment project, the Promenade of Wayzata, is continuing to take shape with the opening of a Lunds and Byerly's Kitchen this month.

Lund Food Holdings Inc. is celebrating the grand opening of Lunds and Byerly's Kitchen on Thursday morning, March 6. The company pegs it as a "first-of-its-kind food destination in the Twin Cities," featuring everything from sushi to a salad bar and a wine and beer bar.

The grocery store is part of the first phase of the 14.5-acre project by Roseville-based Presbyterian Homes & Services. When fully completed as planned, it will include five blocks of new senior housing, 130,000 square feet of retail, condos, office space, a 100-room hotel and a one-acre park on the eastern edge of Wayzata's downtown off Lake Street and Superior Boulevard.

It's the largest-ever redevelopment project for the city in scale, size and investment after demolishing the old Bay Center Mall, a 1960s shopping center.

Applications for Eden Prairie's annual Arts in the Park event are due by April 11.

The city's daylong art fair includes entertainment, activities for kids and food vendors. Local artists can also display their work at the May 17 event.

For more information or to apply, go to http://bit.ly/ 1jAkkRK.

Families with children ages 4 to 14 years old are invited to attend. It will include bingo, bouncers and prizes. One adult can supervise up to five children, but adult admission is required. More information is at www.crystalmn.gov or www.robbinsdalemn.com or by calling 763-531-1278.

Registration has opened for the second annual Buzz Out Cancer Knowledge Bowl.

Teams can register by Friday, March 14, to enter the tourney, which will take place April 19 at Chaska High School.

Chaska graduate Mark Meier started the event last year after a friend and fellow Knowledge Bowl teammate received a cancer diagnosis. All money raised will go toward a cancer charity and a family's medical expenses.

Plymouth's Healthy Living Fair will take place Sunday, March 9.

The fair is hosted by the city and Abbott Northwestern-WestHealth. For more information, call 763-509-5200 or go to www.plymouthmn.gov.

Vicksburg Lane is closed near the railroad crossing until Thursday, March 6, to allow the Canadian Pacific Railway to upgrade its tracks.

The three-day closing shut down traffic from County Road 47 to Schmidt Lake Road and closed off Vicksburg from 55th to 51st Avenues N. The city isn't involved and has no authority to regulate the railroad.

Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by youth is the subject of a March 13 talk by Brian Hubbard, Edina High School's resource officer.

Hubbard will speak from 9:45 to 11:30 a.m. at the Edina Senior Center in a meeting hosted by the League of Women Voters of Edina, which is studying the drug issue.

The meeting is open to the public. For more information, visit www.lwvedina.org.

An adaptive recreational skating program for disabled youth ages 5 to 15 will be offered this spring at Braemar Arena, courtesy of a Minnetonka High School figure skater.

Last year, Sage Kelner became part of the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team, wining $1,000 for the charity of her choice. She chose the DREAM Skating Program, which uses certified coaches and volunteers to work with each participant. No skating experience is needed; a hockey helmet is required.

The class will be offered on April 13, 27; May 4, 11, 18; and June 1 from 5 to 5:50 p.m. at Braemar, 7501 Ikola Way. The class fee is $150.

For more information or to register, visit www.edinaparks.gov or call Kristin Aarsvold, 952-826-0433.

Sorbo has received national recognition as an auctioneer and an advocate for humanitarian causes. Jensen will speak about our unusual winter.

Rotary meetings are from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Edina Country Club, 5100 Wooddale Av. The meetings are open to the public for $18 admission, which includes lunch.

Linda Reinert will give a presentation called "When the Hurt and Healer Collide" on Saturday, March 8, at Peace Lutheran Church in Watertown.

Reinert will talk about how her faith helped her family as her son battled a rare, potentially fatal disease and her daughter struggled with depression.

The doors will open at 1:30 p.m., with Reinert's speech at 2. Fellowship and refreshments will follow. The church is at 600 Kristi Lane.