West metro town briefs

Gabe Conger, manager of major-gift planning for the Heritage Foundation in the Midwest and Rocky Mountains, will speak at the Republican Seniors of Minnesota monthly luncheon meeting on Tuesday, May 5. His topic will be "Opportunity for All; Favoritism to None."

Also appearing will be Ryan Love, recently elected secretary of the Republican Party of Minnesota. The event, which will take place at Poor Richard's Commonhouse, 8301 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, will include a 10 a.m. business meeting, then the speech, then lunch. For more information, call 952-828-1943 or e-mail repseniorsmn@gmail.com.

Chaska's annual spring cleanup day will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2.

Residents have the opportunity to bring in yard waste for free disposal to the Chaska Athletic Park. Only grass, leaves, twigs and brush will be accepted, and they must be emptied from any bag or container at the site.

The city has been providing this service every spring and fall, with a high amount of participation from the community. This is a great way to beautify yards and the community in a cost-effective manner and also to get out and greet your neighbors.

Any questions can be referred to Chaska City Hall at 952-448-9200.

The New Hope Lions Club will hold its annual pancake breakfast and silent auction from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal.

Profits will benefit numerous community programs, including eyeglasses collection for Robbinsdale school district elementary students, PRISM and The Treehouse.

The Courage Kenny Foundation will hold the opening reception of the 52nd annual "Art of Possibilities Art Show and Sale" on Thursday, April 30.

Presented by Smead Manufacturing Co., the event will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, 3915 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley. The event will include refreshments, music, a brief program at 6 p.m. and more than 250 works by artists with disabilities.

The show also can be seen weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through May 22. All art is for sale, and there is no admission fee.

The women of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Long Lake will hold their annual bake and rummage sale on the second weekend in May.

The church is at Glendale and Grand streets in Long Lake. All proceeds will go to local and global mission outreach projects. For directions, call 952-473-5419.

Minnetonka's All-Season Skating School and the Lake Minnetonka Figure Skating Club will present the 41st annual Silver Skates Ice Revue, "Ice Dreams," April 30, May 1 and May 2 at the Minnetonka Ice Arena.

The shows feature nearly 230 skaters, from tiny tots to adults, who will glide, spin and jump their way through the two-hour performance.

The performers, who include a number of U.S. Figure Skating gold and silver medalists, come from throughout the west metro, representing Minnetonka, Wayzata, Hopkins, Chaska, Excelsior, Victoria, Mound, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Eden Prairie, Deephaven, Minnetrista, Orono and Greenwood. Among the solo skaters are U.S. figure skating double gold medalist Katie Yockey and 2015 Minnesota State preliminary ladies champion and Upper Great Lakes Regional silver medalist Abby Magnusson.

The show includes performances at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May 1, and a 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 2. The shows will take place at the Minnetonka Ice Arena at 3401 Williston Road General admission tickets are $6 and available at the door, with free admission for children 5 and under. The Saturday matinee is free for senior citizens and individuals with special needs.

The Minnetonka Rotary is holding an open house/mixer on Tuesday, May 5, open to all who live or work in Hopkins or Minnetonka. The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Gold Nugget Grille, 4401 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. Guests are invited to enjoy food, beverages, fellowship and to ask members about the club.

The Rotary International motto is "Service Above Self." Rotary has been working toward eradicating polio and bringing clean water to communities around the world. Although the Minnetonka Rotary is part of Rotary International, it is also a local community organization dedicated to its own motto, "Building Responsible Youth." The club contributes time and money to meeting young people's needs in Hopkins and Minnetonka, including high school scholarships, Minnehaha Creek, ICA Food Shelf, Empty Bowls, student mentoring and foreign exchange student programs

The Minnetonka Rotary meets weekly in Room 233 at the Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7. For more information, go to www.minnetonkarotary.org.

The Plymouth Crime and Fire Prevention Fund will host its annual waffle breakfast fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 3.

The event will be held at Fire Station III, 3300 Dunkirk Lane N., and features all-you-can-eat waffles served with sausage, juice, coffee and tea. A gluten-free option will also be available. Tickets are $7 in advance or $8 on the day of the event, and $20 for a family of four. To buy tickets, go to the fire department administrative offices on the second floor of the Public Safety Building, 3400 Plymouth Blvd.

The public is invited to an open house to learn more and share comments about possible improvements to the area where the Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail crosses County Road 19 in Shorewood and Tonka Bay.

The open house will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Southshore Center, 5735 Country Club Road in Shorewood. Three Rivers Park District is working with a consultant and other partners — including the cities of Shorewood and Tonka Bay and Hennepin County — to evaluate ways to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety at the crossing. The open house will give the public a chance to hear more information and provide feedback about possible improvements.

An estimated 415,000 visits are made each year to the 14.4-mile aggregate-surface trail, which runs from Hopkins, through Minnetonka, Deephaven, Greenwood, Excelsior, Shorewood, Tonka Bay, Chanhassen and Victoria on its way to Carver Park Reserve.

Construction has begun on a major renovation to Wayzata Community Church.

The eight-month, $8.2 million project will restore and repair the building, improve accessibility and repurpose space to accommodate its expanded ministries.

The project is being funded through the church's "Raise the Roof" capital campaign. Most of the construction is expected to be done the end of September.

For more information, go to wayzatacommunitychurch.org.

The Citizens' Climate Lobby will hold meetings in the west metro starting at 11:45 a.m. May 2.

The meetings will held at the Edina Community Library, Wayzata Library, Maple Grove Library, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie and Linden Hills Park in Minneapolis.

The meetings will feature a presentation via national conference call with Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, who will discuss the "Yale Climate Opinion Maps," which provide an online view of opinion about climate change and energy issues state by state and county by county.