West news briefs: Immanuel Methodist to hold rummage sale

Immanuel United Methodist Church of Corcoran will hold a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 27; from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28, and from 8 a.m. to noon Friday, May 29.

The sale will include furniture, household items, small appliances, sporting equipment, clothing, baby things and many other items. The proceeds will go to church mission projects.

The church is located at 10025 County Road 101, on the Corcoran-Maple Grove border. For more information, call 763-420-2585 or go to www.immanuelumcmn.org.

The city of Eden Prairie is accepting nominations until June 30 for its first-ever heritage preservation award.

The award will honor a resident, family or business for their contributions to the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and use of the city's heritage resources. It's part of the celebration of May, which is National Historic Preservation Month. The city's Heritage Preservation Commission will select recipients in July, with an award presentation Aug. 18.

To fill out a nomination, go to surveymonkey.com/r/LTYH7WQ.

The public is invited to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Hopkins on Wednesday, June 17, for a fish fry and a free community forum with polar explorer Will Steger.

Reservations are not required for the 7 p.m. forum, entitled "Eyewitness to Global Warming." Native Minnesotan and polar explorer Will Steger will talk about environmental changes he has seen in Arctic regions over four decades. He will share photographs, satellite imagery and videos that document deterioration in the polar ice caps.

For information, go to www.glconline.org.

Hennepin County is looking for Adopt-a-Highway volunteers to keep roadsides free of litter. Volunteers pledge to pick up litter along a 2-mile stretch of a county road at least twice a year. More than 5 tons of litter is collected annually. Signs at each end of the road segments recognize and thank the volunteers who have adopted that stretch of the road.

"With more than 500 miles of roads to maintain, the Adopt-a-Highway program is critical to keep Hennepin County roads free of litter," Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison said in a news release. "We have county employees, local companies, clubs, organizations and families who deserve our sincerest appreciation for picking up litter along these roads each year."

The county supplies materials for the volunteers and picks up the bags of trash when notified by the group that it has completed its road segment.

• Bloomington: Bush Lake Road (County Road 28).

• Corcoran: County Road 92 and County Road 116.

• Greenfield: County Road 50.

• Golden Valley: Duluth Street (County Road 66).

• Independence: Watertown Road (County Road 6) and County Road 92.

• Rockford: Rebecca Park Trail (County Road 50, two segments).

• Rogers: Fletcher Lane (County Road 116) and County Road 203.

• St. Bonifacius: County Road 15.

Those interested should e-mail transportation@hennepin.us or call 612-596-0300. More information is available at www.hennepin.us.

Maple Grove is accepting applications until June 5 to fill the vacant council seat that City Council member Leann Sargent had until recently stepping down.

The open position will finish Sargent's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2016, and pays $13,000 a year. The City Council will interview applicants and appoint a new council member soon after. For information or to apply, go to maplegrovemn.gov.

Free boater safety training sessions will be held next month.

The training, which is geared for 12- through 17-year-olds, is being offered by the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District, through its Save the Lake Fund, in partnership with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol. The sessions will be held June 20 and June 22 at Westonka Public Schools' Educational Service Center.

Participants can bring a guardian with to the training, which will earn them a state Department of Natural Resources youth watercraft operator's permit. It also includes breakout sessions throughout the day such as a tour of watercraft, knot tying and fuel and fire safety.

All costs, which include lunch, a snack and the DNR permit fee, are covered by the Save the Lake Fund and partners. For information or to register, go to lmcd.org or call 952-745-0789.

The city announced the proclamation May 12, declaring the special day to command teachers for the work they do in schools and the community.

The idea for the special day was pitched by Andy Anderson, a retired salesman who has been an avid Wayzata School District volunteer until recently, when he had to resign due to health. But Anderson, who turns 90 soon, is now spending his efforts on "Thank a Teacher Day." The city also urges residents to join in taking time to appreciate and thank teachers May 28.

Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners will hold "Super Powers Unite," the 2015 Spread Your Wings Gala on June 25.

The event will take place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park. This is the 15th year of the fundraising event, which will support IOCP programs. The event features a dinner, a live auction and emcee KARE 11 sports anchor Eric Perkins. Individual tickets are $125. For tickets or information, go to https://iocp.ejoinme.org/SYW2015.

The Friends of the Plymouth Library will hold its second "Gorgeous Gardens of Plymouth" benefit tour on July 19.

All proceeds wll benefit the Plymouth Library.

Sunrise Native Plants will hold its annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 23 at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church.

The sale will feature a wide variety of native plants, including flowers and grasses. The city of Plymouth partners with Metro Blooms to encourage residents to install rain gardens and use native plants in their yards because of their environmental benefits.

For information on rain gardens and native plants, go to plymouthmn.gov/raingardens or metroblooms.org.

The Plymouth Fire Department will host a "Home Alone Workshop" from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Thursday, May 28, in the second-floor training room of the Plymouth Public Safety Building, 3400 Plymouth Blvd.

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is recruiting volunteers for its efforts to expand an "early detection" monitoring program of lakes.

The volunteers will help monitor local lakes for aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels to catch the infestation early before it spreads. The watershed district will provide equipment and training, and the volunteers can choose their level of time and effort with the program.

For more information, go to minnehahacreek.org/detectors.