West news briefs: Bloomington events mark Older Americans Month

Bloomington's Human Services Division is celebrating seniors in May with free events that focus on hobbies, fitness, education and volunteering.

Events at Creekside Community Center are:

• An ethical issues workshop May 14 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.;

• An aging-in-place workshop for caregivers and families, May 18 from 9 to 11 a.m.;

• Stroke prevention and treatment, May 20 from 12:30 to 3 p.m.;

• Exploring options in caring for older adults, May 21 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.;

• An orientation meeting for the Creekside Flower Club, May 24 from 9 to 10:30 a.m.;

Registration is required for all events. Call 952-563-4948 or e-mail reservations@ci.bloomington.mn.us.

Edina City Manager Scott Neal will speak about issues facing the city at the League of Women Voters Edina's annual meeting on Thursday, May 9, at St. Albans Church, 6717 Gleason Road.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. with appetizers. Neal will speak at 7 p.m.

The public is invited but is asked to RSVP at LWVEdina@gmail.com. For more information, see LWVEdina.org.

Photos can be submitted now for Edina's 10th annual "Images of Edina" photo contest, which is open to amateur and professional photographers who live, work in or attend school in the city.

Photos are due by 4:30 p.m. June 14 and must have been taken between June 15, 2012 and June 14 of this year. Cate­gories include people, plants and wildlife, learning, raising families and doing business. Entries must be submitted online through co-sponsor Edina Magazine's website, www.EdinaMag.com.

For rules, contest criteria and more information, go to www.EdinaMN.gov/Photo Contest or www.EdinaMag.com.

Hennepin County will hold three community collection events this month and in June to safely dispose of garden and household hazardous wastes, including items containing mercury, electronics and fuel.

Hazardous wastes will be accepted only from households, not businesses.

Collections will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on these days and at these locations:

• May 16-18 at the City of Minnetonka Public Works Department, 11522 Minnetonka Blvd.;

• June 13-15 at the St. Louis Park Junior High School, 2025 Texas Av. S.

Hennepin County also allows hazardous-waste drop-off year-round at 1400 W. 96th St. in Bloomington and 8100 Jefferson Hwy. in Brooklyn Park.

For a complete list of acceptable items or more information on drop-off facilities, call 612-348-3777 or visit www.hennepin.us/collectionevents.

Golden Valley Senior Center will host a series of classes beginning June 5 called "A Matter of Balance."

The class, co-sponsored and taught by Jenny Kasbohm of AgeRight Retrofit, costs $18, and is open to public. Preregistration is requested. Call Jeanne Fackler at 763-512-2339. The senior center is located at 200 Brookview Parkway in Golden Valley.

Maple Grove will host its annual Arbor Day celebration May 18.

The event will take place from noon-4 p.m. at the Maple Grove Community Center.

The University of Minnesota Raptor Center will have a bald eagle presentation, The Splatter Sisters will perform an environmental variety show and a raffle drawing will be held for crabapple trees.

The event also includes bird-house building, free tree seedlings and landscaping information from master gardeners and tree care advisers.

Six families soon will move into the townhouses built by the IOCP at 110 Grand Av., at the corner of Rice and Grand. The rental housing is for families who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to raise their children in a community like Wayzata, the IOCP said. IOCP headquarters is now located at 1605 County Road 101 N. in Plymouth.

The Retreat, a Wayzata-based alcohol and drug addiction recovery organization, will host a breakfast and tour on May 23.

The event, open to the public, will take place from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. May 23 at 1221 Wayzata Blvd. E., Wayzata. To RSVP, contact cchristiansen@theretreat.org.

The Richfield Chamber of Commerce board has inducted Linden Hills Florist owner Anne Schultz and Vinocopia Wine and Spirits general sales manager Marion Dauner into the chamber's Small Business Hall of Fame.

Candidates must be a majority owner or operating head of an independently owned, profit-making business for at least five years, and must have less than 500 employees, revenues not exceeding $10 million in annual sales, and must be in good standing as a Richfield Chamber of Commerce member.

Songs that children are singing in places such as Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America will be featured Saturday, May 4, in a family music event the MacPhail Center for Music is sponsoring.

The free event, scheduled for 10 and 11 a.m., will feature MacPhail teaching artists Momoko Tanno, Julie Johnson and Gregory Theisen. The MacPhail Center is located at 501 S. 2nd St. in Minneapolis. For more information, go to www.macphail.org/EVENTS or call 612-321-0100.

The Plymouth Fire Department will host its annual waffle breakfast 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Fire Station III, 3300 Dunkirk Lane.

Tickets are $7 in advance or $8 at the door, and $20 for a family of four. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Fire Department administrative offices, 3400 Plymouth Blvd.

The city of Plymouth is accepting applications for the Plymouth Charter Commission through May 10.

To be considered, submit a letter and/or resume to Judge Peter Cahill, Hennepin County Government Center, Minneapolis, MN 55487.

The commission is an independent body that works on issues related to Plymouth's City Charter. For more information, call City Clerk Sandy Engdahl at 763-509-5080.

Residents can register for the Plymouth Parks and Recreation Department's summer music lessons until May 16.

The "Music for Everyone" program offers lessons in voice, brass, woodwinds, strings and piano for any residents age 7 and older. The 10-week program runs from June 10 until Aug. 23.

Returning students must register, and new students will be placed on a first-come, first-served waiting list. Lessons cost $21 for a half-hour or $210 for the 10-week session.

Minnetonka Ice Arena's All Season Skating School will present its 39th annual Silver Skates Ice Revue, "A Spectrum of Skating," this week.

More than 250 skaters from Minnetonka and surrounding communities will be featured. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, May 2-3, and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4.

Admission is $6, or free for children ages 5 and under. Seniors citizens and individuals with special needs can attend for free on Saturday.

Minnetonka police are hosting a free reading event for dads, grandpas, uncles and male friends with children ages 5 and under.

The event will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 6, at the station, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. Police officers will read stories to children and give tours of the department and police vehicles.

The Robbinsdale Police Department will host a Crime Prevention Association meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at police headquarters, 4101 Hubbard Av. N.

Residents can meet Chris Woodhall, a new police community action coordinator, and hear a presentation on the Hennepin County Sheriff's Crime Lab.

The Eden Prairie Fire Department will host an open house to recruit volunteer firefighters.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 9 p.m. May 8 at Fire Station 1, 14800 Scenic Heights Road.

For more information on the recruiting process, go to www.edenprairie.org/epfdrecruit ing.

The six-week program for men and women will take place on Mondays from May 6 to June 17 at the church, 23290 Hwy. 7.

The program, which costs $45, incorporates yoga stretches to increase flexibility "covered in the peace of God."

Chair yoga is offered from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. for those with limited mobility, and "gentle journey yoga" will be offered from 7 to 8 p.m.

Participants can bring their own mat or use one of the ones provided. Advance reservations are requested. E-mail Carissa Myers at third dayyoga@gmail.com or call 612-325-1763.

The Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce recently honored Myra Wang, a massage therapist, as the 2013 Person of the Year.

Staff reports