West news briefs: Maple Grove recognized for energy conservation

Maple Grove will be recognized this month for its energy conservation and innovation efforts.

The city is among 56 that will receive the League of Minnesota Cities' Minnesota GreenStep City award June 20. Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a challenge, assistance and recognition program. To learn more about the participating cities, go to http://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us.

Plymouth will kick off its annual farmers market June 19.

The market will be open from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Oct. 2 at the Plymouth Ice Center parking lot, 3650 Plymouth Blvd. More than 20 vendors will be featured, with opening night including children's activities, fake tattoos and balloon animals. For more information or a list of vendors, go to www.plymouthmn.gov/farmersmarket.

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is seeking volunteers to help with the seventh annual Minnehaha Creek cleanup on June 30.

The family-friendly event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Lake Hiawatha Park off 46th Street and 28th Avenue S. It will be hosted by the watershed district, Metro Blooms and the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co's "Canoes for a Cause" campaign.

Registration and a free bagel breakfast begins at 9 a.m. Buses will leave at 9:30 a.m. to take volunteers to locations along the creek and the Chain of Lakes. A free BBQ lunch provided by Leinenkugel's will take place at 11 a.m. at Lake Hiawatha and will include prizes for children and adults. RSVP at www.minnehahacreek.org/CleanUp.

On June 18, Stacy Boots Camp from the Center for Energy and Environment will talk about home energy visits, which identify improvements to reduce utility bills and save money. On July 16, Dustin Denison from Applied Energy Innovations will discuss solar panels, including installation, cost benefits, tax benefits and how much energy the panels will produce.

Both sessions are at 7 p.m. at the Bloomington Civic Plaza Rehearsal Hall, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road. Each seminar will last 1 to 1½ hours, including time for questions and answers. No registration is required.

For more information, contact Tom Holman at 952-563-8941 or at tholman@ci.bloomington.mn.us.

The programs and facilities at Creekside Community Center will be on display from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday with an open house that features a car show, live music, a build-it workshop from Home Depot and a special dedication of the Little Free Library, now open at Creekside. Santa and Mrs. Claus will pay a special summer visit to the library. Adults 55 and older can explore fitness, recreation and education programs offered by the Bloomington Senior Program.

For more information, call 952-563-4944 or visit Creekside at 9801 Penn Av. S.

The mall's owner, Simon Properties, recently spent nearly $20 million to renovate and revitalize the mall, bringing back its midcentury design. Southdale opened in 1956 with 800,000 square feet and a grocery store, upscale apparel stores and a small zoo. The mall now has 1.3 million square feet of space. The remodeling brought wood accents back to the center and features original artwork that was still on the property.

The Heritage Award has been given each year since 2003 to deserving local businesses, residences or neighborhoods for the preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of Edina's historic places.

Eleven new sculptures have been installed at three locations in Edina showing a mix of realism, whimsical and abstract art for the 5th Annual Edina Sculpture Exhibit.

A public reception honoring the artists opens the exhibit from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Pinstripes, 3849 Gallagher Drive. The Edina Public Art Committee hosts the event. Mayor Jim Hovland will speak at 6 p.m.

The sculptures are located at 50th and France, Grandview Square Park and the Promenade.

Good friends and fellow romance writers Connie Brockway and Susan Kay Law will discuss their novels, writing and how their friendship and professional lives evolved from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday at Braemar Golf Course Clubhouse, 6364 John Harris Drive. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Edina police Officer David Boosalis and Sgt. Dan Conboy will receive the Departmental Commendation Award for exceptional service during a duplex fire last September.

When Boosalis arrived at the fire on West Shore Drive, half the duplex was in flames. When he tried to contact residents of the attached duplex, a woman came to the door and said her elderly father was still in the basement. As heavy smoke poured from the home, Boosalis went into the basement to help the man out and brought him to an ambulance for oxygen.

Despite smoke and lack of protective gear, Conboy entered the burning side of the duplex and escorted a confused woman out of the home.

As part of its yearlong effort to focus each month on common violations that affect safety and quality of life in Edina, patrol officers in June are focusing on curfew violations.

Those who violate curfew will be warned, but in some cases a citation may be issued.

For more information, contact the Edina Police Department at 952-826-1610.

The city's three fire stations will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. June 19 for the annual Fire Department Open House. Volunteers are needed to help in three areas:

• A pre-open house fire station cleaning from 6 to 7 p.m. on June 18.

• Setup, serving refreshments, monitoring the jump house and passing out T-shirts, temporary tattoos and materials from 5:30 to 8:15 p.m. June 19.

For more information or to volunteer, go to www.startribune.com/a2293 and fill out the application or contact Volunteer Coordinator Sandy Werts at 763-512-2341 or at swerts@goldenvalleymn.gov.

A free presentation on how Muslims adjust to and coexist in a pluralistic society will be presented by Dr. Fatma Reda at 7 p.m. on June 19 in the Gallery at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 715 Minnetonka Mills Road.

Reda, a psychiatrist and consultant physician, was born in Egypt and is one of the co-founders of the International School of Minnesota in Eden Prairie.

The longtime Minnesotan will discuss challenges to peaceful coexistence in the West and how Muslims cope with the added burden of being viewed as a threat.

This program is free and open to all. For more information, visit www.glconline.org or phone 952-935-1753.

The church sale, at 155 County Road 24, will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

On Friday, marked items will be half price, and Saturday morning is bag day.

All proceeds from this sale are donated to local agencies that assist families in need in the western suburbs.

Community members can get their first look at the Westonka history museum's new home from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 15, in the Centennial Building, which houses Mound City Hall, at 5341 Maywood Road.

The museum occupies all five rooms on the second floor, which increases space for its collection of artifacts, school records, Tonka toys and Andrews Sisters memorabilia.

Visitors to the open house can enjoy refreshments, view videos and displays, and sign up for door prizes.