West town briefs

Law library named for director Anne Grande Anne Grande managed the Hennepin County Law Library for 34 years. Now the library bears her name, by direction of the Hennepin County Board.

The board unanimously agreed last week to rename the law library after Grande, who shepherded the library since it moved into the Government Center in the mid-1970s and oversaw the transition in that time from paper documents to computer databases and the Internet.

Grande, 64, was unable to attend the board's vote because of illness. But Emily Grande said her mother was grateful and humbled by the honor.

"She never wanted recognition -- in fact, she avoided it," Emily Grande said. "She just enjoyed helping people. ...She worked hard to make the library accessible to everyone."

Grande, the library's longest-serving director, was named an "Unsung Legal Hero" by Minnesota Lawyer magazine last year as one of the state's top legal support professionals. She served as president of the Minnesota Association of Law Libraries and was active in the national association.

Commissioner Randy Johnson, who first met Grande when he was a law student, said she combined high professionalism with "a great personality."

"She is a friend to everyone who has ever stepped into our law library, whether they be lawyers or want-to-be lawyers, or the general public," Johnson said, adding that Grande had built the Hennepin library "into one of the leading law libraries in the entire country."

Dedication service at Southtown Baptist Bloomington's Southtown Baptist Church will dedicate its renovated building on Sunday in a 10:30 a.m. service. The church, at 2600 W. 82nd St., will celebrate with music, a special message from Pastor Stan McFall and a reception following the service.

People from the neighborhood are welcome to attend the dedication. A 10,000-square-foot addition features a new 250-seat sanctuary as well as new offices, foyer, kitchen and bathrooms.

Family Theatre puts on 'Little Women' The Chaska Valley Family Theatre will present "Little Women -- the Broadway Musical" Nov. 27-Dec. 6 at the new Chanhassen High School auditorium, 2200 Lyman Blvd., Chanhassen.

Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 27-28 and Dec. 4-5 and for 2 p.m. Nov. 29 and Dec. 5 and 6. A lunch matinee is also scheduled for Dec. 4, with lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and the show beginning at 1 p.m. Tickets for shows are $15 for adults and $10 for students 17 and under, and $20 for the lunch matinee. For tickets, go to www.cvft.org or call 952-250-7206.

Hopper leads memoir workshop for mothers Writer Kate Hopper will teach a "Mother Memoirs" workshop in Chanhassen from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Mother's Day Studio, 521 Lake Drive, Chanhassen.

Hopper teaches writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and writes a blog, Mother Words: Mothers Who Write.

Cost of the workshop is $32. Child care is available for $8 and must be reserved in advance. The registration deadline is Thursday.

To register, call 952-937-8200. For more information, go to www.mothersdayinc.com.

Edina seeks energy volunteers Edina's Energy and Environment Commission is seeking volunteers for working groups on issues including renewable energy, air and water quality, education and outreach, the city's procurement policy, carbon tracking and measurement and recycling and solid waste.

To help with these topics, send an e-mail to edinamail@ci.edina.mn.us or write to the Energy and Environment Commission, Edina City Hall, 4801 W. 50th St., Edina, MN, 55424.

More information is available on the city website at www.ci.edina.mn.us under Energy and Environment Commission.

Food shelf fundraiser at Hillary's Gifts Hillary's Gifts, 914 Mainstreet, Hopkins, is sponsoring a "Baskets of Hope" campaign to help area residents during the current economic downturn.

The shop will contribute 10 percent of the proceeds from basket sales to the Minnesota Emergency Food Shelf's Baskets of Hope program. Every $30 raised will provide a family with a full holiday meal.

Holiday events at Church of St. George The Church of St. George in Long Lake, 133 N. Brown Road, will host its Annual Holiday Boutique from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Nov. 21.

The event will feature hundreds of homemade pies and other baked goods and will include a silent auction. Homemade soup and chili also will be available for lunch.

For more information on these events, call 952-473-1247.

Seminar on adolescent mood disorders Bonnie Klimes-Dougan will discuss "Adolescent Mood Disorders, Including Depression and Bipolar Disorder," 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park. Cost is $15 per person or $25 per couple.

Klimes-Dougan, who has a doctorate in clinical child psychology from Florida State University, conducts research on youth at risk for depression and those experiencing depression and suicidal symptoms. She also studies ways parents can help these children. For more information, call 952-303-5276 or go to www.shaarim.org .

Career workshop Women in Transition is offering two-day workshops to help women chart their career paths and land jobs. The sessions are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Dec 1 and 3, Dec. 8 and 10, and Dec. 15 and 17. They will be held at the Employment Action Center Office, Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park.

Fees are charged on a sliding scale. For more information, call 612-752-8444.

Dorfman's presentation will deal with how the county needs to provide more services during the economic downturn at a time when its revenues are also under stress.

LAURIE BLAKE,

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE,

HERON MARQUEZ ESTRADA,