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WeCAN collects supplies for Ready to Learn program
Western Communities Action Network (WeCAN) is gearing up for the annual Ready-to-Learn Program, which provides new backpacks and basic, grade-specific school supplies to families in need. With your help WeCAN will make sure that every child starts the school year with the supplies he or she needs! The annual collection of new school supplies for K-12 students is now underway. Items that are always in high demand include large sturdy backpacks, wide-lined spiral notebooks, Ticonderoga sharpened #2 pencils, ruled index cards, Flair/felt tip markers, black...
Student artwork on exhibit at Center for the Arts
People may find a piece of artwork great for several different reasons. From beautiful arrays of colors, realistic figures and landscapes, to symbols with deeper meanings– creative expression has a way of captivating viewers. The world’s renowned painters, sculptors, and potters that have honed their craft attract attention and praise, but creating art is for everyone. The Minnetonka Center for the Arts’ Student Show 2024 demonstrates just that. Running from July 19 through Aug. 17, The Student Show 2024 includes 112 pieces by 93 different...
Corks for a Cause pairs wine with philanthropy
Everly Farms Winery, in partnership with the Northwest Tonka Lions, has announced that their second annual wine tasting fundraiser, “Corks for a Cause,” will be held at Minnetonka Orchard on July 27, from 5 to 9 p.m. This unique event promises an evening of exquisite wine tastings, live music, gourmet pizza, and exciting auctions, all in support of Crescent Cove, a hospice center for children and their families. Event highlights include: ...
Mound OKs zoning rules for cannabis businesses
In 2023, Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis. This legislation also established a new Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to oversee the industry, prompting cities to scramble to implement new licensing and zoning requirements. While sales were initially expected to begin in 2025, the state established a new social equity licensing vetted lottery this spring with a preapproval window opening later this month, accelerating the need for local regulatory frameworks. ...
Buckhorn Days draws crowds to Long Lake
Despite the rain, The Long Lake Area Chamber of Commerce’s Buckhorn Days 2024 still offered full schedule of five music acts and many activities on July 13. Organizers reported high attendance, and noted that the rain did eventually clear out before the end of the day. (Submitted photos)
Road work underway across region
Like clockwork every summer, Minnesota cities rush to repair and improve their roads– Orono, Long Lake, and Maple Plain are no exception. Orono is busy with its 2024 Street Improvements Project, which included milling, reclaiming, and paving Orchard Park Road, Willow Drive between Fox Street and Brown Road, Partenwood Road, and Partenwood Lane. Per Orono’s website, contractors JMH Asphalt Corp finished tolerancing the week of July 8 before paving each...
Orono wind ensemble in running for The American Prize
Orono High School’s Wind Ensemble was recently named a finalist for The American Prize. Those that have heard the band play, whether at Orono’s graduation, at one of its in-year concerts, or abroad in France, may not be surprised. Orono bands have a long and prestigious legacy– something director Tim Arnold says he is grateful to continue. To Arnold, this recognition is a testament to all of Orono Bands. Especially before they make it to the Wind Ensemble in the first place. ...
Orono speech team boasts middle school national champ
Oliver Berg, a seventh-grader from Orono’s Speech Team, was crowned Middle School National Champion in Storytelling at the National Speech and Debate Association’s 2024 National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. Berg, a student at Delano Middle School, competes on the Orono team as a result of a cooperative agreement between the Orono and Delano school districts which allows Delano students in grades 7-12 to compete on the Orono Speech team, since Delano does not have a speech program. Berg had a stellar first season, placing 8th in the State tournament in Creative Expression this season. Berg is Orono’s second Middle School National Champion in Storytelling in the last three years; Maya Haugen won that title in 2022. Also competing at Nationals were Madeleine Dore in Humorous Interpretation, McKenna Monger in Dramatic Interpretation, and Maya Haugen in Storytelling, a supplemental category. Both Monger and Haugen broke to Octafinals.
Mound man dedicates retirement to honoring vets
The Fourth of July may have passed, but the enduring message that America is the “home of the free because of the brave” resonates with Gary Marquardt throughout the year. Marquardt serves as the Minnesota state director for Bugles Across America, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that military funerals feature a live, free rendition of taps by a bugler. Taps, with its instantly recognizable 24 notes, takes about a...
CenterPoint awards community safety grant to St. Boni
CenterPoint Energy, Minnesota’s largest natural gas utility, recently awarded a Community Safety Grant of $1,950 to the City of St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, to fund an automated external defibrillator, or AED, for the ball field concession stand at Missile Park. Steve Marsh, Home Service Plus Supervisor at CenterPoint, presented the Community Safety Grant check to Brenda Fisk, Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer at the City of St. Bonifacius. In Minnesota this year, CenterPoint awarded more...
Marquardt's Poetry
When he’s not playing at military funerals across the state, Marquardt stays busy painting watercolors and writing poetry. Upon moving to Minnesota, he and his wife shared a dream of living on Lake Minnetonka. They lovingly referred to their Casco Point home as “Heaven”, inspired by a quote from a former foreign exchange student from Belfast, Ireland, who was in awe of Lake Minnetonka’s beauty and the life Marquardt and his wife built there. Marquardt’s poem “Heaven’s Right Here” fondly recalls Fourth of July memories with his grandchildren.
Spirit of the Lakes slated at Surfside Park
The annual Spirit of the Lakes festival is just around the corner, and this year marks two decades of delivering a weekend filled with fun, food, music, activities, and fireworks to the Westonka community. Originally known as Mound City Days, the Spirit of the Lakes (SOTL) festival has grown and evolved over the years, becoming a summer highlight for many families. This year’s festival will take place July 18-20 at Surfside Park in Mound. ...
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Laker Pioneer serves the Mound, Minnetrista, Spring Park, Navarre, Long Lake, Orono, Maple Plain, Independence and Minnetonka Beach communities. Published Saturdays by APG of East Central Minnesota since 1974. 24/7 local coverage found online at www.lakerpioneer.com
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