Author: Gillian Holte

The Staring Lake Park sledding hill and warming house are open for the season. The 700-foot hill is a popular destination for Eden Prairie residents to hit the slopes with their sleds and tubes. Don’t have a sled or tube? A limited number of sleds and tubes are available for free to rent at the warming house. The warming house is open weekdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Families spent a night full of not so many tricks but lots of treats during the Not So Scary Nature Trail event at the Eden Prairie Outdoor Center on Oct. 29. Kids collected candy throughout the lantern-lit trail as they learned about bats, eagles, butterflies, and other animals and bugs.  Gretchen Strate, a volunteer with Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release, quizzed families on wild animals they might see. Strate said they are “a non profit that supports independent rehabilitators in the community and (also) a wildlife rescue team, that goes out and rescues injured and sick wild animals and get them…

Eden Prairie opened its doors on Oct. 8 to give a behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to run a city of nearly 65,000 people. Families could tour the police and fire departments and city vehicles and equipment. Demonstrations included a kitchen grease fire, a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter departure, a Life Link III helicopter arrival, watching an auto extrication, and meeting the police department’s K-9 dogs. The open house is an annual event held at City Center.

Eden Prairie residents had a good time and raised money for a great cause at Prairie Brewfest on Sept. 10 at Purgatory Creek Park. The Eden Prairie Community Foundation’s eighth annual Prairie Brewfest offered samples of local brewing companies from throughout Minnesota. In addition to craft beer, wine and spirits were available. Eden Prairie’s own Fat Pants Brewing Co. and Flying Dutchman Spirits were in attendance. Wondercure, the Twin Cities-based classic rock band, provided music. All proceeds go to help the Foundation support the community.

Fourteen high school marching bands from Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota took part in the 30th annual Prairie Colors Marching Band Festival on Sept. 10 at Aerie Stadium. Since it was their home turf, the Eagles Marching Band performance was considered an exhibition, not a competition, as it was for the 13 other schools. The band’s show “Aurora Borealis” featured three original works: “Sky Fires,” “The Heavens,” and “A Vengeful Force.” Proceeds of the event support all bands at the high school. The next Eagle Marching Band performances will be Friday, Sept. 16, at the Eagles’ football game vs. Lakeville…

With school back in session and fall quickly approaching, The Preserve pool has closed for the season. But before the water is drained, some four-legged friends got to have their summer fun. On Sept. 6, the pool was closed to human swimmers but welcomed those who the doggie paddle comes naturally.

Residents from all over the Twin Cities celebrated the 4th annual Ethiopian Fest of Minnesota at Eden Prairie High School’s Aerie Stadium on Sept. 4. The two-day event opened and closed with concerts in West St. Paul featuring Abdu Kiar, Fikeraddis Nekatibeb, Wendi Mak and Abby Lakew. “We are celebrating; (the) Ethiopian New Year is coming,” said Henok Alemayehu Degfu. “Every year we celebrate (…) on Sept. 11.” The festival featured Ethiopian businesses and restaurants from across the Twin Cities, a traditional Ethiopian fashion show, soccer games and live music. This is the first year the festival was held in…

Art lovers filled Purgatory Creek Park on Aug. 20 for Eden Prairie’s “Arts in the Park.”  Visitors were able to shop artwork, clothing, beauty products, and home decor from local artists and vendors. The Murphys and Waters, Larson and Waters entertained the crowds with live music. Snacks and drinks were available from Diana’s Dough, K-Town Street Foods, Sadie’s Taste of Love, A Whale of a Treat, and Eden Prairie Liquor.

The 15th Annual Raksha 5K Run/Walk & Vigil to End Distracted Driving was met with wind, rain and lightning on the morning of Aug. 6. The annual event, held at Purgatory Creek Park, is run by the Shreya R. Dixit Memorial Foundation. The foundation “educates, inspires and mobilizes grassroots communities to adopt distraction-free driving behaviors.” The run/walk was postponed 30 minutes before the decision was made to cancel. It was the first time the event had to cancel due to bad weather. “Today that track record is broken, a 15-year record,” said foundation chairman Vijay B. Dixit. Participants could still visit…

The two-week-long PeopleFest! Celebration continued on Sunday, July 31, with a party at Staring Lake Park in Eden Prairie. The PeopleFest! Party included food trucks, a human library and live performances.  PeopleFest! is a “series of free community events and programs to celebrate the unique cultures represented in Eden Prairie.” Groups performing included Harisen Daiko, Tarangini School of Dance, Tamil Sangham, Mexico Azteca, Academy of Young Leaders, and Nrityavidyalaya. Residents were encouraged to pick up a “Guide to Culture, History & Cuisine” at events or to visit the PeopleFest! Website. The book explores the food and history of Eden Prairie.…