Dct a 12 26 13

TribuneDakota County

Farmington | Rosemountand the surrounding areas

www.dakotacountytribune.comDecember 26, 2013 • Volume 129 • Number 43

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INDEX

Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4AAnnouncements . . . . . 5ASports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10AClassifieds . . . . . . . . . 13AThisweekend . . . . . . 16A

ONLINE

NEWS

OPINION

THISWEEKEND

SPORTS

Input welcome on master planDakota County Commissioner Tom Egan says input regarding the Lebanon Hills Regional Park Master Plan has always been encouraged.

Page 4A

New Year’s with LouieBurnsville’s Performing Arts Center is ringing in the new year with laughter when it hosts Minnesota funnyman Louie Anderson.

7A

The year’s best recappedArea high school sports teams and individuals had successful 2014 campaigns.

Page 10A

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Early deadline for newspapersThe deadline for news submissions for the Jan. 2 and 3 editions of the Dakota County Tribune and Sun Thisweek, respectively, will be 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30. The newspaper office will be closed Jan. 1. The newspapers will be on a normal delivery schedule next week.

Farmington’s year included bulls, budgets and bingo

Escaped bull during fair was top story

by Andy RogersSUN THISWEEK

DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Perhaps the biggest story in Farmington during 2013 hap-pened in August when Dakota County residents flocked to the fairgrounds. It was mostly a week of food, livestock shows, carnival rides, smiles and laughter during the Dakota County Fair, but for one night it was chaos. A bull named “Red 43” broke through his pen and ran into a crowd of fair attendees during Wednesday night’s festivities, injuring eight bystanders and a Dakota County deputy who fired two contact rounds into the bull before being trampled. One victim Barbara Goggins of Cottage Grove was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center with a head injury. The bull was captured by staff after running through the grounds for 10-15 minutes, and was euthanized a few days later. Area Explorers, who were

part a program introducing young adults to law enforce-ment and criminal justice ca-reers, were on the scene. Gage Litzner, of Rosemount, helped stabilize Goggins’ head during the incident while others helped with crowd control and emergency personnel.

Budget wrangling The Farmington City Coun-cil raised the city portion of property taxes 1.92 percent for 2014 after spending much of summer working on it. Because of new rules adopt-ed by the Minnesota Legislature stating cities could only raise levies to pay debt, the council spent the summer chopping away at its original proposal, which was nearly three times as high. In the end, the city cut one patrol officer from the po-lice department’s budget and bonded for road repair projects. The city received Local Gov-ernment Aid for the first time in nearly a decade and used much of the funds for the Fire De-partment.

Rosemount sees UMore work; senior housing planned

Mining operation continues, cleanup

of other portion of site required

by Tad JohnsonSUN THISWEEK


The city of Rosemount is fo-cused on the future as plans for a proposed mega-development at UMore Park continued to advance and two senior housing projects are expected to be built in 2014. Activity and approvals were granted for work at UMore Park this year as Dakota Aggregates’ 40-year mining operation began in January. Dakota Aggregates, a coopera-tive between Cemstone and Ames Construction, is mining the west 1,722 acres of UMore Park, which encompasses about 4,900 acres. The mining operation is only a prelude for what is to come. The plan for the entire site is for it to become a sustainable commu-nity with housing, commercial and educational sites as set forth in the University of Minnesota’s Alter-native Urban Areawide Review.

The 113-page AUAR, approved Oct. 15 by the Rosemount City Council, primarily addresses work that aims to mitigate environmen-tal factors such as water, erosion, wastewater, traffic and soil condi-tions based on the development. Outlined in the AUAR are four development scenarios, three of which are interpretations of the university’s December 2012 con-cept master plan. Those three scenarios range from providing housing for 25,000 to 35,000 residents and the oppor-tunity for 18,000 to 24,500 jobs. The city of Rosemount currently has about 22,000 residents. The other scenario is based on the city of Rosemount and Empire Township’s comprehensive plans. Neither plan is specific enough to examine expected residential and non-residential uses. The mining operation, which had its annual permit approved af-ter it was submitted Oct. 29, aims to extract material that can be used in concrete production, as-phalt production, precast products manufacturing, and processing of raw aggregate materials.

The Rosemount High School Marching Band finished as the top marching band in the 2013 Youth in Music Championships at the Metrodome on Oct. 12. Rosemount finished first in the Class AAA Championship in the afternoon among seven bands and was award-ed the grand champion among 10 bands in the evening performance. (Photos by Rick Orndorf)

As the host of the Dakota County Fair, Farmington was the place to be in August. Between the overcrowded stands during the demolition derby to a bull on the loose, there was rarely a dull moment. (Photos by Rick Orndorf)

See FARMINGTON, 3A See ROSEMOUNT, 6A

It was cold outside, but the hospitality was warm inside when scores of local residents lit the official city tree Saturday, Nov. 23, in front of the Steeple Center. Vocal and instrumental ensembles from Rosemount High School performed and free cookies and apple cider were served inside the center. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

Everything is turning up rosesRosemount High School marching band to open musical gift Jan. 1

by Tad JohnsonSUN THISWEEK


Whoever is in charge of leav-ing gifts underneath the tree this week for 208 Rosemount High School students caught a break. The members of the school’s marching band won’t need any presents this year. Their reward is coming wrapped with a bow when they depart Dec. 27 for Pasadena, Calif., in anticipation of their performance in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. “I am so incredibly excited for all 208 of our performing students to see and experience the excitement of this incredible day,” said band co-director Steve Olsen. “I am also extremely proud of our Rosemount band legacy of excellence, and all of the alumni, who have made this opportunity possible.” The band directors revealed in October 2012 the news of Rose-mount’s selection to be one of the 16 bands among 50 that ap-plied for the 2014 parade. Since that euphoric night at the band’s award banquet, mem-

bers have been spent an estimated 400 hours refining their routine and a similar time dedication to fundraising toward their goal of about $2,000 per band member. Money collected during fund-raising events was placed in a fund to ensure all marching band students could attend the trip, which will also include their own performances at a field show and at Disneyland, visits to area at-tractions like the Rose Bowl sta-dium and museums. “The support we have re-ceived from our parents, school and Rosemount community have exceeded all of our expec-tations,” Olsen said. “We are im-pressed and deeply appreciative of the many kind and thoughtful people who have donated time, money and hard work to make this experience possible for all 208 members of our band to par-ticipate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Olsen said some donations have come from people in other countries around the world and people “we have never even met.” “During the past year of pre-

See ROSE BOWL, 5A

2013YEAR IN REVIEW

2A December 26, 2013 DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

KOOB AGENCY, LLC

EUROPEAN TOURS

A John Dillinger mock raid was a highlight of the Dakota County Fair this year at Dakota Villiage. (Photos by Rick Orndorf)

Farmington Dew Days Royalty made an appearance at the the Eagan Funfest 4th of July parade. The new float was unveiled earlier this year. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

The sunny weather held up for most of the Farmington Dew Days celebrations from June 11-15 with exception of a few spotty showers that did not dampen the festivities. (Photo by Theresa Malloy)

Joshua Joel Dircks, 24, of Farmington, was charged with criminal damage to property, a felony, after allegedly vandalizing police cars in late August in the Farmington Police Department parking lot. (Photo Submitted)

Mayor Todd Larson addresses community members March 27 at the state of the city address. (Photo by The-resa Malloy)

The fourth annual Armed Forces Day WWII Weekend was held May 18-19 on the grounds of Dakota City Heritage Village in Farmington. Soldiers representing Russia, Germany, and the United States staged mock battles, weapons demonstrations, and army vehicle parades to recognize the history and service of veterans. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

2013YEAR IN REVIEW

DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE December 26, 2013 3A

Dew Days The annual Dew Days celebration in early sum-mer was a hit. With new events – such as Beer, Brats and Bingo; Fla-vors of Farmington and a bean bag tournament – the festival brought out bigger crowds. In 2009, the Dew Days organization needed to borrow $26,000 from Farmington and Empire Township after failing to pull in enough profit. The group paid the loan back one year early because of the success of 2013’s cel-ebrations.

Rule changes Citing citizen com-plaints, the city updated a couple of ordinances in the fall concerning golfing in city parks and property maintenance. In November, the city passed an ordinance ban-ning golfing in all city parks. Residents com-plained that golf balls were hitting their prop-erty and were potential safety hazards to other park attendees. In Octo-ber, the city updated the property maintenance code to make sure citi-zens were keeping up the exterior of their property. Using a complaint-based system, citizens are no-tified if the exterior of their property if 25 per-cent of the paint, siding, roof or brick work re-quires repair.

Yellow Ribbon The Farmington Be-yond the Yellow Ribbon campaign celebrated five years in December. Gov. Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. John Kline and members of the military spoke at celebration at Farming-ton High School. Farmington was the first Yellow Ribbon com-munity in Minnesota. The 25-member group

volunteers its time to help returning service mem-bers and their families. They hold monthly din-ners and provide services to military families.

Ramble Jam In early fall, country music fans descended upon the Dakota County Fairgrounds for the big-gest Ramble Jam yet. Featuring Rodney At-kins and Jerrod Niemann as the headliners for the two-day festival, the event drew thousands. It’s the main fund-raiser for the Farming-ton Rotary Club, which has held five Ramble Jam music festivals. For the first time in Dakota County Fair his-tory, organizers brought a major musical act to the grandstand. Love and Theft, a country mu-sic duo from Nashville, played during Thursday night at the fair. Atten-dance was below what fair organizers had hoped,

but fair board member and grandstand director Chris Wright said that won’t deter them from holding large concerts again in the future.

Bank theft Leah Marie Bremner, age 32 and formerly of Farmington, was sen-tenced in October to 30 days in jail, 90 days of electronic home monitor-ing, and probation for up to 20 years in connection with the loss of $95,000 from a bank in Lakev-ille where she worked in 2010.

Stocked twice In an unusual move, the Minnesota Depart-ment of Natural Resourc-es stocked the Vermillion River with 1,000 more rainbow trout in June 21 marking the second stocking of 2013. The river was already stocked during the spring with 1,000 fish, but with con-cerns that the fish floated

downstream because of excess rain and a surplus of fish at the hatchery, the DNR added more.

Ground Round Farmington became home to a Ground Round taking the place of the old Blondie’s Tavern in the Tamarack Ridge Shopping Center in the fall. Serving American food, Ground Round is among the few national franchises in the city.

Library move The Farmington Li-brary moved to the sec-ond floor of City Hall in late 2013 and is scheduled to undergo exterior and interior renovations. It’s scheduled to open back up in July. Barbara Svo-boda took over as the new branch manager in the spring.

Farmers market With 20 vendors, the Farmington Farmers Market grew to the larg-est yet since it started five years ago. Every Thurs-day, hundreds of shop-

pers browse locally pro-duced meat, vegetables, fruit, soap and plants in front of city hall.

Trouble at park Reports of vandalism and unprovoked assaults during the fall drew the concern of many neigh-bors near the northern Farmington park. Police are confident they identi-fied the juvenile suspects.

Car chase Patrick Christopher Armstrong, 28, of Rose-mount, led police on a chase that resulted in damage to three Farm-ington police cars in Au-gust. After calling police stating he was at park, armed and suicidal, Arm-strong led officers on a chase on Highway 3. He was eventually caught and charged with three felonies.

Other highlights Liquor Operations Director Blair Peterson reported that the over-all net profit by the end of August was approxi-

mately $168,000, nearly double from a year ago. In the fall, the city ad-opted a new 11-step wage scale for nonunion city employees that eliminat-ed merit-based pay, put a freeze on the top salaries, and created a scale that’s more in line with other city government employ-ees at similar cities. The fire department added a new 2013 Pierce Impel Pumper Fire En-gine in the spring to serve as both a fire engine and method to carry rescue equipment replacing a 1986 Ford Rescue Truck. Foreclosures were down significantly in 2013 in Farmington de-creasing by about 80 per-cent. Farmington child care worker Rebecca Lynn Graupmann was charged in May with manslaugh-ter relating to the death of a 3-month-old baby who stopped breathing while in her care in 2012.

Email Andy Rogers at [email protected].

FARMINGTON, from 1A

More than 350 people turned up to the first Farmington Farmers Market of the season. With 20 vendors, the city kicks off its biggest market yet. (Photo by Theresa Malloy)Business adviser Laurie Crow comes to Farmington City

Hall once a month to answer people’s business questions as part of the Open to Business program. (Photo submit-ted)


Opinion

PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julian AndersenPRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marge WinkelmanGENERAL MANAGER . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark WeberFARMINGTON EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . .Andy RogersROSEMOUNT EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . .Tad Johnson

SPORTS EDITOR . . . . . . . . . Mike ShaughnessyPHOTO EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick OrndorfNEWS ASSISTANT . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Darcy OddenTHISWEEKEND . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew MillerSALES MANAGER . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Jetchick

Andy Rogers | FARMINGTON NEWS | 952-846-2027 | [email protected] Johnson | MANAGING EDITOR/ROSEMOUNT | 952-846-2033 | [email protected]

Mike Shaughnessy | SPORTS | 952-846-2030 | [email protected] Odden | CALENDARS/BRIEFS | 952-846-2034 | [email protected]

Mike Jetchick | AD SALES | 952-846-2019 | [email protected] Anderson | DIRECTOR OF NEWS | 952-392-6847 | [email protected]

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TribuneDakota County

Letters

Letters to the editor policySun Thisweek welcomes letters to the editor. Submitted letters must be no more than 350 words. All letters must have the author’s phone number and address for verification purposes. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Letters reflect the opinion of the author only. Sun Thisweek reserves the right to edit all letters. Submission of a letter does not guarantee publication.

Board member welcomes input on Lebanon Hills master plan

‘Vitally important’ state report almost three years late

by Tom EganSPECIAL TO SUN THISWEEKDAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

I seriously pondered whether I should respond to the letter written by Scott Johnson (“Commissioner Egan is cor-rect,” Dec. 19, 2013) in this newspaper. I decided it was important to the read-ing public to clarify misinformation. So I am writing my response. First, let me say that many com-ments have been received in various forms about the plan for Lebanon Hills Regional Park and many of those com-ments have been negative. That is why Dakota County extended the process time for consideration of park improve-ment plans from last summer to early 2014. That is why interested parties were invited in September to join the Dakota County staff and board of commission-ers on a tour of the park and workshop. That is why the Dakota County Board directed the Dakota County Planning Commission to hold a public hearing on Lebanon Hills this fall. That is why after receiving a unanimous recommendation by the Planning Commission to open the public comment period the Dakota

County Board on Nov. 19 unanimously voted to open that 60-day comment pe-riod on Lebanon Hills from Nov. 19 to Jan. 18. Also, two open houses were planned to make presentations to the public about tentative improvements at Leba-non Hills. One was held on Monday, Dec. 16 at the Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley; the sec-ond is scheduled at the same location for Jan. 14. Dakota County staff did an incredible amount of work laying out clear and simple graphic information about the tentative plans. As a policy maker, I can’t possibly imagine relying on the opinion of the public concerning an issue such as this as much before they are presented with an opportunity to re-view information as before. None of the

comments Mr. Johnson mentions were made before even this first open house. Attendance at this open house was sig-nificant although a large number of at-tendees came with their own predispo-sition and weren’t very interested in the presentations. And then there is Mr. Johnson’s state-ment that “taxpayers [should] object to the $31,029,429 bill that [Egan] voted for at the November Dakota County Planning Committee meeting.” Well, for those of you who have recently read that this month the Dakota County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize a levy for 2014 that is 0.6 percent be-low the levy for 2013 keeping Dakota County with the lowest levy per capita of any county in the metropolitan area, you might be confused. You see, Mr. Johnson is wrong. The Dakota County Board has yet to authorized any amount for Lebanon Hills improvements. And if and when we do, it is anticipated that those improvements will occur and be paid for over 20 years. So again to summarize, we still have at least one more open house scheduled for Jan. 14 on tentative Lebanon Hills

improvements. It would be great if at-tendance at that open house was at least as good as we had at the first one. We may decide to hold further open houses. The intent is to collect, refine and con-dense all the information obtained from all sources – including these open houses – and to come back with plans that take into consideration all those comments. We are considering extending the period further to allow everyone to be engaged in all options. A number of people have contacted me … including several at the first open house … expressing a desire to work on a compromise solution for Lebanon Hills. Bearing in mind that the main responsibility the Dakota County Board has is to make Lebanon Hills – and all the parks in our regional park system -–as accessible to as many people as possible we will continue to work to-ward coming up with a plan that is as acceptable to as many people as pos-sible.

Tom Egan is a member of the Dakota County Board serving the Third District, which includes the city of Eagan. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

by Joe NathanSUN THISWEEK


“I think it is vitally important to have the ‘Getting Prepared’ report up-dated in 2014, given the push we did this legislative session to advance early college opportunities for all second-ary students.” That’s what Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul and chair of the Minnesota House K-12 Education Policy Committee, told me this week. State law requires that this report be completed and shared annually with legislators. But despite this law, the re-port was last issued in January 2011, almost three years ago. It’s online at http://bit.ly/1bPf6uk. As with state and federal health care applications, it appears that, unantici-pated computer and data problems are causing big delays. “Getting Prepared” shows what number and percentage of gradu-ates from each Minnesota public high school had to take developmental, aka remedial or high-school level, courses when they entered a Minnesota public college or university. It’s valuable for legislators to know whether the state and individual schools are making progress. (A recent report on kinder-garten readiness shows progress in that field.) Because the report shows how many graduates at each high school took re-

medial courses in reading, writing and math, high school educators can use “Getting Prepared” to identify and then work on improving student prepa-ration in those subjects. “Getting Pre-pared” also helps students and families see how well prepared graduates are for public higher education. Finally, the report is important be-cause of 2013 changes in state law. High school students are no longer required to pass reading, writing or math tests in order to graduate. Instead, students will be encouraged to take various tests and assessments that help them under-stand where they are compared to ex-pectations of colleges and employers. Taking remedial courses costs fami-lies and taxpayers millions of dollars. Our goal should be to reduce the num-ber of students entering public colleges and universities who take these courses. Minnesota Statute 13.32, subdi-vision 6(b) is clear. It reads in part: “Public postsecondary systems annu-ally shall provide summary data to the Department of Education indicating

the extent and content of the reme-dial instruction received in each sys-tem during the prior academic year by, and the results of assessment testing and the academic performance of, stu-dents who graduated from a Minnesota school district within two years before receiving the remedial instruction. The department shall evaluate the data and annually report its findings to the edu-cation committees of the legislature.” I’ve been asking for this report since fall of 2012. In March 2013, I was told that the responsibility to produce the report had been shifted from the two public higher education systems, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State College and Univer-sity system to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. Since then, I’ve talked with Office of Higher Education officials a number of times. Initially the Office of Higher Education said data would be available in June. That later was changed to July and then “the fall.” I checked again with the Office of Higher Education and Department of Education officials this week. The re-port still is not done. State officials have held several meet-ings around Minnesota this month to encourage high school and college col-laboration, leading to better-prepared students. Having an updated “Get-ting Prepared” report would have been

helpful. Sandy Connolly, communications director at the Office of Higher Edu-cation, explained the office’s analysis of data has produced “some inconsis-tencies ... with regard to the percent-age of students taking developmental education at MnSCU.” So officials are “checking the individual records of thousands of students, a step OHE be-lieves is necessary for the integrity of the final product.” Perhaps it’s time to go back to the old system, where the University of Minnesota and MnSCU system com-plete the report, until the inconsisten-cies can be resolved. More people may also be needed to help finish the report. The Office of Higher Education says the new report will include more details and, for the first time, data from Min-nesota students attending private as well as public institutions. That could be valuable. But almost three years have elapsed since this report was produced. The law (wisely) says the “Getting Prepared” re-port is supposed to be done each year. It’s time to follow the law. Joe Nathan, formerly a Minnesota public school teacher, administrator and PTA president, directs the Center for School Change. Reactions welcome, [email protected]. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Sun Thisweek

ColumnistJoe Nathan

Guest

ColumnistTom Egan

The Ettl Family would like to thank the whole community for the love and support that we have received over the past couple weeks as we mourn the loss of Alyssa. Although no words can bring her back or express our loss, we are com-forted in knowing what an impact she had while she was here on Earth. We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the entire community along with a special thank you to: All Saints Catholic Church, Father Kelly, Deacon Marshall and all the staff; Lakeville North High School, stu-dents, teachers and staff; The Lakeville Police Department and all first responders for their service; Schmitty & Sons Bus Company for donating the buses on Saturday for the roadside memorial along with buses on Tuesday for our family, friends and stu-dents during the funeral; Nan Price Photography for volunteer-ing to be there for us at the service; All our family and friends that have provided meals and support since the tragic accident. We ask that you continue to keep us and all those who have experienced loss of a loved one in your thoughts and prayers. Again thank you to the entire com-

munity and may you all have a Safe and Blessed New Year. May everyone work together to bring happiness and joy to all in 2014.

MATT, JENNY and KORI ETTLLakeville

We have witnessed outstanding love, compassion, encouragement and support since the car accident in Kansas on July 11, which claimed the life of Taylor and seriously injured Shannon and Adam Ziebol. We are grateful for the healing of Shannon and Adam and miss the pres-ence of Taylor. We wish to express our gratitude to all who generously gave their time, talent, and financial resources to support our family during this difficult time. Friends, neighbors and complete strangers have stepped forward with many acts of kindness. We are grateful. We would not be where we are at this stage of recovery without the love we have received. A family neighbor flew us to Dodge City the day of the accident. We arrived there bewildered, shaken and anxious to see our loves ones. The com-munities of Dodge City and Bucklin, Kan., surrounded us with compassion as we tried to make sense of the tragedy. We will never forget their generosity and kindness. We needed and received all the expertise the medical staffs Dodge City and Wichita provided. We are grateful and indebted for their devotion and care. A medical flight in early August brought Adam back to Minnesota, where he received excellent care at Re-gions Hospital. Adam is now continuing his recovery at home. His medical jour-ney has been long and is still moving to-ward a complete recovery of his injuries. We are thankful for all the calls and visits which continue to lift our spirits. Words cannot express our apprecia-tion to the staff of Prince of Peace Lu-theran Church for their support and prayers as we gave tribute to Taylor’s life and in moving forward with Adam and Shannon’s recovery. Numerous expressions of kindness

from groups and businesses in the com-munity raised funds and offered services when our energies were devoted to the family care we needed to provide. A Fair-view Ridges Foundation Crisis Hospital-ity Program has been established by our family. The mission of the program is provide shelter, food and transportation to those who might experience a medical crisis event similar to our experience in Kansas. We appreciate the effort, commitment and dedication of the Burnsville area community. There is a lesson our family has learned from this tragedy. We know how important family, friends and com-munity are when an event like this affects your family. We are so grateful.

The ZIEBOL, HESS and FANCHER familiesBurnsville

Thank you, thank you, thank you We are grateful

Alyssa Ettl

Taylor Ziebol, right, with Shannon and Adam.


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Obituaries

A new way to workout in FarmingtonCrossfit Calypso opens off High-

way 50 by Andy Rogers

SUN THISWEEKDAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Farmington has a new option for those with se-rious fitness New Year’s resolutions; Crossfit Ca-lypso opened its doors last month in Farmington. It’s not a traditional gym with rows of ellipti-cals and televisions. “We don’t use ma-chines, we build them. We do things that will help people with everyday health,” co-owner Thad Caron said. Crossfit Calypso fea-tures pull-up bars, weight lifting bars, kettle bells, weight balls, gymnastics rings, jump ropes and row machines. The owners say their business model, too, is different than a tradi-tional gym. “We don’t want a bunch of members who never come, like some gyms. We want a few members and we want them to come in every day to work their butts off,” Caron said. Crossfit isn’t easy to define. It’s not a weight loss program nor sports-specific training. It in-volves building functional strength, mobility and overall fitness by combin-ing gymnastics, Olympic weight lifting and high-intensity interval training. “Everything you can imagine in fitness,” Caron said. “We run, we jump, we climb, and we lift. We have a few key workouts every year where we stop and measure our progress, but we rarely do the same workout twice.” Members are encour-aged to come to daily one-hour sessions where there’s a workout of the day, or WOD, where par-ticipants complete a series of movements that could include anything from pull-ups, snatches, rowing, running, squats and more. The workouts are timed, so next time they’re per-formed, participants can see how they’ve improved.

“We always want to be increasing our intensity either with more weight or faster,” Caron said. The draw is the cama-raderie, since many of the same people are with you during the hourlong daily workouts. “Human nature is you’re going to push a little harder when some-one is next to you,” Caron said. “If you see eight oth-er people pushing them-selves, you’re not going to let up.” The fact that there’s a personal trainer making sure participants are us-ing correct form and en-couraging members, while designing the workout, is another draw. Caron has been a per-sonal trainer for six years, owning his own personal training business. Co-owner Max Dennis has a football background and works full time as an engineer in Minneapo-lis. As a college football player with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he spent time with coaches who went on to start one of the first Crossfit gyms in the Midwest. He’s been doing the Crossfit-style

workouts long before most people heard of it. “My first stereotype is they’re just moving light weight, but after doing some research it’s actually pretty beastly,” Dennis said. Crossfit gyms have been growing in popularity with the number of gyms al-most doubling in the past two years to about 10,000. “People who do Cross-fit are usually pretty fit,” Caron said. “So when they talk to friends and family, they say they do Crossfit. It’s all word of month. It’s an actual sport now too. They have the Crossfit games on ESPN.” There are also gyms in Lakeville and Apple Valley, but the Calypso owners saw an opening in Farmington. “There’s nothing down here really,” Caron said. “I knew there was something missing from Farming-ton.” Caron said that Crossfit can be catered to anyone. They have members who are 13 years old up to se-niors. “Some people came to us completely out of shape, and some came

in wanting to get in even better shape,” Caron said. “We say we create the workouts for the best and tailor the workouts for the rest.” Business has been good. Their goal was to have 20 members by Janu-ary, but they actually had 30 by mid-December after being open about a month. Long-term, the goal is to have 100-200 members, hire more coaches and ex-pand the facilities. The cost to join ranges from $100 to $150, de-pending on the number of classes. Crossfit Calypso has two classes from 5-7 a.m. and two from 5:30-7:30 p.m. during the week-days, and from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays. They offer two free introductory workouts a week on Mon-day night and Saturday morning, and a four-week introductory course. The gym is located at 21210 Eaton Ave., off Highway 50. “I knew I needed an big, tall industrial place,” Caron said. “We’re going to make some noise.”


Crossfit Calypso owners Max Dennis and Thad Caron recently opened their special-ized fitness gym off Highway 50 in Farmington. (Photo by Andy Rogers)

State DFL caucus handed $100,000 fineby T.W. Budig


The Minnesota Campaign Fi-nance and Public Disclosure Board fined on Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Minnesota DFL Senate Caucus $100,000 for wrongfully working with 13 of its candidates in the 2012 election. The $100,000 civil penalty is among the biggest in state history. The DFL state party and the can-didates were not fined. “We continue to maintain that our candidates and the caucus cam-paign committee complied with all campaign finance laws. Although we respectfully disagree with the board’s position, we believe it is bet-ter to put this matter behind us,” DFL Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said in a state-ment about the settlement reached with the board. Senate Democrats admit to no wrongdoing in the settlement. The Republican Party of Min-nesota began filing complaints in October 2012, charging that DFL campaign materials were wrongfully listed as independent expenditures, but the materials were not because the candidates were actively en-gaged in photo shoots in producing the print ads, thereby breaching the

legal wall between candidates and independent expenditures. Republican leaders heralded the board’s decision. “Senate Democrats were so in-tent on winning at any cost and throwing huge money into the 2012 campaign that they played fast and loose in a big way,” said Republi-can Party of Minnesota Chairman Keith Downey in a statement. “We will never know how this illegal coordination would have impacted the results in these races and ultimately control of the Legis-lature. They cheated, they won, but at least they are being held account-able now,” Downey said. Republican Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prai-rie, struck a similar tone. “The question really needs to be asked, ‘Would they have won the majority if they hadn’t cheated?’” Hann said in a statement. Campaigns named in the inves-tigation include those of Sen. Jim Carlson, DFL-Eagan; Sen. Greg Clausen, DFL-Apple Valley; Sen. Melisa Franzen, DFL-Edina, and Sen. Alice Johnson, DFL-Spring Lake Park. The board noted in its findings that some of the candidates sus-pected the photo shoots were for the purpose of developing independent

expenditures but believed inquiring further could destroy the indepen-dence of those expenditures. The board recognized in assess-ing civil penalties that the candi-dates believed they could rely on the DFL Senate Caucus’ decision to ask them to participate in the photo shoots. “While this reliance was mis-placed and does not affect the conclusion regarding whether the conduct results in violations of con-tribution and spending limits for the candidates, it is an appropriate factor to consider in assessing civil penalties in this matter,” the board concluded. The board previously has issued other big fines. It investigated independent spending by the Republican Party of Minnesota in 2002, which sub-sequently led to the reclassification of $500,000 in Republican inde-pendent expenditures as approved expenditures. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s gubernatorial campaign was fined $100,000 by the board in the matter, and the reclassified funds were counted against the campaign’s spending limit.

Email T.W. Budig at [email protected].

paring, fundraising and planning, we have had the opportunity meet many people in our commu-nity and see for ourselves what an awesome and supportive community of arts supporters that exist in the Rosemount area,” he said. The parade will be televised starting at 10 a.m. Jan. 1. The band will be No. 57 among 91 entries. It will follow the Republic of Indonesia and march ahead of the

Harlem Globetrotters. An estimated U.S. audience of 47 million people and an estimated international audience of more than 300 million in over 220 countries see the parade on television. The Pasadena Police Depart-ment estimates that ap-proximately 700,000-plus spectators attend the pa-rade. “Wow, those stats are staggering and blow my mind,” Olsen said. The band directors suggest watching the uninterrupted and com-

mercial-free broadcast on HGTV from the first viewing area. Rosemount will then proceed through the viewing areas televised on ABC and NBC. Both of the major networks will have commercial breaks and interruptions during some performances. Fireside Restaurant in Rosemount will have a parade viewing party starting at 9:30 a.m. A snack buffet of breakfast items in the morning and appetizers in the after-noon will be offered for

$5 per person. “I think this is a won-derful opportunity to share this experience, al-beit from afar, together as a Rosemount band family and a proud com-munity,” said band par-ent Alicia Cross. Those who plan to at-tend should email her at [email protected]. To donate to the band, go online at www.rose-mountband.com.

Email Tad Johnson at [email protected].

ROSE BOWL, from 1A

Worship DirectoryShare your weekly worship schedule or other activities

with the community. Call 952-392-6875 for rates

and informatilon.


Cleanup at odds Over the past year or so, the university and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been at odds over cleanup on other portions of the UMore site. The university says it will work with the Min-nesota Pollution Control Agency with regard to the cleanup, but would only formally commit to a pro-cess if the corps did. The corps did not, so in November the MPCA started a formal process to take the lead in investigat-ing and cleaning up con-tamination at UMore Park and hold both the univer-sity and corps responsible for paying for it. The corps and the uni-versity had the opportunity to enter into a cooperative cleanup agreement, but the corps maintained it was not a “responsible party” for the contamination left behind from the former World War II munitions plant – Gopher Ordnance Works. The MPCA says the uni-versity is the other respon-sible party, since other con-tamination is believed to be from former tenants the university contracted with and the university itself. In a June 26 letter, the MPCA wrote it is willing to initiate court proceed-ings and impose fines under state law to clean up the site and recover costs, but wel-comed collaboration on the part of the corps and uni-versity. It is not known how much it could cost to assess and remediate the property. Some possible avenues for funding would be the Formerly Used Defense Sites program or the De-fense Environmental Res-toration Account, which are allocated by Congress to address Department of Defense responsibilities. The portion of UMore land that has the highest degree of scrutiny is the Su-perfund area that is about 10 acres mostly east of Babcock Avenue and north of 155th Street. This area is

not part of the mining area Dakota Aggregates is con-ducting to the west. According to the Reme-dial Investigation Report for UMore East in 2011, the areas with the greatest environmental impacts ap-pear to be consistent with historical Department of Defense operations, the university wrote in a July letter. Other sources of con-tamination are the uni-versity, which disposed of chemical wastes in the Burn Pit site, and from tenants the university contracted with that used the site for disposal of lead, copper

and polychlorinate biphe-nyls, or PCBs, for about 20 years starting in the 1960s, according to the Environ-mental Protection Agency’s fourth five-year review of the site, which was com-pleted in June 2012.

Senior housing Senior housing options in Rosemount will get a big boost in 2014 as two projects are expected to have work commence this spring. The Dakota County Community Development Agency purchased three homes on the east side of Cambrian Avenue in Rose-

mount this fall with the aim to consolidate the property with a nearly 1 acre north portion of the former Genz Ryan Plumbing & Heating site to build a 60-unit senior housing building. It would become the sec-ond such downtown Rose-mount project in the works as Apple Valley-based Stonebridge Communities is working with the city to develop an 80- to 90-unit senior building with an at-tached 5,000-square-foot senior center north of downtown. “They complement each other,” Community De-velopment Director Kim

Lindquist said. She noted that CDA has an affordability factor for seniors seeking inde-pendent living, while the Stonebridge project would attract seniors seeking as-pects of assisted living. The Rosemount Port Authority approved the CDA’s purchase of about the northern 40 percent of the former Genz Ryan site for $300,000 during its Oct. 15 meeting. “We are excited about it,” said Kari Gill, CDA deputy executive director. “We are hoping to do an at-tractive building.”

Celts fi re Regulars at Celts Pub & Grill will have to wait until next year to pull up a stool at the 12-year-old south portion of the business, which was damaged by fire in the early morning hours of Sept. 9, as restoration work continues. The fire that reportedly was found at about 7 a.m. in the kitchen area by re-sponding Rosemount fire-fighters was contained to the south portion of the building, which sustained heavy smoke damage. Celts-Rosemount owner Brandon Barth and man-ager by Justin Lecher wrote on the pub’s Facebook page Dec. 19 that the kitch-en was cleared to open that day, but the south portion was not ready for patron use. The north portion of the business, which has a separate entrance and was added in summer 2004, was open by the end of the week after the fire. “We again want to thank everyone for their support during this time and look forward to seeing all of you,” Celts posted on its Facebook page Dec. 19. No one was in the build-ing at the time of the fire.

Charges pending Charges are still being pursued in the case of An-arae Schunk, whose death is being treated as a homi-cide, Rosemount police said Thursday, Oct. 3. Rosemount police are

leading the investiga-tion into the death of the 20-year-old Burnsville woman, whose body was found Monday, Sept. 30, in rural Rice County. Police believe the Uni-versity of Minnesota stu-dent and Burnsville High School graduate was killed in Rosemount, where she was last seen Sept. 22. Schunk was with her ex-boyfriend, Anthony Lee Nelson, of Rosemount, at closing time Sept. 22 out-side Nina’s Grill in Burns-ville when Nelson alleg-edly shot a man to death. The victim was 23-year-old Palagor Obang Jobi of Sav-age. Authorities say she left the bar with Nelson and his current girlfriend, Ashley Marie Conrade, and they drove to her Rosemount townhome. Schunk’s family reported her missing Sept. 23. Nelson is charged with second-degree murder in Jobi’s death. Conrade is charged with aiding an of-fender for allegedly harbor-ing Nelson. “We are committed to doing everything we can to bring to justice the person responsible for this horrific crime,” Chief Eric Werner said.

Murder-suicide The shooting deaths of a married Rosemount couple was ruled a murder-suicide, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examin-er’s Office. The results released Oct. 10 show that Steven Lee Vasey Jr., 32, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and Melissa Vasey, 31, suf-fered a self-inflicted gun-shot wound while inside their apartment at the 2900 block of 146th Street West. Officers made entry to the apartment Oct. 8 at about 5:48 p.m. after they received a request for police to check on the welfare of the couple living there.

Look for more year in review stories in the Jan. 3 edition.

Email Tad Johnson at [email protected].

ROSEMOUNT, from 1A

The University of Minnesota has developed concept plans of what the sustainable de-velopment it is proposing for the 4,700-acre UMore Park property might look like. (Image from the University of Minnesota)

Rosemount residents reviewed in July Stonebridge Communities of Apple Valley’s plan for a senior housing and public activity center that would be built north of the Steeple Center. (Graphic submitted by city of Rosemount)


Employee of the Year is Bill Murphy Mechanic Bill Mur-phy has been named the city of Rosemount’s 2013 Employee of the Year for his service to the organiza-tion and the community it serves. “Bill is very deserving of this year’s Employee of the Year Award,” said Public Works Director and City Engineer Andy Brotzler. “Working behind the scenes, Bill’s talents and effort are displayed to the public by keeping our plows on the road, our mowers in the parks, and our squad cars on patrol. His internal customer ser-vice is appreciated by all who work with him.” Murphy was one of four city employees nomi-nated for the recognition by colleagues. His selec-tion for the top honor was made by the city’s man-agement team, led by City Administrator Dwight Johnson. In the past year, Mur-phy worked to enable city crews to use brine solu-tions to melt ice on city streets more effectively. He also worked with supervi-sors to set the specifica-tions for new city equip-ment to make it more

economical. Murphy has also taken on other major projects to rebuild equip-ment that would otherwise be repaired outside the department. His work has saved repair expenses and put equipment back into service more quickly. Murphy started in the Rosemount Public Works Department in August 2002. Murphy is the 11th

recipient of the annual award, created by the city to honor employees who provide excellent customer service, achieve savings and efficiency in government, and serve as models of safe work hab-its. Names of employees of the year are engraved on a plaque displayed in the upper lobby of Rose-mount City Hall.

Mechanic Bill Murphy (left) received the city of Rose-mount’s 2013 Employee of the Year award from City Ad-ministrator Dwight Johnson. (Photo submitted)

Silas Pavlik, 5, a frequent visitor to Fluegel’s Farm Garden & Pet in Rosemount won a toy car donated by Purina during the store’s Twelve Days of Christmas giveaways. For the contest, people are asked to fill out entry blanks. The winner of the car was drawn by an independent party. “Silas is one of our most fa-vorite little shoppers,” said Becca Schorr, a Fluegel’s employee. “He always has this huge smile on his face and he loves to make us all laugh, and this year he even sang us a Christmas carol. It was beyond exciting to see his cute little hand-written name with his number on the slip of paper. When he came in with his mom and baby brother to pick it up, he was so happy and excited. He even whispered in his mom’s ear (she told me this later) it’s going to be his superhero car. We are so thankful to have such great cus-tomers, and are so thrilled so many people entered to win.” Other give-aways were 12 cat toy baskets and 12 dog toy baskets. Fluegel’s is located in downtown Rosemount on South Robert Trail and Lower 147th Street. (Photo submitted)

A new ride for Christmas


Tournament of Roses President R. Scott Jenkins walks through the halls of Rose-mount High School prior to an event to recognize the marching band’s acceptance into the Tournament of Roses Parade. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

Rosemount Fire Department crews were on the scene at an early morning fire Monday, Sept. 9, at Celts Pub & Grill in Rosemount. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

Children play during Wet ’n’ Wild Day during Rosemount Leprechaun Days in July. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

2013YEAR IN REVIEW

The Rosemount High School marching band gave a preview of its Tournament of Roses program during Rosemount Leprechaun Days in July. The band is slated to play in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

Spectators of the Rosemount Leprechaun Days Grand Day Parade sought protection from the rain that lasted for a while during the 100-unit parade. (Photo by Rick Orn-dorf)


Local soldier on road to recovery Apple Valley graduate Kristopher Francisco, injured

in Afghanistan, receives MMAF grant by Andrew Miller


Kristopher Francisco’s 2010 deployment to Af-ghanistan came to an abrupt and terrifying end. While on a mission, the 2005 Apple Valley High School graduate and then-U.S. Army specialist was injured after an impro-vised explosive device was detonated directly beneath his vehicle. Making matters worse, he and the other soldiers came under enemy fire during the evacuation, and it was several hours before they were transported to a safe area. Even after leaving the combat zone, Francisco has had an uphill battle. He’s endured more than a dozen surgeries address-ing a leg injury, and he still suffers from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Francisco, who enlisted with his older brother in

the Minnesota Army Na-tional Guard in 2009 and went on to join the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, was awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained in Afghanistan. He also received a “thank you” of sorts re-cently in the form of a $10,000 grant from the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund, a nonprofit that awards grants to the state’s mili-tary personnel. “It will go a long way toward paying the bills,” Francisco, a Prior Lake resident who recently re-tired from the Army, said of the grant awarded Dec. 13. “It’s very humbling to be thanked for my service, and it feels really good that the people of Minne-sota recognize those that serve in the military.” Since 2005, the non-profit has awarded 15,000 grants totaling $9 mil-lion to Minnesota service

members. The levels of grants are: $500 for all Minne-sota military personnel who serve in a combat zone; $2,000-$10,000 for those wounded in a com-bat zone, with the amount based on the severity of injury; and $5,000 to the families of those killed in combat. “Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund was founded to honor Minne-sota heroes like Spc. Kris-topher Francisco, who risked his life for our free-dom,” said MMAF chair-man Roger Sit. “Awarding (Francisco) this grant is the least we can do to thank and hon-or him for the sacrifices he and his family have made for our country.” More about the Min-neapolis-based MMAF’s grant program is at www.mmaf.org.

Email Andrew Miller at [email protected].

U.S. Army Spc. Kristopher Francisco, 27, was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained after an IED was detonated under his vehicle during his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. The 2005 Apple Valley High School graduate, who has retired from the Army, recently received a $10,000 grant from the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund. (Photo submitted)


Sports2013 in review: Irish get another shot at title

Football team’s run to dome is a sports highlight by Mike Shaughnessy


Rosemount’s football players thought this might be their year to win a state championship. Although that didn’t happen, the Irish did succeed in giving their community some-thing to cheer about for three months. The football team’s state runner-up finish was one of Rosemount’s sports highlights of 2013. In this story, we look at that and some other memorable moments:

To the dome Rosemount was the last team to win a state large-school champion-ship game outdoors. In November, the Irish tried to be the last team to win a state large-school champi-onship at the Metrodome. Eden Prairie stopped Rosemount short in its bid for the title, winning 28-7 in the Class 6A champion-ship game. The Irish started and ended the season with losses, but also ran off 11 consecutive victories that clearly established them as a worthy Prep Bowl contender. They won 10 games by 24 points or more and rolled to the South Suburban Con-ference championship. They had an offense that could move the ball on the ground or through the air and a big-play athlete in Dimitri Williams. The defense featured two line-backers (Craig Syzman-ski and Nate Sackett) who had more than 10 sacks each and a set of twins (Carter and Connor Yep-sen) playing cornerback. “We definitely wanted to play Eden Prairie,” Sackett said the week be-fore the Prep Bowl. “It’s not that other teams in the state aren’t good, but Eden Prairie’s expected to be there. They’re the defend-ing champion. We want to be able to say, ‘Yeah, we

beat them.’ ” It wasn’t to be for the Irish, who were in the Prep Bowl for the second time in four years. A slow start on offense put them in a hole from which they couldn’t escape.

Hurdles surprise It’s fair to say that Rose-mount’s Rachel Schow was a surprise champion in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles races at the state Class AA girls track meet because one of the people most surprised was Schow herself. “I couldn’t even think about winning one of them,” she said shortly after receiving her second first-place medal. “This is completely crazy.” Schow didn’t even start running the 300 hurdles until the 2013 season but, as a former sprinter, found she had the speed for it. In the 100 hurdles, she beat Lakeville North sopho-more Michaela Preachuk by one hundredth of a sec-ond.

Diving champ Rosemount finished seventh at the state Class AA boys swimming and diving meet thanks in part to junior Daniel Monaghan’s diving cham-pionship. He won the event going away, scoring almost 40 points more than the runner-up. Sheldon Hatlen added a third place in the 50-yard freestyle for Rosemount.

Girls swimmers

take seventh Rosemount also took seventh place in the Class AA girls swimming and diving meet in Novem-ber. Sophomore Megan Wenman was a force for the Irish, finishing fourth and fifth in two individu-al events and helping the 400 freestyle relay place fourth.

He who weights In addition to being a key player on the foot-ball team’s defensive line, Rosemount senior Payton Otterdahl was one of the

state’s top weight throw-ers in track and field. He was second in the shot put and third in the discus at the state Class AA meet. In the shot put, he threw more than one foot farther than his best effort in the Section 3AA meet.

Runners

fi nish fourth After being solidly in the top 10 of the state rankings all season and winning its fourth con-secutive South Suburban Conference champion-ship, Rosemount’s boys cross country team placed fourth at the state Class AA meet. The Irish were led by an All-State performance by junior Alex Berhe, who finished 16th overall.

Next-level

athletes Several Rosemount High School athletes signed in November to continue their careers in college. Among them are brothers Carter and Con-

nor Yepsen, who will play lacrosse at Robert Morris University. Grant Jack-son, a sprinter on the boys track team, accepted an

appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. Han-nah Grim was one of three guards from Minnesota to accept scholarship offers

from the Marquette Uni-versity women’s basketball team.

Rosemount’s defense swams an Eden Prairie ball carrier at the Prep Bowl in November. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

Rosemount sophomore Rachel Schow won two hurdles races at the state girls track and field meet. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)

Future looks bright for Farmington athletic teamsDistrict prepares

for move to South Suburban by Mike Shaughnessy


Farmington High School’s athletic teams will change conferences in a few months. While they prepare to take on the South Suburban, the Ti-gers also are hoping for a few more achievements in the Missota Conference. They already showed in 2013 they’re ready for the change. Following a some highlights:

The big move For the last few de-cades, Farmington High School has belonged to the Missota and Tri-Met-ro Conferences, with its teams occasionally – but not regularly – competing against the metro area’s big suburban high school. By the summer of 2014, that will change as Farm-ington joins the South Suburban Conference. The school announced in early 2013 that it was moving to the South Sub-urban, joining seven other high schools in Dakota County and two in Scott County. The move was not un-expected. The Missota Conference will dissolve at the end of the 2012-13 school year and all of its members have found other conferences, either on their own or through placement by the Minnesota State High School League. Farmington applied to and was accepted by the South Suburban. It will join another current Mis-

sota school, Shakopee, in the league next year. The conference will continue with 10 schools as two present SSC members, Bloomington Jefferson and Bloomington Kenne-dy, will leave for the Metro West Conference. Farmington now is one of the 25 largest high schools in Minnesota, ac-cording to the MSHSL. The district opened a new senior high school in 2009 and its athletic facilities are comparable to other South Suburban schools. Farmington has var-sity teams in most of the sports other SSC schools have, with skiing being an exception.

Last fall Farmington High School athletic di-rector Bill Tschida said the district anticipates that most of its varsity teams will be competitive in South Suburban Confer-ence. In some sports, the district does not have as many lower-level teams as other SSC schools.

Wrestling

champion Farmington ninth-grader Taylor Venz be-came his school’s second state wrestling champion when he defeated Brad Osatiuk of Maple Grove 6-0 in the Class 3A cham-pionship match at 106 pounds.

That would not have happened if not for Venz’s comeback in his semifinal match against St. Michael-Albertville’s Mitchell McKee. Down 5-0 after two periods, Venz outscored McKee 9-1 in the third period to win the match. McKee was ranked first and Venz second in the weight class. “I have been around wrestling for a long time. That two minutes of wres-tling was the best I have ever seen,” Farmington coach Chad Olson said. Venz finished the sea-son with 43 victories, a school record, and won his last 26 matches. This season he is ranked third

in Class 3A at 126, behind wrestlers who finished first and second at 120 in the 2013 state tourney.

Administrative

shuffl e Farmington High School athletic direc-tor Jon Sumner left that position last summer to become an assistant prin-cipal and athletic director at Chaska High School. Farmington’s new athletic director is Bill Tschida, who had been principal at Holy Trinity High School in Winsted, Minn., since 2007. One other Farmington staffer left to become ath-letic director at another

school: Rob Carpentier, who had been a teacher and girls soccer coach, now is AD at Park Center High School in Brook-lyn Park. Tracie Randall, who had been an assistant girls soccer coach for the Tigers, took over as head coach and led the team to the Section 1AA champi-onship game before losing to Lakeville North.

Back to back Softball might be one sport where Farmington can expect to be competi-tive immediately in the South Suburban Confer-ence. The Tigers won their second consecutive Class 3A, Section 1 champion-ship in May. The Tigers lost both of their state tournament games to finish 19-7.

Sharp in relays Relay races accounted for many of Farmington’s points at the state track and field meet. Maria Kiminski, Ali-cia Hett, Megan Graham and Isabelle Ferm finished second in the girls 4x400-meter race. In the boys state meet, the Tigers had three relays finish in the top nine.

Finishing in style Farmington senior Kaitlyn O’Reilly finished in the top eight in two in-dividual events at the state girls swimming and div-ing meet. She also helped two relays finish in the top eight as the Tigers took 12th in the team standings.

Email Mike Shaughnessy at [email protected].

Farmington’s Taylor Venz controls his opponent at the state wrestling tournament. Venz won the Class 3A championship at 106 pounds, becoming the second Tigers wrestler to earn a state title. (Photo by Rick Orndorf)


Notebook: AV wrestlers win Christmas tourneyFarmington’s LeDuc takes

second place in his weight class by Mike Shaughnessy


Apple Valley, ranked first in Class 3A wrestling and as high as fourth na-tionally, had three individ-ual champions and won the team title at the Min-nesota Christmas Tour-nament on Dec. 20-21 in Rochester. Farmington, wrestling in the event for the first time, finished 15th of 33 teams. Apple Valley’s Seth Gross pinned Luke Rowh of Hastings in 1 minute, 10 seconds in the champion-ship match at 138 pounds. Dayton Racer beat Sim-ley’s Mack Short 6-4 in overtime in the 152-pound final. Mark Hall won the 170-pound title, beating Luke Norland of Jackson

County Central 11-2. Kyle Rathman (106), Gannon Volk (126), Bob-by Steveson (182) and Paul Cheney (220) were runners-up in their weight classes. Cheney lost 4-2 to Prior Lake’s Alex Hart in a rematch of an early December bout won by Cheney. Cheney and Hart are ranked first and sec-ond at 220 in Class 3A, and their only losses are to each other. Apple Valley scored 292.5 points to run away with the team title. West Fargo (N.D.) was second with 179, with Prior Lake third at 169. Farmington’s top fin-isher was Jamin LeDuc, who finished second at 106. His loss in the cham-pionship match is his only defeat of the season after starting with 10 consecu-tive victories. The Tigers’ Matt Rus-tad finished fifth at 132. Taylor Venz, a state cham-pion at 106 last season,

placed sixth at 126 in the Christmas Tournament. While Apple Valley is a regular participant in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Farmington coach Chad Olson said the Tigers have sought an invi-tation for years and finally got the call this season. Both schools will com-pete in the Rumble on the Red tournament in Fargo, N.D., Friday and Satur-day, as will South Subur-ban Conference schools Rosemount, Burnsville, Eagan and Lakeville North/

Lightning

moving up? Eastview is not ranked in the top 12 in Class 3A wrestling – yet. That might change after the Light-ning defeated a couple of ranked teams last week. The Lightning edged No. 7 Shakopee 37-36 on Dec. 19, then beat Lakev-ille North 35-33 in its final match at the Richfield Du-

als on Dec. 21. Eastview, 11-2 overall, went 3-0 at the Richfield tournament. Luke Dodd (170 pounds) had five victories on the week to improve his record to 10-1. Nick Pegelow remained unde-feated (11-0) at 195 after winning four matches. George Farmah, ranked sixth in Class 3A at 132 pounds, had a victory over Lakeville North’s Colin DeGrammont, who is No. 6 at 126.

Still No. 1 Eastview held the No. 1 ranking in Class 4A girls basketball into the holiday break after beating fourth-ranked Lakeville North 57-38 on Dec. 20. The Lightning is 6-0 despite having played only one home game. East-view’s next six games are on the road; the Lightning won’t play again on its home court until Jan. 16 against Bloomington Ken-nedy. The schedule balanc-

es out in the second half of the season, when the Lightning plays eight of its final 10 regular-season games at home. Eastview outscored North 35-20 in the second half of last week’s South Suburban Conference game. Kari Opatz had 14 points and Madison Gue-bert 12 to lead Eastview. Sarah Krynski scored 15 for Lakeville North. Eastview and Lakev-ille North will play in a holiday tournament at St. Olaf College starting Fri-day, although the South Suburban Conference ri-vals are not scheduled to play each other.

Bison power Athletes from local schools are playing key roles for the North Dakota State University team that will seek a third consecu-tive Football Champion-ship Subdivision title Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas. NDSU (14-0) will play

Towson State of Mary-land for the champion-ship in what was formerly known as Division I-AA. Rosemount High School alumnus and 2009 Mr. Football award win-ner Zach Vraa leads the Bison in receptions (61) and receiving yardage (1,140). He caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the Bison’s 52-14 victory over New Hampshire in a semifinal game Dec. 20. Burnsville High School graduate C.J. Smith has started all 14 games at cor-nerback this season and has 38 tackles and two in-terceptions. Sophomore offensive lineman and Eastview graduate Zack Johnson is a starter for the Bison and was named Missouri Val-ley Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week in November.

Email Mike Shaughnessy at [email protected].


Cheering for the Tigers sends team to nationalsGirls heading to Florida

in February by Andy Rogers

SUN THISWEEK


The Farmington varsity competi-tion cheer team’s spinning, flipping and tossing abilities qualified the team for the national championships this season for the first time. Based on its performance at the Universal Cheerleaders Associations Hawkeye Championships in Iowa ear-lier this month, the cheer team is one of the best in the Midwest. The girls finished second in the small varsity non-tumbling division with a score of 77.5, earning them a trip to the National High School Cheerleading championships. The girls nailed a 2 1/2 minute rou-tine that included elite partner stunts, pyramids, tosses, jumps, dance and a cheer. “The team has really increased their difficulty in the past couple of months,” coach Jen Kroshus said. “They also added flipping skills into their sequences, including one that in-volves the top girls getting caught in a prone position and rolling out towards the ground. Our toss involves our girls tossing another girl almost 20 feet into the air. Our cheer is one of the best in the area.” The team focuses on getting the crowd involved with the use of signs and megaphones. “The dance is probably the favor-ite part of the routine for the team,” Kroshus said. “They are big fans of Beyonce and requested to dance to ‘Single Ladies’ this year. We’ve includ-ed some of her signature moves into our dance.”

The girls compete in non-tumbling division, meaning they’re not allowed to do flips during the routine, except when they are included in stunts. It’s the first time Farmington has qualified for the National High School Cheerleading Championship, which “is the most prestigious school cheer-leading competition in the United States,” Kroshus said. The team will be one of 500 from around the country competing for a national title on Feb. 8-9 at Walt Dis-ney World in Orlando, Fla. Until then, the girls will focus on refining their routine and perform at competitions on Jan. 4 in Minnetonka and Jan. 11 at Edina, and then they will compete at state Feb. 1. The girls will also perform at the Farmington Expo on Jan. 25 and participate in a routine critique with some of the top judges in the industry on Jan. 5. The team members include Ali Ry-dberg, Alyssa Gemichu, Brianna Le-ondard, Crystal Vik, Eunice Adjei, Hannah Adams, Mackenzie Burns, Tianna Price and Tori Crenshaw, who are also coached by Greg Kroshus. The varsity has placed in the top four at multiple competitions this sea-son, including second in Des Moines and second at the Apple Valley Beach Bash. Last year they won a state ti-tle and both National and National Grand Champion title from the WOW Factor Sports National Competition. This is the second year for the Farmington Competition Cheer Team program, which was taken over by community education in 2012. There are also middle school, elementary and Pee Wee teams.


The Farmington varsity competition cheer team qualified for nationals this year. (Photo submitted)

Finding a safe homeBurnsville resident leads Shih Tzu rescue group

that saved puppy mill dogs

by Natalie ConradSUN THISWEEK


Imagine being trapped a situation with no space to call your own. This was the experience of 15 Shih Tzu dogs until a nonprofit pet rescue led by a Burnsville resident stepped in to transform their lives by providing safe homes. “We believe every dog should have a second chance and should be treated as a living creature with respect, dignity and compassion,” said Debbie Iverson, Shih Tzu Rescue’s president. “While our volun-teers are located in Minnesota, we rescue Shih Tzus from other states as well. As long as we have available foster homes and the funding to do so, we will rescue and care for any Shih Tzu in need.” Eden Prairie-based group Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota received a $4,500 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to pro-vide veterinary care for 20 dogs seized from a North Dakota puppy mill in July. Shih Tzu Rescue originally took in 15 dogs from the puppy mill seizure, and one dog gave birth to five puppies shortly after intake. The grant helped cover the cost of vaccinations, medication, spay and neuter-ing surgeries, and microchips. The group has already found homes for nearly all the dogs after they received the necessary medical and behavioral attention. The organization that started at the hands of a group of Shih Tzu lovers be-came an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit or-ganization in 2007. Shih Tzu Rescue is an all-volunteer organization with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home Shih Tzus and Shih Tzu mixes in need of loving homes. All donations are tax deductible, and 100 percent of donations go toward the care and comfort of rescued dogs. While this is the first time the organi-zation has received a grant from ASPCA, this is not the first time it has rescued dogs from a puppy mill, according to Kathy Di-amond, Shih Tzu Rescue board member and treasurer. The 15 dogs seized from the puppy mill in North Dakota were among 174 dogs seized. According to Diamond, the dogs were confined inside a metal outbuilding in small, stacked crates. There was no ven-tilation or air conditioning. The dogs were housed five to a crate, and the crates were so small that the dogs had to lie down on top of each other. “People say dogs live in the moment, but they have memories,” Diamond said. “The damaging effects of living in a puppy mill are hard to forget.” A key part of rescue is rehabilitation, especially in cases such as these, Diamond said. All dogs rescued by Shih Tzu Rescue go through a thorough adoption process ensuring a safe home and good fit. Dogs stay in a foster home for at least three weeks as volunteers observe their be-havior and offer rehabilitation. Adoptive families must fill out an application and provide references, and agree to a home visit both prior to and after the adoption. Throughout the process, Shih Tzu Rescue

volunteers and a trainer are available to help. The process may be intense, but the re-wards are plentiful and well worth it, ac-cording to Iverson. “Mill dogs spend years in a cage,” Iverson said. “We watched them go from shaky, shy dogs to very playful compan-ions.” The organization has grown over the years, and now includes 60 members and 20 foster homes. But why Shih Tzus? “They have a more human-like tem-perament than other breeds,” Iverson said. “They’re very much a companion breed and want to be with you all the time. They’re very loyal to the family and playful.” Shih Tzus are also non-allergenic, mak-ing them a good fit for a family pet. Many of the Shih Tzu Rescue foster parents have their own dogs and choose to take more in. “Shih Tzus are like potato chips, you can’t just have one,” Iverson said. Shih Tzu Rescue members unite to cel-ebrate their love of the breed each sum-mer at the Rescue Reunion at Round Lake Park in Eden Prairie. The organization also hosts a meet and greet from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the last Saturday of each month at the Minnetonka Petco, 13691 Ridgedale Drive. For more information, visit shiht-zurescuemn.org. In 2011, the ASPCA launched a na-tional “No Pet Store Puppies” campaign, which seeks to raise awareness about the connection between puppy mills and pet stores and end the demand for puppy mill dogs. For more information about puppy mills and how to fight animal cruelty, visit nopetstorepuppies.com.

Rachel Wisser, daughter of James and Nancy Wisser, of Eagan, holds her dog Lilly at Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota annual Rescue Reunion last summer at Round Lake Park in Eden Prairie. (Photo submitted)

2014 Tax Guide

Don’t let gravity be your downfall.

One in three. That’s how many adults over 65fall each year in the United States. Becauseolder bones break more easily, falling injuriesfor seniors can be traumatic. Staying activeand strong is key — along with making homeenvironments as safe as possible. For moreinfo on senior fitness and home safety, visitorthoinfo.org and nata.org.


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classifieds• Wheels 1010-1070• Sporting 1510-1580• Farm 2010-2080• Pets 2510-2520• Announcements 3010-3090• Merchandise 3510-3630• Sales 4010-4030• Rentals/Real Estate 4510-4650• Services 5010-5440• Employment 5510-2280• Network Ads 6010

2510 Pets

1020 Junkers& Repairables

2510 Pets


5170 Concrete/Mason-ry/Waterproofing


5110 Building &Remodeling

5370 Painting &Decorating

TheOrigina

Family Owned & Operated

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QUALITY SERVICE Since 1949

Licensed (MN# BC215366) • Bonded • Insured

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TheOriginaThe

Origina

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1000 WHEELS


$$$ $200 - $10,000 $$$Junkers & Repairables

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1540 Guns

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2500 PETS

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Rich’s Pet Sitting ServiceDogs, cats etc! Will come to your home. 952-435-7871

3000 ANNOUNCEMENTS

3010 Announcements

Burnsville Lakeville

A Vision for You-AA

Thursdays 7:30 PMA closed,

mixed meeting atGrace United

Methodist Church

East Frontage Road of I 35 across from

Buck Hill - Burnsville

3010 Announcements

Recovery International

Self-help organization offers a proven method to combat depression,

fears, panic attacks anger, perfectionism, worry, sleeplessness,

anxiety, tenseness, etc. Groups meet weekly in several locations.

Voluntary contributions. Dona:

612-824-5773

www.LowSelfHelpSystems.org

3500 MERCHANDISE

3520 Cemetery Lots

For Sale: 4 Lots Glenhaven Good Samaritan Garden$5,000/BO. 320-243-3165

3540 Firewood

Firewood - 2 Years DriedOak & Birch - $125

4’ x 8’ - Delivered.Quantity discounts. 1-888-265-8532

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Ideal FirewoodDry Oak & Oak Mixed

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952-881-2122 763-381-1269

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Ent Ctr: Oak, $100. Lighted hutch, $300. Cash only. You haul. 763-535-0159

QN. PILLOWTOP SETNew In Plastic!! $150

MUST SELL!! 763-360-3829

3600 MiscellaneousFor Sale

FREE Christmas Kittens! 6 wks, lite orange, 1 girl, 3 boys. 952-469-5155

Kawai Full Upright Piano Excellent cond. $1750/obo 952-894-2450

3610 MiscellaneousWanted

Buying Old Trains & ToysSTEVE’S TRAIN CITY

952-933-0200

* WANTED * US Coins, Currency Proofs,

Mint Sets, Collections, Gold & 14K Jewelry

Will Travel. 30 yrs exp Cash! Dick 612-986-2566

◆ ◆ WANTED ◆ ◆Old Stereo / Hifi equip.

Andy 651-329-0515

3620 MusicInstruments

1940s Mason and Hamlin,baby synetrigrand, inte-rior completely refinished. $7500. 952-412-7607

Everett Upright Piano, good condition, including bench & piano light $300 will send pictures. Kirk 612-998-6190

4500 RENTALS / REAL ESTATE

4510 Apartments/Condos For Rent

Rosemount, 2 BR Off St. prkg. No Pets. Available NOW. $600 952-944-6808

4530 Houses For Rent

2 BR Manuf. Home One level living, New carpet. W&D Hook-ups, skylight

in BA, DW, Microw. Side x Side fridge. $865/

mo. 952-435-7979

Farmington, Beautiful 4 BR, 3 BA Sngl Fam. Home 612-865-7124

4550 Roommates &Rooms For Rent

Lakeville: Rm Shr kit, bath, laundry, fam rm. Inclds utils & cable $470 plus dep. 952-892-6102

4570 StorageFor Rent

Castle Rock STORAGE 6X 8 just $45. Outside starts at $29 [email protected] 651-463-4343

5000 SERVICES

5080 Child &Adult Care

Lic’d Daycare Provider Fgtn.w/over 20 yrs exp. Immed. opngs for 1 yr & up. Marge 651-344-7335

5140 Carpet, Floor& Tile

Above All Hardwood Floors Installation-Sanding-Finishing

“We Now InstallCarpet, Tile & Vinyl.”

952-440-WOOD (9663)

Escobar Hardwood Floors Carpet & Ceramic Tile

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Ed McDonald 763-464-9959

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Since 1951 952-888-9070

5150 Chimney &Fireplace Services

SWEEP - INSP. - REPAIRFull Time - Professional Ser.

Certified/ Registered / Insured29 Yrs Exp. Mike 651-699-3373

londonairechimneyservice.com

5160 Commercial &Residential Cleaning

Melissa’s HousecleaningReliab. 13 yrs exp. Exc rates S. Metro 612-598-6950

SunThisweek.com


CONCRETE & MASONRYSteps, Walks, Drives,

Patios Chimney Repair. No job to Sm. Lic/Bond/Ins

John 952-882-0775

5210 Drywall

3-D Drywall Services36 yrs-Hang • Tape • Spray • Painting 651-324-4725

PINNACLE DRYWALL*Hang *Tape *Texture

*Sand Quality Guar. Ins., 612-644-1879

5220 Electrical

JNH Electric 612-743-7922Bonded Insured Free Ests

Resid, Comm & Service. Old/New Const, Remodels Serv Upgrades. Lic#CA06197

5220 Electrical

Lew Electric: Resid & Comm. Service, Service Upgrades,

Remodels. Old or New Constr. Free Ests. Bonded/Insured

Lic#CA05011 612-801-5364

TEAM ELECTRICteamelectricmn.com

Lic/ins/bonded Res/Com All Jobs...All Sizes

Free Ests. 10% Off W/AdCall 952-758-7585

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5260 Garage Doors

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS

Repair/Replace/Reasonable

Lifetime Warranty on All Spring Changes

www.expertdoor.com 651-457-7776




5390 Roofing, Siding& Gutters

5510 Full-time

5420 Tree Care &Stump Removal

5510 Full-time



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5280 Handyperson

0 Stress! 110% Satisfaction!Status Contracting, Inc. Kitchens & Baths, Lower Level Remodels. Decks.

Wall/Ceiling Repair/Texture Tile, Carpentry, Carpet,

Painting & Flooring#BC679426 MDH Lead SupervisorDale 952-941-8896 office

612-554-2112 cellWe Accept Credit Cards

“Soon To Be Your Favorite Contractor!”

Statuscontractinginc.comFind Us On Facebook

A-1 Work Ray’s Handyman No job too small!!

Quality Work @ Competitive Prices! Free Estimates.

Ray 612-281-7077

All Home Repairs! Excell Remodeling, LLC Interior & Exterior Work

One Call Does it All!Call Bob 612-702-8237or Dave 612-481-7258

Dakota Home Improvement

Kitchens, Baths, Bsmts Drywall, Tile & Decks

CCs accept’d 952-270-1895


3 Interior Rooms/$250Wallpaper Removal.

Drywall Repair. Cabi-net Enameling and

Staining. 30 yrs exp. Steve 763-545-0506

SunThisweek.com

*A and K PAINTING*Get ready for the Holidays

schedule Interior Paint-ing now! Free Est.

952-474-6258 Ins/BondMajor Credit Card Accepted

**Mike the Painter Interi-or/ exterior, Wallpaper, 35 yrs exp, Ins 612-964-5776


Ben’s Painting

Int/Ext, Drywall Repair Paint/Stain/Ceilings. We accept Visa/MC/Discvr.,

952-432-2605 DAVE’S PAINTING

and WALLPAPERINGInt/Ext • Free Est. • 23 Yrs.

Will meet or beat any price! Lic/Ins

Visa/MC 952-469-6800

5380 Plumbing

SAVE MONEY - Competent Master Plumb-er needs work. Lic# M3869.

Jason 952-891-2490


Re-Roofing & Roof Repairs - 30 Yrs Exp

Insured - Lic#20126880 John Haley #1 Roofer, LLC.

Call 952-925-6156

* Roofing, Siding, Gutters Greg Johnson Roofing

612-272-7165. Lic BC48741


A Family Operated Business

Roofing/Tear-offsNew Construction

BBB Free Est. MC/Visa Lic # BC170064

No Subcontractors Used. Ins. 952-891-8586

SunThisweek.com

◆ ROOF SNOW & ICE REMOVAL

Roofing ◆ Siding ◆ Insulation

TOPSIDE, INC. 612-869-1177 ◆Insured Lic CR005276 ◆ Bonded

34 Yrs Exp. A+ Rating BBB

5410 Snow Removal

$350* For The SeasonDriveway Plowing and

Small Parkinglots. *Most Drives 651-592-5748

5410 Snow Removal

SNOW PLOWINGCommercial & ResidentialDependable - Insured - Exp’dLSC Construction Svcs, IncMbr: Better Business Bureau Free Ests. 952-890-2403


A Good Job!! 15 yrs exp.Thomas Tree Service

Immaculate Clean-up! Tree Removal/TrimmingLot Clearing/Stump Removal Free Ests 952-440-6104

5500 EMPLOYMENT

5510 Full-time

Boiler Operator Bachman’s Inc. Lake-ville, MN. Full Time Union. Must have Minnesota 2nd Class Boiler Opera-tor’s license. Greenhouse work is an essential part of work duties.

Contact Eric 952-469-2102

5510 Full-time

Company DriversFarmington. Class A CDLat least 24 yrs old with 2 yrs experience. Must have current health card and

able to pass drug test. Local, 5-6 days a week Call: 651-423-5388

Experienced dry cleaning presser. FT M-F. Perfect Cleaners. Cedar Ave & Cliff Rd. Eagan. Apply in person 612-724-3603 Bob

Get Your GED or HS Diploma now!

Prep and [email protected]

952-431-8316

Head TellerResponsible for super-vising the day to day operations of the teller area. Candidate must be focused on providing ex-ceptional customer ser-vice while performing a variety of duties. Teller experience preferred. Send Resume to:

Lakeview Bank 9725 163rd St W

Lakeville, MN 55044

Reduce • Reuse • Recycle

We’re

BIGGERthan you think!

Sun•Thisweek Classifieds952-846-2000


5530 Full-time orPart-time

5520 Part-time

5510 Full-time


5520 Part-time

5510 Full-time5520 Part-time

Market Research Firm: Seeks detail oriented peo-ple to edit mystery shop reports online. Excellent spelling, grammar and phone skills a must! Paid online training; flex PT hours; pay averages $12-14 per hour. Requires min of 4hrs/day M-F & 1 wknd /mo. Email resume & cover letter to: [email protected]

Need Extra Cash? Looking to start a new ca-reer? Domino’s is hiring for all positions:

*Management*Delivery Specialists

*Customer Service RepsCall (651) 289-3000 ext 111 for more information

or pick up an application at one of the following

locations: Chanhassen, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Ea-gan, Farmington, Lakeville

Part-timeCNA/Home Health Aides needed at The Rivers Se-

nior Living Community in Burnsville. All shifts avail-able. Apply in person at

11111 River Hills Drive, Burnsville.


Crystal Lake Golf Course &

Banquet FacilityNow accepting appli-cants for qualified PT/FT Bartender. Year round positions available. Contact Lorie – Ext 6 at 952-432-6566 or stop in at the golf course for an application.

• LPN PT & FT evenings/night/wkends

• DON/RN MGR FT Days. Needed at The

Rivers Senior Living Community in Bville.

Apply in person at 11111 River Hills Drive, Bville

or send resume to: [email protected]

5540 Healthcare

RNs/LPNsRegency Home Health-Care is seeking part time and full time day, evening, and overnight RN/LPNs to provide services to ven-tilator dependent clients in private homes in the Blaine, Maplewood, Ros-eville, Little Canada, St. Paul, Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis, Plymouth, Crystal, Minnetonka, and Farmington areas. Must have great attention to de-tail, strong problem solving skills, excellent commu-nication skills, and strong clinical skills. Current MN nursing license and CPR required. If interested, please sub-mit an online application at www.regencyhhc.com or fax resume to Allison @

651-488-4656. EOE

Nests

for every

Niche

Turn to Sun•Thisweek

ClassifiedsReal Estate & Rentals


The Burnsville Performing Arts Center will be ringing in the new year with laugh-ter when it hosts legendary Minnesota funnyman Lou-ie Anderson on New Year’s Eve. The St. Paul native known for his TV and film roles (“Coming to Ameri-ca,” “Life with Louie”) has two stand-up shows sched-uled – at 7 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 – in the Burnsville venue’s 1,000-seat main hall. Tickets are $33-$73 and are available through Ticketmaster on-line or by calling 800-982-2787. (Photo submitted)

theater and arts briefs

theater and arts calendar

family calendar

‘A Christmas Carol Scrooged’ Heartbeat Perform-ing Arts Center in Ap-ple Valley will present “A Christmas Carol Scrooged” at 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Eastview High School. Dancers, singers and actors from age 3 to adult star in this humor-ous tale that takes the audience from Christ-mas past and present to future, with a few notori-ous characters as passen-gers. Tickets are available at Heartbeat Studios or at the box office 30 min-utes prior to the start of each show time. To pur-

chase a ticket by phone, call 952-432-7833 by Jan. 8.

‘Best of Bonnie’ at BPAC “The Best of Bonnie and Friends” art exhibit, featuring 31 artists un-der the direction of Bon-nie Featherstone, is on display through Feb. 1 in the gallery at the Burns-ville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. The exhibit showcases various media by local award-winning artists. It is on display during gallery hours (9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays and during arts center events). More information on the show is at www.face-book.com/bonnieand-friends.

Yearwood at Mystic Grammy Award-win-ning country singer Trisha Yearwood will take the Mystic Showroom stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 1. Tickets are $55 and $69. Contact the box office at 952-445-9000 or visit mys-ticlake.com for more de-tails.

To submit items for the Arts Calendar, email: darcy.

[email protected].

Auditions “Snow White and the Seven or Eight Dwarfs” au-ditions for youths in grade one and above, Friday, Jan. 3, and Saturday, Jan. 4, by Giant Step Theatre. To sign up for an audition or for more information, email [email protected] with the child’s name, grade level and preference for a Friday evening or Saturday after-noon audition time. Registra-tion fee is $98. Information: LakevilleAreaCommunityEd.net, 952-232-2170.

Comedy Chris Franjola featuring Brent Terhune Dec. 27-29 at Mystic Lake Comedy Club. Tickets: $19. Information: mysticlake.com, 952-445-9000. Louie Anderson, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, at the Burnsville Perform-ing Arts Center, 12600 Nicol-let Ave. Tickets range from $32.95 to $102.95 at the box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 or Ticketmaster.com. SNL Legends: Rob Sch-neider, Tim Meadows and Chris Kattan, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, Mystic Comedy Club in Prior Lake. Tickets: $45. Informa-tion: mysticlake.com, 952-445-9000.

Exhibits Best of Bonnie Feather-stone & Friends exhibit will be on display Dec. 19 through Feb. 1 in the art gallery at Burnsville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Information: 952-895-4685, facebook.com/bonnieand-friends. Wildlife paintings by Rosemount artist Lynda Dyk-house are on display through December at the Robert Trail Library, 14395 S. Robert Trail, Rosemount. Winter Art Experience, an exhibit sponsored by the Eagan Art Festival and Ea-gan Art House, is on display through February at the Ea-gan Byerly’s, 1299 Prome-nade Place. Information: 651-675-5521. Savage Arts Council’s December exhibit features digital works by illustrator Franklin Haws. It can be

seen during business hours through Dec. 30 at Savage City Hall, 6000 McColl Drive, Savage.

Music The BoDeans, 8 p.m. Sat-urday, Dec. 28, at the Burns-ville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Tickets are $40-$45 at the box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 or Ticketmaster.com. Cedar, “Human/Nature” CD release show, Saturday, Jan. 11, Amsterdam Bar and Hall, 6 W. Sixth St., St. Paul. Doors open at 6 p.m., mu-sic at 7 p.m. Admission: $7, $10 with pre-order of CD. Ticket link: ticketfly.com/event/447515. “Hope is Alive” benefit concert for St. Jude Chil-dren’s Research Hospital, 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Silent auction and activities begin at 5 p.m. Elvis tribute artists Steve and Tommy Mar-cio perform at 7 p.m. Tick-ets: $25 at the box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 or at Ticketmaster.com.

Theater “Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” Dec. 13-30 at Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Ave., Lakev-ille. Tickets: $13, www.lakev-illeareaartscenter.com, 952-985-4640. The Church Basement La-dies in “A Mighty Fortress is our Basement,” 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Tickets: $30 and $40 at the box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 or at Ticketmaster.com.

Workshops/classes/other Winter art classes are open for registration at the Eagan Art House. A class list is at http://www.cityofeagan.com/images/recreation/Ea-ganArtHouse/Fall_2013.pdf. Information: Eagan Parks and Recreation at 651-675-5500 or the Eagan Art House at 651-675-5521. Teen Poetry Jam/Rap Battle, 4-5 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at Ap-ple Valley Teen Center, 14255 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, 952-953-2385. Ages 12-18. Adult painting open stu-

dio, 9 a.m. to noon Fridays at the Eagan Art House, 3981 Lexington Ave. S. Fee is $5 per session. Information: 651-675-5521. Drawing & Painting (adults and teens) with Chris-tine Tierney, 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays, River Ridge Arts Building, Burnsville. In-formation: www.christinetier-ney.com, 612-210-3377. Teens Express Yourself with Paint, 5-7 p.m. Mon-days at Brushworks School of Art in Burnsville, www.BrushworksSchoolofArt.com, 651-214-4732. Drama/theater classes for ages 4 and up at River Ridge Arts Building, Burns-ville, 952-736-3644. Show Biz Kids Theater Class for children with spe-cial needs (ASD/DCD pro-grams), In the Company of Kids, 13710 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, 952-736-3644. Broadway Kids Dance and Theater Program for all ages and abilities, In the Company of Kids, 13710 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville (Co-lonial Shopping Center), 952-736-3644. Join other 55-plus adults at the Eagan Art House to create beaded jewelry. The Jewelry Club meets on the third Friday of each month from 1-3 p.m. Information: 651-675-5500. Soy candle making classes held weekly in Eagan near 55 and Yankee Doodle. Call Jamie at 651-315-4849 for dates and times. $10 per person. Presented by Making Scents in Minnesota. Country line dance classes held for intermedi-ates Mondays 1:30-4 p.m. at Rambling River Center, 325 Oak St., Farmington, $5/class. Call Marilyn 651-463-7833. Country line dance classes on Wednesdays at the Lakeville Senior Center, 20110 Holyoke Ave. Begin-ners, 9-10 a.m.; Intermediate, 10 a.m. to noon. $5/class. Call Marilyn 651-463-7833. The Lakeville Area Arts Center offers arts classes for all ages, www.lakevillemn.gov, 952-985-4640. Rosemount History Book Club meets 6:30-8 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Rob-ert Trail Library. Information: John Loch, 952-255-8545 or [email protected].

To submit items for the Family Calendar, email:

[email protected].

Friday, Dec. 27 “The Princess Bride,” 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Gal-axie Library, 14955 Galaxie Ave., Apple Valley. Enjoy this bent fairy tale, complete with fencing, fighting, chases and escapes in a time when men were men and swamps were fire swamps, full of quicksand and rodents of unusual size, and the most beautiful wom-an in the world was named Buttercup. For all ages. Free. Information: 952-891-7045. “Despicable Me 2,” 2:30-5 p.m., Burnhaven Library, 1101 County Road 42 W., Burnsville. Comedy adven-ture featuring the return of super-villain Gru, the girls, the unpredictably hilarious Min-ions, and a host of new char-acters. Popcorn and cocoa provided. Ages: 6-15. Free. Information: 952-891-0300.

Saturday, Dec. 28 Free children’s concert led by Colorado-based duo Jeff and Paige, 10:30-11:15 a.m., Presbyterian Church of the Apostles, 701 E. 130th St., Burnsville. Information: 952-890-7877.

Monday, Dec. 30 Board Games, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Burnhaven Library, 1101 County Road 42 W., Burnsville. For all ages. Free. Information: 952-891-0300.

Tuesday, Dec. 31. Dakota County New Year’s Eve party, 5-8 p.m., Visitor Center, Lebanon Hills Regional Park, 860 Cliff

Road, Eagan. Cost is $8 per person if pre-registered by Dec. 30 and $10 per person at the door. Children age 5 and younger are free. Infor-mation: dakotacounty.us/parks or 651-554-6530.

Friday, Jan. 3 Forever Wild Family Fri-day: Fun on the Ice, 7-8:30 p.m., Lebanon Hills Visi-tor Center, 860 Cliff Road, Eagan. Bring your own ice skates or try out the Visitor Center’s kicksleds. All ages. Free. Registration requested at www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks.

Saturday, Jan. 4 Ross Sutter – Animal Folklore, 11 a.m. to noon, Schaar’s Bluff Gathering Center, Spring Lake Park Reserve, 8395 127th St. E., Hastings. Have fun dancing, singing and learning about animals. A Minnesota Legacy Program. All ages. Free. Reg-istration requested at www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks.

Tuesday, Jan. 7 Community Night – A Lunchbox & Snowshoe of Healthy Habits, 5-7 p.m., Valley Natural Foods, 13750 County Road 11, Burnsville. Free family event that en-courages healthy habits in the new year. Includes free tastings and activities. Infor-mation: valleynaturalfoods.com/community/lunchbox-snowshoe-healthy-habits-community-night-january-7/.

Ongoing Alpha, 6-8:15 p.m. Mon-days, Jan. 13 to March 24 (no class Feb. 17), Hosanna

Church, 9600 163rd St. W., Lakeville. Explore the mean-ing of life through the Chris-tian faith in a relaxed and friendly environment. No cost. Register online: www.hosannalc.org.

Blood drives The American Red Cross will hold the following blood drives. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. • Dec. 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Culver’s, 3445 O’Leary Lane, Eagan. • Dec. 30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wescott Library, 1340 Wescott Road, Eagan. • Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sam’s Club, 14940 Flor-ence Trail, Apple Valley. • Jan. 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Messiah Lutheran Church, 16725 Highview Ave., Lakev-ille. • Jan. 7, 2-7 p.m., Ameri-can Legion, 12375 Princeton Ave., Savage. • Jan. 8, 1-7 p.m., Wal-greens, 2200 Highway 13 E., Burnsville. • Jan. 9, 1-6 p.m., Hope Church, 7477 145th St., Ap-ple Valley. Memorial Blood Centers will hold the following blood drives. Call 888-GIVE-BLD or visit MBC.org to make an ap-pointment or for more infor-mation. • Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lifetime Fitness, 1565 Thomas Center Drive, Eagan. • Jan. 8, 8-11:45 a.m., US Federal Credit Union, 1400 Riverwood Drive, Burnsville.

That’s entertainment 2013A selection of A&E head-lines from 2013 | Concerts offer solace from the snow | An evening with the Man in Black | Hobbits are afoot | Oboe with your cup of Joe | Classical mu-sic – and an oenophile’s bounty | Bluegrass bash | ‘Hollywood’ comes to Burnsville | Controversy came with bestseller sta-tus for young-adult author | Another dimension of sight and sound | Take a stroll down musical lane | Piano prowess times two | Teens experience Myracle | Spinning a web of won-der | Comic is ‘Too Big to Ignore’ | Who killed Edwin Drood? You make the call | Last call for bluegrass | Local author returns with time-travel tale | Lakeville North grad to be Bon Jovi roadie | Slapstick beside the water cooler | Percus-sion ensemble Crash is crazy creative | Fairy tale on Bourbon Street | Indie film puts local actor on the big screen | Adventures in banjo land | Get your kilt ready for Minnesota Scot-tish Fair | Fairy tale love,

against a backdrop of war | ‘Voice’ appearance is latest milestone for local singer | War comes to Farm-ington | ‘What Did You Say?’ author speaks up | Jazzed up at the Galaxie Library | Poetry prowess | Heartbeat: A dream that became reality | For lat-est role, local performer’s lips are sealed | The case of the ambitious young actor | Music at the mar-ket | For festival’s featured artist, photography is an adventure | The Immortal Bard, abridged | An un-likely muse | Exploring the magic of sound | Pixie dust aplenty | Bluegrass brings brothers together | Exploring a post-human future | Young actors head ‘under the sea’ | Sounds of summer | Fiesta in the woods | Peculiar percus-sion | Whole lotta shakin’ in Lakeville | Ramble Jam brings country to city | In Eagan, Beethoven with a modern twist | Shutterbug splendor | Ballet blossoms in south metro | Autumn brings ‘Harvest of Art’ | Farm family with a knack

for the arts | Middle Ages come alive in Eagan | Lakeville actor has Hol-lywood on her resumé | Family reunion for Ole & Lena | Heart songs | 50 miles of fine art | Expert advice on visual wonders | Guitar virtuoso’s jour-ney continues | One-man band on the mend | Rat Pack is back | Family ar-tifact launched Civil War book project | Probing the hidden world of paranor-mal activity | Your own personal Santa | Artwork paints joyful noise | Stars align for bluegrass | Novel draws from dark chapter of family’s history | Tech-nicolor dreams | Holiday hijinks | Author probes reptile mysteries | Animal art | Buffalo dreams and maps of spiritual territory | Windows into women’s worlds | Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll come to North Dakota | A blast of Christ-mas facts | Calling for an ‘Encore’ | Holiday show features ‘world’s funniest first grader’ | It’s a ’50s Christmas | Compiled by Andrew Miller

New Year’s with Louie

Happy Holidays from SunThisweek!


ThisweekendThisweekend

Children’s theater group launches in Rosemount Backyard Bunch classes begin in January

It’s curtain call for children’s theater in Rosemount. Based at the city’s Steeple Center, Back-yard Bunch Children’s Theater will begin offer-ing classes for students in grades K-8 in January. Among the ini-tial class offerings are Speech Wars, focusing on monologues; Steal the Scene Without Say-ing a Word, touching on stage presence, mim-ing and slapstick com-edy; and Performance Puzzle, a general acting and stage management

course. Backyard Bunch di-

rector Amy Kamarainen, who previously operated the Young Actors The-ater Company in Eagan, said the new children’s theater group will have three or four instructors (in addition to her), with a maximum class ratio of 10 students for every one instructor. Classes will be offered evenings and weekends, with a summer camp schedule in the works. “It is a great new op-portunity for the Rose-mount area – one that is greatly needed for the south metro,” Kamara-

inen said of the launch of Backyard Bunch. “The skills kids learn are lifelong, whether they stay in drama or not.” The children’s theater group is a Rosemount Area Arts Council pro-gram, and is a sister or-ganization to The Front Porch Players, the com-munity theater group the arts council established last summer. More about Backyard Bunch, including class registration information, is at www.bbctmn.com.

—Andrew Miller

Amy Kamarainen

Post-‘Cougar Town,’ Cedar returns with new album

‘Human/Nature’ CD release show set Jan. 11 by Andrew Miller


Rock band Cedar has scored some major coups since the 2009 release of its debut album “Someday Soon.” They’ve opened for Hanson (of “MMMBop” fame), were featured on a Cities 97 sampler CD, and saw two of their songs aired on primetime TV – on ABC’s “Rookie Blue” and “Cougar Town.” “That was a pretty weird situation,” drum-mer Shawn Burtis said of the band’s song “Some-day Soon” appearing as background music on the Courtney Cox sitcom “Cougar Town.” “I’ve been told that (Cedar frontman Jesse Mathews’s) aunt is a hair stylist for Courtney Cox or something. Our tape was passed around at the stu-dio – it was kind of passed around the makeup room and made its way into the hands of the right people.” The band with roots in the Apple Valley-Eagan area – three members are Eastview High School graduates – is set to release its new album, “Human/Nature,” next month, with a CD release show set Jan. 11 at the Amsterdam Bar in St. Paul. Cedar has under-gone some changes since the release of “Someday Soon” four years ago, the most conspicuous being the name change. They were for-merly known as

Cedar Avenue – an hom-age to the north-south thoroughfare running

through their hometown of Apple Valley. “The name ‘Cedar Av-enue’ was kind of just an

o f f - t h e -cuff thing when we made the band in 2005,” said Burtis. “We decided that d r o p p i n g the ‘avenue’ s o u n d e d cooler, and it didn’t dis-tance us too far from the old name.” The band has also seen some lineup

changes. Mathews’ wife and Cedar’s keyboard-ist, Derrin, left the group about a year ago after the birth of the couple’s first child. Joining original mem-bers Burtis, Mathews and bassist Kyle Wachter are two new additions – gui-tarist Justin Lansdowne and keyboardist Nathana-el Raway. “We really didn’t know what the band would do after the last disc came out,” said Burtis. “It sounds kind of cli-che and corny, but we all just like hanging out with each other. A lot of the guys have one or two kids, but we still rehearse every

The members of Cedar are, from left, Kyle Wachter, Nathanael Raway, Jesse Mathews, Shawn Burtis and Justin Lansdowne. (Submitted photo by Jonker Portrait Gallery)

Thursday in Jesse’s base-ment – he has a neat little man cave where we have a glass of whiskey and play some tunes.” More about Cedar and the release of “Human/

Nature” is on the band’s website, www.cedarave-nuemusic.com.

Email Andrew Miller at [email protected].

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