Schedule of events
Live on the Entertainment Stage

* Welcome by Mayor Phil Young – noon to 12:15 p.m. – Join in the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner” followed by event information and the Firecracker Trivia drawing.

* Splatter Sisters – 12:15 to 1 p.m. – “From start to finish, this concert is pure fun and entertainment for everyone, young and old.”
* Total Entertainment – 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. and 3:45 to 5 p.m. – Total Entertainment provides

Eden Prairie’s multitude of strategies in tackling student achievement appear to be making a difference, atleast when it comes to this year’s batch of test scores.

The results of this year’s MCA II scores show increases in proficiency for almost all grades and striking jump in scores on the 11th grade math test.

In that case, the number of students meeting or exceeding proficiency standards jumped from 42 percent in 2008 to 62 percent in 2009.

“We’ve grown and we’ve made progress,” noted Superintendent Melissa Krull.

Brynn, Leah and Maryn Jonswold strike a more active pose this year. The Eden Prairie girls were photographed sleeping in their stroller at last year’s Fourth of July activities in Eden Prairie.

“It is busy,” said their mother Alison Jonswold, of life with 19-month-old triplets. She and husband Peter agreed that the trio is pretty good-natured.

“We’re lucky,” Alison said.

We caught up with them at home this year in their new patriotic outfits.

A hot Thursday afternoon last week saw 2-year-olds frolicking with water toys outside the Eden Prairie Education Center. Across the parking lot, 3- to 5-year-olds took turns riding a miniature horse.
Instructors Colby Ulrich and Anette McCullough led the “Crazy About Horses” class, which had been suggested because Ulrich owns horses. The 3- to 5-year-olds learned the parts of a horse, how to groom a horse and what equipment goes with horse riding. Then they each got a chance to ride the horse – and go for a ride in a cart behind the horse.

To make their business dreams a reality, Adam and Danielle Rosen tapped into a bit of the new and the old. For years, the couple has been selling records online out of their space in Eden Prairie, growing to the point where they have been able to take their online store and add a brick and mortar counterpart. The couple recently opened Shuga Records in northeast Minneapolis (at the former site of the Minnesota Center for Photography, 165 13th Ave. NE).

What better excuse to indulge in sweet lemon bars and savory Italian cuisine than a 65-mile bike ride? Participants in the Hiawatha Bicycling Club’s Tour D’Amico get the best of both worlds with a scenic tour of the western suburbs, a substantial bike ride (either 28, 45 or 65 miles) and stops (and snacks) at D’Amico locations along the way. The whole event starts the morning of July 4 at Preserve Village in Eden Prairie, 9605 Anderson Lakes Parkway.

For the past few years, “Big John” has been meeting “Little John” once a week – the duo stands out not just for sharing a name, but also a connection: one that stands as an example of the unique relationship that can develop out of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

For “Big John,” or Eden Prairie resident John McCarthy, his volunteering starting as a way to make a difference, but in the process, he’s felt his own positive effect from working with “Little John,” or John Hawkey, a Bloomington fifth-grader.
“We’ve kind of grown together,” noted McCarthy

The Eden Prairie Women of Today (EPWT) will celebrate their Founders’ Day at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, at the Staring Lake Amphitheatre.

The group will listen to a fellow member play her violin in the Minnetonka Civic Orchestra, which is part of the Music Association of Minnetonka. Bring the whole family with snacks and bug spray and find the EPWT Banner. “Sit by us and help us celebrate our 24th year of service, growth and fellowship,” according to a news release. The event is free and open to the public.

An Eden Prairie contractor has been fined $30,000 from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for allegedly violating storm water control requirements during the construction of the new Highway 212.
According to the MPCA, Zumbro River Constructors violated regulations during two instances, back in the spring of 2007 and October 2007.

According to a news release,