Jamia Christine Byrne and Zachary James Pettinger were married May 24, 2009, at Tapestry House, LaPorte, Colo. A reception was held at Tapestry House in LaPorte.

Parents of the couple are Stephen and Kathleen Thompson of Fort Collins, Colo., and Randy and Nyla Pettinger of Eden Prairie.
The maid of honor was Lindsey Weller of Boulder, Colo. Bridesmaids at the wedding were Kelly Thompson of Fort Collins, Colo., Abby Pettinger of Eden Prairie, Nashay Naeve of Humboldt, Iowa, and Beth McCarthy of Chicago. Gabriella Square from Philadelphia, Penn., was junior bridesmaid.

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

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.

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.

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,

Between 6 p.m. June 3 and 12:33 a.m. June 4, someone broke into a residence on the 9000 block of Massie Curve. The upper bedroom windowpane was shattered and $780 in property was stolen.

Between 10 p.m. June 1 and 6 a.m. June 2, someone stole items from a vehicle parked in a residence on the 11000 block of Welters Way. The stolen items included a set of golf clubs valued at $1,100 and $100 bag.

Are you interested in reading the public notices published in the July 2, 2009 print edition of the Eden Prairie News newspaper? The page or pages on which those notices were printed are attached to this item, in the form of .pdf’s that can be opened with Adobe Acrobat.

The following obituaries are from the July 2, 2009 print edition of the Eden Prairie News newspaper:

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.

The Eden Prairie Police Department is obtaining tracking equipment that works with the SAFER program, which offers locater devices for adults and children with special needs who tend to wander from caregivers, according to a news release.

The nonprofit provides the tracking equipment and training. “SAFER also has an emergency response team that responds to calls to assist local first responders in searching for missing children or adults on the SAFER program,” according to a news release. The program also offers support groups.

Attached to this post are the pages from the Eden Prairie School District budget book that discuss open enrollment.

The following are the top five schools that students who open enroll in the Eden Prairie School District come from: Chaska, Minneapolis, Shakopee, Minnetonka, Hopkins. The top five schools where Eden Prairie students open enroll are: Minnetonka, Hopkins, Edina, Bloomington and Minneapolis.

Source: Eden Prairie School District annual budget

"Minnesota children under age 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be in a child safety seat or booster seat, effective July 1. Under the booster law, children cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches tall — whichever comes first. To ensure child safety, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) recommends parents keep children in a booster based on their height, rather than their age," according to a news release.

The release said:

M&I Bank is collecting new and gently used children’s books in support of Read Indeed, a local children’s literacy initiative, according to a news release. The Read Indeed program began in 2007 when Maria Keller, a fourth-grader with a passion for reading, set a goal to collect and distribute one million books to needy children before she turns 18 years old. New and gently used children’s books can be dropped off at any of M&I Bank’s 27 Minnesota locations before July 31. Donations will also be accepted at M&I Bank locations in Wisconsin.

*Note: Add your own tips in the comments!

Fireworks are at 10 p.m.

The city of Eden Prairie has planned a fireworks display for 10 p.m. July Fourth at Round Lake. In case of rain, fireworks will be rescheduled to 10 p.m. July 5.

New this year

New this year will be the Outdoor Center coming to share information and creatures. In addition, there will be fun activities from the Art Center.

Wrist bands will be available this year for all day fun in the inflatable area and carnival games from noon to 3 p.m. and again from 5-8 p.m.

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

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.

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).

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.

By Forrest Adams

Chanhassen resident and Faith Presbyterian Church pastor Chris Carlson sneezed for 10 months in Afghanistan, the “dustiest place” he’s ever been, but now the 54-year-old chaplain is back for a humid Minnesota summer.

His army reserve unit returned in March. The deployment was from May 1, 2008, to March 1, 2009. Carlson was back in the pulpit at Faith Presbyterian in Minnetonka on Easter Sunday, April 12.

William Bell, 84, of Hackensack, died Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at Clare Bridge Center in Eden Prairie.

Memorial service is Monday, June 29, at 3 p.m. with visitation one hour before at the Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel, 7625 Mitchell Road.

Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel, 952-975-0400.

Stan Bann, professional musician, composer and arranger, is bringing his new performing ensemble, Big Bone Band, to Centennial Lakes Park Maetzold Amphitheater at 7 p.m. June 28. The park is at 7499 France Ave. S.

By Karla Wennerstrom

Local Web designer, photographer and writer Jody Russell has really written a book.

Sometimes she can’t even believe it herself.

Her novel, “The Secret History of Lake Amikota,” is available now.
“I always wanted to write,” Russell said in an interview. “I always wrote.”

When she was bored, following her mother around the house, she would hear, “Why don’t you write a story?”

Russell started writing then, but she didn’t continue.

The Eden Prairie Fire Department will be holding a car wash this Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rainbow Foods in Eden Prairie. The event, “Extinguish Cancer Car Wash and Cookout” will include food, games, prizes and luminary decoration. Visit http://relayforlife.edenprairiefire.org for more information.

Are you interested in reading the public notices published in the June 25, 2009 print edition of the Eden Prairie News newspaper? The page or pages on which those notices were printed are attached to this item, in the form of .pdf’s that can be opened with Adobe Acrobat.

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Crafter has been building model boats for three decades

By Mollee Francisco

Erwin Stevenson’s Chaska basement is a testament to his affinity for hobbies. There are collections of wooden toy train engines, model airplanes and even rockets scattered about. But the collection that gets top billing over the rest is one that he’s been building for the last 30 years – his model boat collection.