Another Season without Zebra Mussels (knock on wood)

Despite being one of the busiest lakes in all Minnesota, Lake Minnetonka survived the 2009 boating season without a zebra mussel sighting. It will be interesting to see if they are any larve in the lake with a first sighting in the spring--that's how it happened in Prior Lake this year. Keep your fingers crossed. I spent several hours cleaning the hull of my boat this afternoon, and don't know what I would have done if it had been caked with zebra mussels.

2009 Lake Minnetonka / Excelsior Fireworks Finale

Clap and cheer as you watch the Finale of the Lake Minnetonka fireworks!

KSTP: Flowering Rush Discovered in Lake Minnetonka

The Lake Minnetonka Song

This is absolutely one of my favorite videos on Youtube! These young girls lip-synch to the KS95 Lake Minnetonka Song.

Excelsior Art on the Lake - June 13 and 14

Excelsior's annual Art-on-the-Lake, the premier Lake Minnetonka Art Fair, is next Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14.

The official link, including participating artists and a schedule of events, and be found here.

A Fee to use Lake Minnetonka? Point / Counterpoint

The Lake Minnetonka Association (LMA) has recommended spending $600,000 per year to fight zebra mussels in Lake Minnetonka. According to the LMA, Minnetonka doesn't yet have zebra mussels, but it could only be a matter of time unless the right prevention steps are established.

The money would be generated by assessing a $5 to $10 fee on every boater who launches in Lake Minnetonka. It would be the first approach of its kind in the state. More information here - StarTrib Article.

On the flip side, critics say that the biggest benefit of such a policy would be to lakeshore homeowners who would love the reduced traffic, and that other lakes in the state would adopt the fee requirement quickly. See this opinion letter from a local Shorewood resident.

Pond Hockey on Lake Minnetonka

Pond hockey tournaments will find Lake Minnetonka this weekend. The games will be played on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday just off the shore from Bayview and Maynards.

While Friday is forecasted to be bitterly cold, Saturday and Sunday should be ideal days to go to Bayview and watch some good, old-fashioned hockey played on lake ice.

Full, updated information is posted at this link:

http://www.pondhockeynac.com/

Jan 1 Ice Thickness: 10-12"

In a very unscientific measurement of the Lake Minnetonka ice thickness, the depth measured approximately 10-12" just out of Excelsior near Gideons Bay. This measurement was done on January 1, 2008.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recommends 8-12" of ice to support a small car, and 12-15" to support a medium truck. While you see several vehicles on the ice this time of year, use caution when venturing out in a vehicle.

South Lake Minnetonka Community Voter Guides

Two local newspapers have printed their annual voter guide issues. I would strongly encourage anyone to read them and learn more about their candidates. My post from a couple weeks ago regarding candidates for local elections was incomplete, so I'll defer to these voter guides to summarize the races.

Excelsior Sun Sailor - They have done a nice job of doing their voter guides in an article style that included candidate interviews. This makes the candidate assessment much more personal and less about simply cutting and pasting a website bio, as some candidates do with more of a straight Q&A.

Lakeshore Weekly News - More of a Q&A style which doesn't allow for the same insight, but a broader guide that includes county and Congressional races.

Tour de Tonka: August 2, 2008

Here is a link to the Tour de Tonka bike ride. It will be starting from the Minnetonka High School this year due to the growing size of the ride and the need for more parking. Whether you want to ride for 15 miles (only about an hour at a modest pace) or go for the 65-miler, this is your chance to participate in one of the more popular and growing active events in our neighborhood.

www.tourdetonka.org

Three Properties For Which I'd Like to Choose Tenants

As I make my way through the South Lake Minnetonka area, I invariably see commercial properties turning over or being developed. It is hard not to wonder what types of businesses would do well in those vacant storefronts. So here, with absolutely no bearing on what will actually happen to these buildings, is what I would do if I could snap my fingers and fill the storefronts:


1. Excelsior, corner of 3rd and Water (old Color Center building): The shop that moved in for just a few months has relocated across the street, leaving this building empty. I'm not sure what drove this decision, but I have an idea for how to refill the building. This location would make the perfect D'Amico and Sons Deli. I love that I can get fine Italian, Sushi, and an Irish entree with a pint in Excelsior, but I need more takeout options. 318 does a splendid job, but I find myself picking up food in Chan or Minnetonka when I'm in the mood for something different. A D'Amico in town would mean I bring more of that business back to Excelsior. (Author's note: I would also be able to snap my fingers and solve the parking ratio issue that could make this type of occupancy difficult under current rules).


2. Shorewood, strip mall along Hwy 7 near Holiday (former Minnetonka Outdoors): The operators of the well-run fishing store that used to inhabit this location were excellent. I just think that the location wasn't right for fishermen. If you think about it, there was no boat launch onto Minnetonka in the area, so they had to mainly rely on locals for all the business. They were onto something, however: Sports. Just change the focus from fishing to more of a sporting goods store -- running shoes, soccer gear, workout gear, hockey and baseball equipment, and you'd have good traffic. Right now, to buy a pair of non-Target workout shorts, I have to go to a mall. I'd rather keep that business in Shorewood. With the number of school-aged atheletes in the immediate area, and how active the area people tend to be, I think it would do well.



3. Deephaven, that brand new building going up at Chowen's Corner (the hard curve on Minnetonka Blvd): This one seems like a no-brainer -- the highly successful and always packed Beanhaven Cafe, in need of about 30 more seats, could be relocated just down the street and use the first floor of this new building. It would be the same neighborhood, so nobody would be put off when they realized their favorite breakfast joint had moved, because it would have only moved 1/2 a block. Some would argue that the smallish nature of the current cafe adds to its ambience. I say it would still have great, independent, single-proprieter ambience if it had 30 more seats.

A new foodie site

A local site worth checking out is www.minnetonkadines.com. It links to the menus of several local restaurants, in addition to the Edible Express, a source for food delivery from places such as Big Bowl (a personal favorite).

MinnetonkaDines is a directory that is not directly affiliated with any of the restaurants it covers, to our knowledge. Check it out.

South Lake Minnetonka: An Active Place

The South Lake area will once again play host to many active events this spring and summer. As we have noted on this blog before, these events are a nice change of pace for the community, and bring a respectful group of people to the area who may not otherwise come. Each summer, we can count on having the boating crowds, tour boat crowds, festival crowds, bar crowds, and wedding reception crowds in the area on a regular basis. Adding the active crowd to that list adds a new dimension of visitors, and uses the South Lake area in more of an off-peak manner (most of these events take place early on weekend mornings, when most people are still sleeping off the evening before).

Here is a partial list of active pursuits in the area, and we'll try to keep this updated:

Sunday, April 27: Excelsior Criterium Bicycle Race. This is a sanctioned bike event put on in conjunction with Excelcycle, the local bike shop. First event of its kind in the area.

Sunday, May 4: Wells Fargo Half Marathon. Begins in downtown Wayzata, runs along the western edge of lower Lake Minnetonka, through Navarre and Tonka Bay, and ends in downtown Excelsior. Registration Full.

Saturday, June 21: Lake Minnetonka Triathlon. Start / Finish line is at the Excelsior Commons. This event is fast becoming a premier Twin Cities Triathlon. Sprint distance - .5 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run.

Saturday, June 7: Wenmarks ALARC Legends 5K and 10K run race, Deephaven. Annual event.

Wednesday, July 4: Firecracker 10K and 2 mile run. Excelsior. Popular, well-attended event.

Saturday, August 2: Tour de Tonka. 15, 33, and 65 mile bike ride, beginning at the Deephaven Education Center. In its 3rd year, it has become a very popular cycling event regionally.

Ice Fishing Houses Must Be Off Soon

Although ice levels on Lake Minnetonka are in the 30-inch range, ice fishing houses must be off the lake this Saturday.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/15978687.html

On It and In It: Lake Minnetonka New Year's Day Plunge

One of the great things about living in Minnesota is how we embrace winter. Nothing exemplifies it more than the ALARC On It and In It Lake Minnetonka Run and Jump.

The run begins on New Year's morning at 9am at Bayview Event Center in Excelsior, with the freezing plunge into Lake Minnetonka immediately following. More information can be found here: http://www.alarc.com/Portals/2/Registration%20form.pdf

As of press time, the temperature at 9am tomorrow is expected to be 6 degrees above zero.

Minnetonka Ice Not Yet Safe

You've probably seen several fisherman, skiers, and walkers on the lake in the past week. According to word-of-mouth as well as online reports (such as this one from the moundmn blog), the ice isn't fully formed. Go on the ice at your own risk and bring safety equipment with you.

It is normal in years where a major snowfall came early for the ice to take longer to thicken. This is due to the insulating quality that the blanket of snow creates, lengthening the time to get clear, thick, hard ice.

Thank You to November Readers

Since the inception of this blog, no month has ever possessed the readership that November has. I won't divulge all of the numbers, but the day before the 11/5 School Board elections alone had more visitors than what I had hoped I'd get in a typical week ongoing.

Through a nifty little tool called Google Analytics, I can get a sense of what people are interested in reading about. One of the categories that is on the Google report is "Top Keywords". That is, which keywords were people searching for most often when Google or Yahoo routed them to your site.

In November, Virtually all of the top keywords had to do with the election. Things like "Minnetonka School Board", "Minnetonka Referendum", and individual candidates' names were all in the top 15 keyword searches. Additionally, 4 of the top 10 search terms had something to do with Bill Wenmark. While I wrote before the election that wasn't thrilled the election was becoming about one candidate's history rather than today's pressing issues, I admire that people of the area took it upon themselves to research the issue on their own, as is evidenced by the number of search hits on that topic.

Writing a blog like this can be a crapshoot. Staring at the monitor while writing a column, it reminds me of the line from Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb that goes "Hello, is there anybody in there?" I'm glad to know that there is indeed someone in there, and that whoever they are care about local civic issues.

Politics in Minnesota

We are pleased to now be on the Politics in Minnesota (PIM) political blog directory. They have us listed as an independent blog, which is appropriate as we are striving to provide balances viewpoints and food for thought to readers.



Politics in Minnesota (http://www.politicsinminnesota.com/) is the preeminent political news service in the state. They go well beyond what is reported in the large newspapers, and provide insights that insiders could only provide. Thier content is always interesting, but is particularly fascinating while the legislature is in session or during an election season.

We appreciate PIM recognizing the South Lake Minnetonka Blog. You will also see a link to this blog attthe Chanhassen Villager site, which we also appreciate.

South Tonka Restaurant Scene, revisited

Last month, on this very blog, I commented on how the restaurant scene in the area seemed very healthy. There were plenty of new establishments in the area, and by my layperson's standards they all seemed to be doing OK.

Then I drove by Big Buck's Roadhouse, or at least what used to be Big Buck's Roadhouse. My first thought was that I jinxed them. I wrote that I had been hearing good things about them, and then they promptly went out of business. But then I realized that they had seemingly changed restaurants overnight... you see, they are already open again with the name of Prima Minnetonka. When a business closes, goes through the process of liquidation, the landlord finds a new tenant, they renovate the building, and then open, it is certainly not an overnight affair.

To make a long story short, Big Buck's Roadhouse "changed" to a new Italian-themed restaurant. It is operated by the same owners, who also operate Three Fish and Prima Minneapolis, two establishments that seem to be standing the test of time. One can only speculate that with Maynards, Fletchers, and Haskells already in the area, and the standard suburban Applebee/Houlihan/Timber Lodge genre along the Hwy 5 corridor, there wasn't room for another bar and grill in the area.

Prima Minnetonka looks like it will fill a niche between Joey Nova and Biella. The menu looks a bit Macaroni Grill-ish, which I think could do pretty well in the area.

http://www.primamn.com/menus.php

State Releases Ratings on 313 Bridges

The Star Trib has a link on their website to a listing containg 313 bridge sufficiency ratings. While none in our immediate area are included in the report, it is interesting to search by county and see the ratings for several bridges in Carver and Hennepin counties that many of us likely use often. The most concerning one to me: the Highway 41 bridge as it crosses the Minnesota River in Chaska. This bridge built in the 50's has a structural sufficiency rating of 38%, or roughly the bottom 5% of all bridges on this list.

I'll keep an eye out for ratings on area bridges. The ones I can think of, Minnetonka Blvd over St. Albans Bay in Excelsior or Carson Bay in Lake Minnetonka are both very new, as are the Bridges over Grays Bay on Hwy 101 or the Hwy 19 Bridge over the Narrows.