West metro town briefs

City pushes back vote on garage sale rules The Minnetonka City Council has rescheduled a vote on a proposed garage sale ordinance for June 30.

The ordinance would limit residents to holding two garage sales per year. And it would require that items offered for sale be owned by a person who occupies the property as a residence or by friends of the resident.

At a June 9 city council meeting, Mayor Jan Callison said she does not favor the ordinance. "The problem with garage sales is they create traffic, and we are concerned that they are a guise for a business," Callison said. "This doesn't address traffic issues at all ... and it will not really enable us to deal with the businesses that are masquerading as garage sales."

Other council members also questioned the need for the ordinance. Council Member Tony Wagner said in five years on the city council he has never received a complaint about sales.

Council Member Dick Allendorf said he favors the ordinance and that he had received many positive comments from residents about putting a limit on the number of sales.

The proposed ordinance would be enforced only when City Hall receivs a complaint about a resident having more than two sales.

'Sound of Music' this year's backyard show Each year for the past 10 years, a Maple Grove kid, with the help of his parents, has produced a full-scale musical with an orchestra, concessions and thousands of people in attendance -- in his back yard.

This year, Nate Irvin, now 16 years old, will direct "The Sound of Music."

The show is free, with donations accepted. It's at 6:30 tonight, Thursday and Friday at the family's residence, 7153 Birchview Road, Maple Grove.

Businesses raise cash for July 4 fireworks Merchants celebrating "Feed the Fireworks Day" raised more than $3,000 for the Fourth of July fireworks presented annually by the South Lake-Excelsior Chamber of Commerce at Excelsior Commons.

The businesses agreed to donate a portion of their June 2 sales to the annual fireworks display, which has been going on since 1985. They included Shorewood True Value, The 318 Café, Biella Ristorante, Adele's Frozen Custard, Bayside Grille, Haskell's Port of Excelsior, Jake O'Connor's Public House, Licks Unlimited, Tommy's Tonka Trolley, Caribou Coffee-Tonka Bay, Caribou Coffee-Shorewood, Dunn Bros. Coffee-Excelsior, Hazellewood Grill & Tap Room, Joey Nova's Pizzeria, and Maynard's.

Anyone interested in contributing to the fireworks can mail donations to the Fireworks Fund, P.O. Box 32, Excelsior, 55331. Or e-mail to eacc@isd.net.

Go behind the scenes at police department Plymouth is accepting applications for its fall Public Safety Citizens Academy.

The free 12-week class gives residents a behind-the-scenes look at the fire and police departments, with sessions focused on the crime lab, emergency response team and decision shooting, among others. Much of the work is hands-on.

The academy is Monday evenings from Sept. 15 through Dec. 1. Class size is limited to 30 students, who must be 18 years or older and live or work in Plymouth. Call 763-509-5166 and leave your name, mailing address and phone number for an application. Applications must be postmarked by July 30.

The application process will include a criminal history check on each applicant. To be accepted, you must not have had any "significant contacts with the police department in the past year."

Reconstruction of 'Devil's Triangle' The Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning an open house to discuss the reconstruction of the Devil's Triangle in Brooklyn Park, where Hwy. 169, County Road 81 and 85th Avenue N. intersect. The open house will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. today at Brooklyn Park City Hall, 5200 85th Av. N.

Home and garden tour The sixth annual Richfield Beautiful Home and Garden Tour will be held Saturday. Six gardens and two remodeled homes will be on the tour, which is self-guided and runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Tour maps can be purchased for $5 at City Hall, the community center or city liquor stores.

Gardens on the tour include plots with annuals and perennials and streetscapes with retaining walls, with emphasis on gardens that average people can design and plant, said co-chairwoman Susan Rosenberg.

The two homes are remodeled ramblers, one with a new kitchen and family room.

JENNA ROSS, LAURIE BLAKE AND MARY JANE SMETANKA