Friends of the Library meet
The Jordan Friends of the Library will have their quarterly meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 9, in the library, 230 S. Broadway St. in Jordan.
The Scott County Library director, Vanessa Birdsey, will be the guest for the meeting.
For more information, call Barb Lehnen at 952-492-2478.

Senate District meeting is Thursday
Senate District 35 Democratic-Farmer-Labor business meetings are held the second Thursday of every month. The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, at the Prior Lake Public Library, 16210 Eagle Creek Ave. S.E. in Prior Lake. Every meeting is open to the public.
For further information, please call Jackie Dowell at 952-233-8906.

Business network meets
The River Valley Business Network Group will meet at 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 10, at Valley Bank Minnesota, 200 Creek Lane North in Jordan.
This group normally meets every second and fourth Fridays of the month. There is no charge to attend these meetings. Visitors are invited to attend twice before deciding whether or not to join.
A membership to the group costs $100 per year.
For more information, call Barbara Lee at 612-508-4880 or go to www.rvbn.net.

Relay for Life is Friday
The Relay for Life of Scott County will be hold its opening ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, July 10, at Vaughan Field at Shakopee Junior High School, 200 10th Ave. E. in Shakopee. The event will continue through its closing ceremony, which begins at 6:30 a.m. the following morning.
There will be a medallion hunt, frozen T-shirt contest, fear factor contest, Relay Olympics, and more.
The registration fee is $150 per team if paid for by a business or company or $10 per person if paid by the individuals. Dollars raised will be used by the American Cancer Society to support cancer research and education.
For more information, call Annette Chlan at 952-492-6013, Joie Skogrand at 952-233-1976, or Ruby Winings at 952-445-6354.

‘Nunsense II’ features regional cast
Curtain Call Theater has announced the cast for its summer musical, “Nunsense II, The Second Coming.” The play was written by Dan Goggin and will be directed by Ben Tietje.
The Little Sisters of Hoboken are back onstage at Mount St. Helens School. Felicia Swanson of Lakeville (as Sister Mary Regina, Mother Superior), Laura Velishek of Faribault (as Sister Mary Hubert, Mistress of Novices), Emily Jansen of St. Peter (as Sister Robert Anne), Cloe Radcliffe of Prior Lake (as Sister Mary Paul, aka Sister Amnesia), and Shannon Buncher of Montgomery (as Sister Mary Leo) will perform in this high energy, zany musical.
“Nunsense II” opens Friday, July 10 at the Montgomery-Lonsdale High School in Montgomery. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. July 10-11 and July 17-18, and at 2 p.m. July 19.
Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased online at www.curtaincalltheatre.net.

PETCO hosts pet adoption
Volunteers from the Carver Scott Humane Society will hold a pet adoption from noon to 3 p.m. July 11 at PETCO, 244 Pioneer Trail in Chaska. CSHS is without its own building, and all pets are housed in foster care.  
 All cats and dogs have been micro ID implanted, vet checked, wormed, had shots updated, checked for friendly temperaments, and age appropriately spayed or neutered. Adoption fees begin at $155 for cats and $185 for dogs.
Call the society for more information at 952-368-3553 or go to www.carverscotths.org

Racing fund-raiser is July 12
The Community Chest Racing Team is hosting a fund-raiser July 12 for the St. Francis Cancer Center at Raceway Park in Shakopee.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the race is at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. The event includes NASCAR racing.
A $25 adult ticket or $15 kid’s ticket includes admission to the track, dinner, and free T-shirt. Tickets available at Raceway Park and Saints Healthcare Foundation.
For more information, contact Heather Chantry at 952-649-8831 or communitychestreachingout@gmail.com.

Arboretum offers area garden tours
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Auxiliary Garden Tours will feature four private gardens in the west metropolitan suburbs July 12 and July 14-15.
The tour destinations include the following: a fairy garden with miniature varieties of daylilies, hostas, and conifers; an elegant space among mature cedar trees; a 30,000-gallon koi pond with many container plantings; and a garden for meditation with a waterfall and pond.  Garden owners will be available to share their experiences and answer questions at the sites.
The garden tours are led by knowledgeable guides on luxurious air-conditioned motor coaches and include a private outdoor brunch accompanied by live harp music on the Morgan Terrace of the Snyder Building. Participants can tour a fifth garden, the Arboretum, for free.
Tours depart the Arboretum every 45 minutes from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. July 12, every half-hour from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. July 14, and from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. July 15, with brunch scheduled either before or after the tour. Tours last for three hours.
The cost for the tour and brunch is $55 on July 12 and $50 on July 14-15. Space is limited. For reservations, go to www.arboretum.umn.edu/auxiliary.aspx, pick up a form at the Oswald Visitor Center, or call 952-443-1400, extension 7052, to have a form mailed to you. A portion of the cost is tax-deductible, as proceeds benefit the Arboretum.

Cemetery association board meets
The Jordan Cemetery Association will hold its annual board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, July 13, at the home of Peter Beckius, 2356 200th St. W. in Sand Creek Township.
There is no charge to attend this meeting. For more information, call Beckius at 952-200-8515.

Library hosts storytime
The Jordan library will hold a family storytime at 11 a.m. July 14 in the library, 230 S. Broadway St.
“Hedgehog stories” will be the theme of the books, songs, and action rhymes at this week’s free storytime.
For more information, call the library at 952-492-2500 or go to www.scott.lib.mn.us.

County fair deadlines approach
The Scott County Fair Creative Arts and Livestock Entry deadline is July 15.
All entries must be postmarked by this day. Commercial Booths are still available.
For more information, go to www.scottcountyfair.com or call the fair organizers at 952-492-2436.

Cancer support group meets
The Prostate Cancer Support Group will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, in the Solarium at Queen of Peace Hospital, 301 Second St. in New Prague.
This group welcomes input from individuals who have or have had prostate cancer.
There is no charge to attend this meeting, but registration is encouraged.  For more information or to register for the Prostate Cancer Support Group, contact the hospital education department at 952-758-8187 or 1-800-584-6667, extension 5451.

Miss Jordan applications due July 15
Applications for the Miss Jordan Ambassador Program are due July 15.
The Miss Jordan Ambassador Program is sponsored by the Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce.  More than $1,850 in scholarships and prizes will be awarded.
The Miss Jordan royalty will serve as ambassadors to Jordan at community and area events for a year. The contest includes judging of personal interview, poise, evening gown, and final question.
Young women who wish to enter must have completed their junior year of high school, must be under the age of 21, cannot be pregnant or have children, and must be of single status.
For more information or for an application, call the chamber office at 952-492-2355 or Donna Will at 952-492-2993.

PACER offers free digital book webinar
The Parent Advocacy Coalition for Education Rights (PACER) Center is offering a free webinar for parents and professionals who have students with print-related disabilities. The webinar will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 16. Advance registration is required.
The topic of the webinar is “All About Digital Books.”
Space is limited. To register, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/510137315.
After registering, participants will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar.
 For more information, call PACER at 952-838-9000.

American Legion Post No. 3 meets
The members of American Legion Post No. 3 will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course, 21755 Ridge Drive in Sand Creek Township.
Anyone eligible and interested in becoming a member is encouraged to attend this meeting at no charge.
For more information, call Richard Lockert at 952-492-5599.

St. Francis offers sleep course
St. Francis Regional Medical Center will host “Sleep: As we grow older,” an information session that will discuss the science of sleep as people age.
The session will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 16, in the Joy and Justice Conference Room at the medical center, 1455 St. Francis Ave. in Shakopee.
There is no cost to attend this event. For more information, call the medical center at 952-428-2000.

Wildlife service seeks input
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is seeking comments from the public on a draft generic environmental assessment (EA) for the construction of public water access (boat launching) sites in Minnesota. The draft generic EA evaluates two action alternatives, along with the no-action alternative as required under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Under the preferred alternative, the DNR would continue to use Federal Sport Fish Restoration Act funds to construct and renovate public water access sites throughout Minnesota. A site-specific worksheet would be developed for each new access site under the generic EA.
Other alternatives being considered include a reduced level of public access development work by the DNR without the use of federal funds and no new public construction or renovation work (relying instead on private efforts to meet the public’s water access needs).
A copy of the EA is available online at www.mndnr.gov (click on Public Input, then select Statewide Public Water Access Development EA from the scroll-down list under Environmental Review). Print copies of the draft EA may also be obtained from Casey Nelson by e-mail at casey.nelson@dnr.state.us, phone at 651-259-5629, or U.S. mail: 500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155-4052.
Written comments on the EA may be submitted to Nelson during the 30-day public review period from June 25 to July 25.
For more information on the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program go to www.fws.gov/midwest/FederalAid/.

Mrs. Scott County entry forms available
Applications are being accepted for the Mrs. Scott County pageant. Mrs. Scott County will represent the county at the Mrs. Minnesota pageant March 6-7, 2010, in St. Cloud and will receive a prize package worth $7,000.
Competitions in the pageant are the personal interview, aerobic wear, and evening gown. Married women living in Scott County who are interested in applying can get more information by calling Allison Stavrakis at 952-432-6758 or e-mailing pagunltd@frontiernet.net.

Recovery act funds home loan program
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama Feb. 17, provides additional funds for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s direct home loan program. Very low- and low-income individuals and households should contact their local Rural Development office in Faribault at 507-332-7418, ext. 4 for more information.
Applicants may purchase a new home, existing home or build a new home. Payments are based on household income, and loans are made with a subsidy provision to make payments affordable. To qualify, applicants must meet Rural Development’s income limits, have adequate and dependable income, have an acceptable credit history, be unable to obtain sufficient credit from other sources, and show repayment ability.
The maximum loan amount for Scott County is $225,400.
More information is also available online at www.rurdev.usda.gov/mn.