Visit the Eden Prairie News booth from noon to dusk on the Fourth of July in Round Lake Park to register for a drawing for Twins tickets.
In honor of Eden Prairie’s 150th birthday, we’ll also be quizzing residents on how to pronounce “sesquicentennial.”
Be sure to pick up packets of sunscreen in the afternoon and bug repellant wristbands in the evening. We will also have extra copies of our Sesquicentennial special section.
See you there!

Eden Prairie’s Fourth of July party is at Round Lake Park, 7550 Constitution Ave.
Schedule of Events
Information Booth - Park Building Plaza – 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Event information, ticket sales for carnival games and inflatables, event T-shirt sales ($8), volunteer check in, fishing contest registration, Parks & Recreation information, entertainment & vendor check –in.

“Whopper of a Fishing Contest” (register at the information booth) – 9-10:30 a.m.

Eden Prairie’s Fourth of July party is at Round Lake Park, 7550 Constitution Ave.
Schedule of Events
Information Booth - Park Building Plaza – 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Event information, ticket sales for carnival games and inflatables, event T-shirt sales ($8), volunteer check in, fishing contest registration, Parks & Recreation information, entertainment & vendor check –in.

“Whopper of a Fishing Contest” (register at the information booth) – 9-10:30 a.m.

To raise funds for breast cancer research, July 10 is Tough Enough to Wear Pink night at the Hamel Rodeo. Fans are asked to join in by wearing pink to show their support of the fight to end breast cancer.

For every person at the rodeo on July 10, $1 will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. The rodeo will be held at Corcoran Lions Park, three miles north of Hamel at the junction of County Road 10 and Highway 101.

By John Mallo

A Civil War Soldier

John McClay

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY GRANT John McClay in his Civil War uniform.

Patrick and Tara Haley of Eden Prairie announce the birth of their son Liam John on April 30, at 1:33 p.m. at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina.
The baby boy weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20.5 inches long. He has blue eyes and blond hair.
Grandparents are David and Susan Haley of Rush City, Minn.; Alan and Nora Miller of Boise, Idaho; and Arthur “Skip” Bennett, Ontario, Or. Great-grandparents are Loraine Bennett of Ontario, Or., and Anthony Wonka of Ontario, Or.
Baptism was May 6 in Eden Prairie. He was dedicated at Prairie Hill Evangelical Free Church May 11.

A Minnesota Department of Revenue news release reminded taxpayers that the 0.25 percent transit sales and use tax was to go into effect on Tuesday, July 1, 2008.The taxes will be used to fund the transit system including light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit.
The five metropolitan counties affected are Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington. The tax is separate from and in addition to the Hennepin County, St. Paul and Minneapolis sales and use taxes already in existence. It does not replace these taxes.

The filing period for federal, state and judicial offices began Tuesday.
Candidates may file July 1 until 5 pm. July 15. The last day for withdrawal is July 17.
The place for filing for federal office is at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office in St. Paul. Those seeking election to state or judicial office may file in the county they live in.
For those candidates filing for municipal, school district, and other local offices, dates vary. Filing for the two Eden Prairie City Council seats up for election is open from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9 (last day for withdrawal is Sept. 11).

The Taxpayers League of Minnesota recently gave Sen. David Hann (R-42) and seven other legislators “Best Friend of the Taxpayer” awards. This is Sen. Hann’s ninth award. To be named a “Best Friend of the Taxpayer” during a legislative session, a representative or senator must score a perfect 100 percent on the votes selected by the Taxpayers League.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced appointments to the High-Speed Broadband Task Force on Monday.
Eden Prairie residents JoAnne Johnson and Richard King join Stephen Cawley, Brent Christensen, Thomas Garrison, Dr. Jack Geller, Ph.D., Barbara Jo Gervais, John Gibbs, Mike O’Connor, Dr. Kim Ross, Ed.D., Vijay Sethi, Richard Sjoberg, Karen Smith, John Stanoch, Chris Swanson, Craig Taylor, Mary Ellen Wells, Peg Werner and Robyn West on the High-Speed Broadband Task Force. All 20 are appointed to terms that expire on March 2, 2010.