August 2015 Maple Grove Magazine

In the August issue check out some pitch perfect technology, learn about easy healthy eating and meet seven high-achieving high school seniors.

When Ed Luckow stepped out on a late summer afternoon to grab dinner at the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, he didn’t expect to use his trusty Canon EOS 7D camera, but he was glad that his lifestyle as a retired photographer kept one waiting in the front seat of his car.

 

From pillowy, blueberry-filled pancakes at Minne’s Diner to savory cranberry-topped sandwiches at Daily Dose Café & Espresso, delicious berries are found in a variety of dishes and drinks across Maple Grove.

 

Attendees at the 2015 Ticked Off gallery opening event at the Maple Grove Arts Center took the Lyme Challenge with a hearty bite into a lime and support for Lyme’s Disease eradication.

 

With ample opportunity to get out and celebrate the joy of summertime here in our own backyard, Maple Grove is renowned for offering quality family entertainment to the community.

 

Imagine a garden tucked away behind a white picket fence, shaded and serene under a canopy of leaves. Only this garden, unlike those beckoning the sun and daylight admirers, comes most alive during the moonlit hours.

 

Being a top high school student is full of unbelievable rigor. Our elite students this year are full of expectation and intensity along with a healthy dose of discipline. They are also surrounded by a lot of tools that they use to reach their athletic, technical, artistic and scientific goals.

 

This year, the majority of Osseo-area high school students will begin the school year under new leadership. Both Maple Grove and Osseo senior highs have new principals.

 

We all know what’s healthy to eat: vegetables, whole wheat, no sugar…but in today’s complex, highly scheduled world, healthy eating is easier said than done. The vending machine at work is filled with chips and pop. The kids are picky.

 

Sometimes even Scott Miller has a hard time explaining what he does. Miller, a Maple Grove resident, is a musician and composer—but not in the classical sense. He’s classically trained in music, yes, but he combines that knowledge with modern technology to create electronic music.

 

Each day starts with an old fashioned “rise and shine” logging call. Boys ages 7 to 17 climb out of their beds at 8 a.m. sharp. Many start their day by grabbing a towel and taking a quick dip in the lake. Flag raising is at 8:15. At 8:20, breakfast is served.

 

The Marsden Family (Steve, Cindy, Matt and Mike) of Maple Grove, spent time in Maui, Hawaii, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Steve’s parents. Three-fourths of the family is camera shy!

 

Growing up in Liberia, Adja Kumba Kaba Ann developed a lifelong passion for literature in a region where books were few and far between. “I was lucky that my father introduced me to reading at a very young age,” Ann says of her father, a college professor who read to her.

 

Gilead
By Marilynne Robinson
Nearing the end of his life, elderly John Ames begins a letter to his young son. Author Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel about the quiet life of a good man.

 

Maple Grove’s Jiya Khatri (age 9) was selected as a runner up in for the National American Miss (NAM) contest held in June. She will be attending nationals in California this month. Congratulations!

 

For teenage boys, a trip to Orlando might lead to shenanigans, but for Maple Grove residents Ben Pettingell and Frank Gates, it meant being crowned US Open Taekwondo gold medal champions last January.

 

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes have opened their latest women’s and girl’s clothing boutique, Dazzle Me Fashions.

 

Since the early 1990s, the church-based preschool at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Maple Grove has been caring for kids. Karing Kingdom Preschool celebrated its 20th anniversary with the wrap-up of the 2014–2015 school year.

 

It was a passion for outdoor photography and a keen eye for detail that allowed Kim Seeger of the Boundary Creek neighborhood to capture this tiny tree frog, which blended perfectly with its surroundings one warm summer morning.

 

Our annual Best of Maple Grove editor’s picks recognize the finest businesses and individuals for their exemplary service to the community. The 2015 Best Elementary Teacher undoubtedly maintains that standard. Barbara Weist first began as a fourth grade teacher more than 30 years ago.