March 2016 Maple Grove Magazine

In the March issue we celebrate maple syrup season, check in with WCCO's Kim Johnson and check out a Maple Grove family's model yard.

Kaitlyn Walters has been part of the community since the age of 6. Recently married, she and her husband chose to stay close to home. When asked what she likes about Maple Grove, Walters explains the way she’s watched the community grow. “When I was a kid, it was a lot smaller,” she says.

 

Maple Grove shines brightly when it comes to epicurean delights and divine wines. With a bevy of choices, we’ve selected a tantalizing trio: from a happening steakhouse to a true American grill and a delightful French café. Each offers something exceptional in food and wine pairings.

 

Osseo High School hosts the VEX robotics competition.

 

Celebrate the namesake of our community and the perfect pancake topping as you learn about the process of producing maple syrup.

 

If you stroll the Maple Trace neighborhood in Maple Grove, you’ll find newer multi-level homes nestled together on winding streets with cookie-cutter landscaping. Each has its own personality, within the restraints of a new housing development, but one house may catch your eye.

 

WCCO-TV anchor Kim Johnson knew what she wanted to do with her life from the time she sat her Barbie dolls behind news desks. In this she was influenced by her mother who adhered to a strict schedule of watching TV news during family dinners. “At the time I kind of hated it,” admits Johnson.

 

As students begin to approach their high school years, a common question that will be heard over and over is “What college do you want to go to?” Not only do these young people have to decide where they want to go and what they want to major in, they also have to figure out a way to pay for this

 

Dave McCarty, the current pastor of outreach and mission at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, took his first trip to the Dominican Republic in 2001 (during his tenure with a different church).

 

For several months, I found myself strongly attached to a specific chicken curry wrap in the prepared section of Whole Foods.

 

Looking for an amazing cigar experience? Open since 1996 (first under a different name), Tobacco Grove is one of only two tobacconists in Minnesota able to acquire some of the highest quality products the industry has to offer.

 

Originally founded in 2013, Surge Cycling opened its second Twin Cities location in Maple Grove in January. A duplicate version of the first studio in St.

 

Warmer weather is on the horizon, and that means spring cleaning is almost upon us.

 

Elizabeth (Ibby) Gilmore was named 2015 Minnesota Adult Basic Education (ABE) Teacher of the Year by the Literacy Action Network. She taught for 33 years in the Osseo Area School District before transitioning to become an ABE math teacher for the past 15 years.

 

uBreakiFix was founded in 2009 and prides itself on offering same-day repair service on all brands of computers, tablets, smartphones and game consoles. The company’s second location opened in Maple Grove last October.

 

At 815 feet long and 20 feet wide, the Central Park ice loop, which opened in November, is the only refrigerated ice trail in Minnesota. The idea for the project was based on other ice ovals around the metro area, but the idea of an ice loop came all the way from Elkhart, Indiana.

 

Residing IN MAple Grove for 30 years, Kristi Bowman finds her photography inspiration on the trails at Elm Creek Park Reserve and in her own backyard flower garden.