July 2014

In the July issue of Lake Minnetonka Magazine, you'll find expert advice for personalizing your home on the water, meet three Minnetonka sailors influencing our local sailing community and find out how one talented local built a rock star career.

Minnesota DNR wants to encourage kids to engage in outdoor play.

Children are spending half as much time outside as they did 20 years ago, according to recent studies.

 
Mimosas from Hazellewood Bar and Grill complete a weekend brunch on their outdoor patio.

Slainte! Cent’anni! Skol! Prosit! Salud! Na zdorovie! L’chaim! Bottoms up! Every culture has a word to convey the same idea: Let us drink together, to health, to life and to this moment. It’s a simple ritual, heartfelt yet quick.

 

On February 20, the Bayview Event Center in Excelsior hosted the second annual Sizzle for a Cause, raising money for the ICA food shelf. Five Twin Cities restaurant chefs and one amateur competed in an Iron Chef-style cooking competition for the coveted Golden Cleaver Award.

 

Sometimes local landmarks get overlooked. We see them so often that we begin to stop seeing them all together. The Minnetonka Beach water tower on Lafayette Bay is an example—many people boat by it every day without recognizing its historical significance and beauty.

 
The Spirit of the Lakes festival in Mound brings outdoor fun for the whole family.

The Spirit of the Lakes Festival has all the attractions that make up a great community event, including a parade, arts festival, fireworks, food and more.

 
Kate Regan of The Sitting Room

Minnesota boasts an impressive number of boats for a landlocked state—one recreational boat for every six people. With more than 10,000 lakes to choose from, it’s no surprise that many locals treat their beloved watercraft as a second home.

 

The famed Troubadour club in London has hosted the likes of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Adele and Amy Winehouse. Yet in March 2013, there stood Wayzata resident Courtney Yasmineh, on stage, ready to close the show.

 
Sam Rogers

Meet Sam Rogers, Colin Grey Voigt and Bruce Martinson. Though they differ in age and occupation, these three share a love of sailing that they trace back to their days at the Lake Minnetonka Sailing school.

 
Gary Ezell, chef and food developer at Joey Nova's, wants all customers to find their favorites on the menu.

Anyone with self-imposed or medically necessary dietary restrictions knows eating out can be a tricky situation.

 

It’s so 2014: With a simple click of the mouse, and guidance from Mound-based travel planner Candy Lack, the getaway of your dreams is now right at your fingertips.

 

Greg and Marissa Frankenfield—the new owners of Old Log Theater in Excelsior—had vacationed to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for years before purchasing oceanfront property in the community in mid-2011.

 
 Tom Peterson, owner of Glen Lake Café, is proud of all their dishes, including the delicious walleye.

The vibe at one of Minnetonka’s newest eateries, Glen Lake Café, differs from other spots in town.

 

Distressed wood floors, comfy leather seats and an open layout greet you when you enter Pique Travel Design, and there is not a brochure in sight. It’s travel done differently.

 
Minnetonka native Sonja Midtune drops her first EP this summer.

Sonja Midtune, a Minnetonka High School alumna and now budding musician in Los Angeles, is a prime example of a person whose roots lie in Lake Minnetonka, but whose influence has spread much further.

 

Excelsior residents and Minnetonka High School alumni celebrate two landmark events on July 26: the fourth all-class, all-school reunion for Minnetonka High School and the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones concert at Danceland in Excelsior.

 
Amber Rhodes and Matt Johnson, co-founders of HERO Dogs.

Many rely heavily on the companionship of their dogs, but don’t often stop to really honor them.

 

Long Lake native Jeff Dayton has been playing guitar and singing since he was nine years old, and began his professional music career after high school.