July 2016 Lake Minnetonka Magazine

In the July issue the spotlight shines on two Minnetonka actors as they perform on stage in Beauty and the Beast and an Orono home gets a 21st-century update from a local interior design firm.

Taking a photo that re-creates the beauty of a fireworks show is difficult.

 

When co-owner Matty O’Reilly talks about the early days of 318 Café in Excelsior, you might think he’s referring to the wild, wild west—and no, not the west-of-Highway-494 kind.

 

The Greater Wayzata Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a speaker breakfast with the senator this spring.

 

For more than 25 years, the Minnetonka Center for the Arts has supplemented its year-round programming with its summer arts camps for young art lovers ages 5 through 15.

 

Tucker Thomas Interior Design is new to the Lake Minnetonka design scene, but its most recent project was a throwback of epic proportions.

 

Have you heard the expression “skin like porcelain”? Well, this summer, for two Minnetonka actors, it’s literal—at least on stage. Susan Hofflander plays Mrs. Potts, the motherly teapot, in a production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.

 

Last November, the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra took a break from regular performances at its home at Wayzata Community Church to put on a flash-mob in downtown Minneapolis.

 

Julie Ann Witt tries on a lot of shoes. The face behind Julian Design approaches home décor projects by keenly understanding how clients function and circulate within their homes. “They know better how they live than I do,” she says.

 

The motto says it best: “A festival by the community, for the community.” The Spirit of the Lakes Festival has remained a community-supported, eagerly anticipated event in Mound for the past 12 years.

 

One of the first women to attend the University of Minnesota in the 1870s, Abbie Wakefield proudly wore long trousers and bloomers, which were made popular by Amelia Jenks Bloomer and marked a liberated woman.

 

Once upon a time, a bare ankle might have given rise to a scandal. A dancer performing without a corset might have caused a scene. Louise Indritz recalls a time when even ballet roused audiences’ objections.

 

Chemical elements, molecules and atoms might not be the first things that spring to mind when we think about marketing.

 

My House Fitness, a Florida-based health club, opened its first Minnesota studio in downtown Hopkins in March, offering members something different from the standard open-gym concept.

 

We’ve all been there: The kids are off at the neighborhood park, and you expect them home for dinner—and you hope they’re keeping an eye on the time. Thankfully, the city of Excelsior still operates its historic siren, which rings daily at noon, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

 

The Mount Calvary Academy of Music, originally founded by the music ministry of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, has been shaping musicians for the past 14 years.

 

In June, the PGA Tour Superstore opened its 26th location in Minnetonka, its first in Minnesota.

 

Since 1888, lake-area residents have enjoyed some sort of Fourth of July celebration in the Excelsior Commons area, says Laura Hotvet, executive director of the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce.

 

Josie and Elliot Berman of Minnetonka brought Lake Minnetonka Magazine to Israel’s Dead Sea during their winter break.

 

Summer isn’t over yet, but merchants in downtown Excelsior are clearing the deck for new fall and winter products.

 

Minnetonka artist Tami Larke Anderson launched her business Z ART Line Design Artwork in 2012, after she was laid off from her job after 25 years in the corporate world.

 

What started with a thumb turned Minnetonka native Robyn Frank into a successful entrepreneur when she launched Thumbs Cookies in 2012. Now she’s on a quest to fund her dream car: a Thumb Bug.