by Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Featured
Welcome to our annual education issue, showcasing our Senior Spotlight students, who were nominated by their schools for being exemplary leaders in and out of the classroom. Our Editorial Team meets each year to review the nominations and are continually impressed by...
by Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Education, Featured, People
We are pleased to feature this year’s Senior Spotlight students in our annual review of local high schoolers, making an impact on their school and home communities. Local schools nominated a wide breadth of impressive students, and our team was wholly impressed by the...
by Mollee Francisco and Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Featured, Local Makers
Rowan & Dough helps families beat the at-home dinner rush. Say goodbye to the lazy, hazy days of summer when schedules run a bit loose and even mealtimes ebb and flow. Back-to-school time serves up a return to classrooms and scheduled-to-the-hilt calendars. It can...
by Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Arts, Pets
Grannycore is picking up steam. Sometimes known as analog hobbies, activities and crafts typically associated with grandmothers are gaining popularity with folks who are interested in finding antidotes to screens—large and small—and the stressors of life. The return...
by Mollee Francisco and Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Local Makers, People
Rowan & Dough’s Natalie Allesee has a wealth of restaurant experience under her belt, but her love of food and entrepreneurial spirit go back much further. “I was the kid trying to sell cans of soup on my front lawn,” she says. “I was always trying...
by Barb Lindgren | Aug 1, 2026 | Arts, History, Noteworthy
Martha Van de Vere Larkin (1869–1967) was a Minnetonka woman of note. Martha and her husband, John, farmed the land that the Dayton company purchased for the development of Ridgedale Center. Martha was a fabulous cook and had many hobbies, including millinery,...
by Mary Cornelius | Aug 1, 2026 | Book Club, Education, Noteworthy
Through Ahoy, Minnetonka!, Minnetonka Public Schools shares podcast conversations with the many different individuals who power the district forward—and those who, through their experiences, are empowered to be changemakers in the local and global community....
by Editorial Staff | Aug 1, 2026 | Photo Contest
When you look through your photo files, what do you see? Whether it’s a candid moment, an iconic area landmark, a brush with nature or something in between, odds are it captures a glimpse of what it’s like to call Lake Minnetonka home. From July 1–August 31, our Lens...
by Abigail Larson | Aug 1, 2026 | Giving Back, Noteworthy, People
Growing up, Jenny Bodurka was heavily involved in school activities and her community, inspiring her career path. For 11 years, Bodurka has dedicated her efforts toward Minnetonka Community Education (MCE). Over the past two years, she’s served as its director....
by Kassondra Burtis and Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Education, Featured, People, Sports
More than the record book: Maddyn Greenway champions a legacy of leadership. Great high school athletes come and go, but the ones who make a big enough impact to change a program and leave a legacy are truly special. Such is the case of Wayzata’s Maddyn Greenway. The...
by Abigail Larson | Aug 1, 2026 | Arts
Relish summer evenings with music on the Great Lawn. For years, the City of Wayzata and the Parks and Trails Board have teamed up to bring music and entertainment to Sunday evenings into late summer. Growing in popularity, this beloved get-together now draws roughly...
by Findlay Drabant | Aug 1, 2026 | Book Club, Pets, Wellness
The book frames one dog’s story as a healing tool for foster and adoptive children. By the time Molly DePrekel adopted Mariah—a 10-month-old black Labrador–Staffordshire terrier mix—the dog had already been returned by three previous owners and written off as...
by Renée Stewart-Hester | Aug 1, 2026 | Photo Contest
Capturing the essence of a hot summer day along Lake Minnetonka with the spirit of childhood is what drew our photo contest panel to this image taken by Amy Frye, who enjoys taking photos in and around Excelsior, Deephaven and Wayzata. “The light was perfect, and it...
by Maura Keller | Aug 1, 2026 | Featured, History, Interior Design, Renovate
Thoughtful design honors a family’s legacy of lake life living. Some homes are more than structures; they are chapters in a family’s story. For Jill and Troy Zangs, their Lake Minnetonka residence reflects this notion; it’s a place layered with decades of memories,...
by Rachael Perron | Aug 1, 2026 | Ingredients, Noteworthy, Recipes
Ground beef is one of the most popular and versatile items in Kowalski’s Markets’ meat department. But “ground beef” is a common term often used to speak about a group of similar products that have some key differences: ground chuck, ground round and ground sirloin....
