Not even a rainy weekend can threaten this year’s ice fishing contest. Cold weather earlier in the winter solidified the ice on Firemen’s Lake, and it isn’t budging. That’s good news for the firemen readying to put on the 53rd annual Chaska Fire Department Fishing Contest (1-3 p.m. Saturday at Firemen's Lake)

Last week’s snowstorm added an exclamation point a year that was already sludgy.  Instead of barreling ahead, everyone was holed-up, waiting for the storm to pass.

Long gone are the days when Chaska was growing by a thousand people a year and houses were popping up like spring dandelions.

Instead, everyone – residents, politicians, business owners – were all coming to grips with the fact that cash just isn’t flowing into the coffers like it used to.

A small crowd gathered at City Square Park last Sunday for the the fifth annual Multicultural Holiday Celebration, sponsored by the city’s Human Rights Commission and Dunn Bros. The night featured music by Chaska High School’s chamber singers, discussion of various holiday traditions around the world, a visit from Santa and a piñata.

Come kickoff the holiday season by learning about holidays celebrated in different cultures around the world. Listen to the sounds of the season provided by Chaska High School students, sing carols, visit Santa and more! The evening will end with the lighting of the Community Christmas Tree!

Free Refreshments and a piñata for the kids!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

5:00 p.m.

City Square Park

Free and open to the public

Chaska Middle School West hosted its annual Veterans Day program on Wednesday. The event began with a flag raising, gun salute and taps in front of the school.

E is for electricity, G is for Germans, O is for opera house and R is for race track.

Some of these bits of Chaska history are familiar to old and new residents alike; others are news to everyone. That’s the idea behind the Chaska History Center’s latest permanent exhibit, ChaskAlphabet.

“It’s a good introductory exhibit,” said creator Lisa Oberski. “It’s necessary for people who stop in from out of town.”

Just before 5 p.m., they begin to trickle into Fellowship Hall at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chaska. They hang their coats and claim their seats next to friends and strangers alike. As volunteers scurry around in the kitchen, the smells of breaded chicken tenders and cheesy hashbrown potatoes waft through the air, mixing with the sounds of conversation in the dining room.

“I think this is how church should be,” said Dawn Ascher-Johnson, founder and president of Feed My Sheep, Inc.

The City of Chaska will hold an open house to recognize former Chaska Mayor Gary Van Eyll on Sunday, Oct. 18. The event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Lodge at the Chaska Community Center (1661 Park Ridge Drive). A program will be held at 2 p.m.

Van Eyll served as Chaska's mayor from 2003 to 2009 and was on the city council from 1999-2002. He resigned in late August to take a job with the U.S. Census Bureau.

It rained, it poured, but even the worst weather could not dampen the spirits of those gathered to take in Chaska High School's 2009 Homecoming Parade.

For the first time in years, the parade wound its way through downtown Chaska, kicking off on Stoughton Avenue and finishing up at City Square Park.

Enjoy this selection of photos from the event.