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.

How do communities deal with consensus, diversity and dissent?

That is the question posed by a new series of dialogues taking place this fall. Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church, in conjunction with The Beacon Council of District 112, presents its latest series designed to examine critical public issues both locally and globally.

Though Shepherd of the Hill has been presenting dialogues for years, this is the first time The Beacon Council is involved.

Dust off your halos and pull your wings out of storage. The folks at Guardian Angels Catholic Church will usher in fall next weekend with a celebration of AngelFest.

The annual parish and school festival will feature music, games, food, a parade and tours of the friary.

Events take place on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

"Originally, we had it in August," explained Paul Jarvis, parish priest at Guardian Angels. "We've moved it to the last Saturday of September. It's a cooler time and weather-wise, it tends to be the nicest.

Thousands lined the streets of Carver to enjoy the annual Steamboat Days parade last Sunday. With September temperatures surging well into the 80s, shade was at a premium, but the heat didn’t deter the oodles of children hungry for the gobs of candy tossed out of the floats. To purchase these photos from Steamboat Days, visit chaskaherald.smugmug.com.