Carver County Day at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will be Friday, Aug. 6. On this special day, residents of Carver County will be admitted free of charge to the Arboretum (with proof of residency).

Local government and Arboretum officials will speak at a public welcoming ceremony, with complimentary refreshments, at 10 a.m. in the Oswald Visitor Center. Immediately following, free gift bags will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Also on tap this special day:

Thirty-five National Night Out parties have been registered with the Chaska Police Department this year. Check out the list below to see if your neighborhood is participating.

Are you having a National Night Out event that isn't on the list? Please add the party information in the comments section.

Have photos from National Night Out you'd like to share? Email them to [email protected] and we may use them in the newspaper or in an online slideshow.

National Night Out will take place Tuesday, Aug. 3. The event is designed to increase awareness for crime prevention in community neighborhoods.

According to Julie Janke, local organizer with the Chaska Police Department, 35 neighborhood parties have already been scheduled in Chaska this year.

For three gorgeous summer days, locals packed downtown Chaska and City Square Park to celebrate River City Days. Here are a selection of images from the event. All of these images and more are available for purchase at chaskaherald.smugmug.com.

Along the inviting shores of Jonathan Lake, they gathered. One by one they made their way down the hill to find a place to unroll their mats.

The air was warm, the grass still wet with dew. Adjusting their sunglasses one last time, they took their positions and waited patiently for class to begin.

For the last three summers, each Friday morning McKnight Park has played host to Yoga Baahya. The free 45-minute yoga class attracts upwards of 60 people each week and is the brainchild of Chaska Community Center Fitness Coordinator Susan Marek.

The Cologne Fire Department (CFD) Relief Association is holding its second annual Firehouse Drive-In Movie Night Friday, Aug. 20 and Saturday, Aug. 21.

By Unsie Zuege

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll hiss, you’ll cheer. Unlike pretentious theater where you are asked to be quiet and keep your opinions to yourself, the classic melodrama encourages cheers for the hero and jeers for the villain.

The Chaska Valley Family Theatre’s New Production Workshop presents an original musical called “Love on the Prairie: The Melodrama.” The two-act musical is written and directed by Bob Thomas, an Eden Prairie playwright who has been in many CVFT shows over the years.

Learn about Three Rivers Park District and how to volunteer in natural resources, recreation, parks and trails, golf, cultural history, farming, art and nature programs.

The Park District will host a “Volunteer Opportunities Open House” on Saturday, July 24, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, at Lowry Nature Center in Carver Park Reserve, Victoria, according to a Three Rivers press release.

If it seems as though River City Days is no longer confined to three days at the end of July, you’re not imagining things.

Over the last year, long-time organizer Tim Sebenaler made a concerted effort to expand the annual festivities.

While most of the events are Friday, July 23 to Sunday, July 25, the past week has also been full of activities. “It’s not just a weekend, but also the week leading up to it,” Sebenaler said.