The Wayzata Fire Department will hold its annual Pancake Breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, Sept. 20, at Wayzata City Hall, 600 Rice St. E.
Firefighters will serve pancakes, French toast and sausage, along with coffee and juice. The morning will also include a raffle and an opportunity for visitors to see fire trucks and meet members of the department.
The breakfast is free and open to the public. Free-will donations will be accepted, with proceeds benefiting the Wayzata Fire Relief Association, which supports department equipment needs and firefighter retirement benefits.
Breck handed the Wayzata girls tennis team its first loss of the season Wednesday, edging the Trojans 4-3 in a matchup of two of the area’s top teams.
Wayzata, playing without three regulars, swept all three doubles matches in straight sets. Breck answered by sweeping singles, including comeback wins after dropping the first set at No. 1 and No. 3 singles.
The Mustangs improved to 6-1, while the Trojans fell to 9-1.
Wayzata scored four touchdowns in less than seven minutes during the second quarter on its way to a 38-14 win over Edina Sept. 10 at Wayzata High School.
The Trojans intercepted three Edina passes during the second quarter, with each turnover leading to a Wayzata touchdown. The victory moved Wayzata to 2-0 after the Trojans finished 1-8 last season.
Wayzata travels to St. Michael-Albertville tonight, Sept. 18, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The video above is from CCX Media, with Jay Wilcox reporting.
Students and staff were evacuated from Wayzata West Middle School Thursday morning after an electrical fire broke out in a first-floor bathroom.
No students or staff members were injured in the Sept. 17 fire at the school, 149 Barry Ave. N. Two adults were evaluated at the scene for possible smoke inhalation and released by North Memorial Health paramedics.
According to the City of Wayzata, a Wayzata Police Department school resource officer notified Hennepin County Dispatch of the fire at approximately 9:40 a.m.
Wayzata police and firefighters responded, and the school was evacuated while crews dealt with the fire.
The Hennepin County Fire Investigation Team later determined that the fire began in the ceiling and was electrical in origin. Investigators found no indication of suspicious or criminal activity.
Wayzata firefighters were assisted by the Plymouth, Shoreline and West Suburban fire departments, along with the Plymouth Police Department and other emergency personnel.
Wayzata’s Big Woods Preserve will receive national recognition Sept. 24 when the 14-acre woodland is formally inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network.
The preserve will become the first site in Minnesota to receive the organization’s “Community Forest” designation, reserved for forests with particularly close ties to their surrounding communities. Eight other Minnesota forests are already part of the broader network.
A public ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at the Big Woods Preserve trailhead, 1223 Wayzata Blvd. E., just east of Colonial Square. Remarks from City of Wayzata and Old-Growth Forest Network staff will be followed by a half-mile, family-friendly interpretive hike.
“It’s hard to overstate the significance of these woods,” said Wayzata City Forester Bennett Myhran. “An intact Big Woods ecosystem is a rare thing today, especially within a developed area. It’s incredible to see what’s become of this community conservation effort.”
The preserve is one of the remaining pieces of the hardwood forest that once covered a large portion of central Minnesota. Sugar maples and basswood dominate the woods, with native wildflowers appearing in the spring and a dense canopy covering much of the property during the summer.
The name has deep roots in Wayzata history. Early accounts of the community describe settlers making their way to Lake Minnetonka through the heavily wooded country known as the Big Woods. Much of that forest was later cleared as settlement and development spread across the area.
The surviving Wayzata property faced a different future in the early 2000s. The land was part of the former Sisters of the Cenacle property, and preservation efforts followed plans to sell the larger site. Fourteen acres were ultimately protected in 2004 through an effort involving Wayzata residents, private donors and The Retreat, which occupies the Tudor-style former Cenacle building surrounded by the preserve.
Today, the Big Woods is a Wayzata city park with a rustic walking trail tucked between Wayzata Boulevard, Colonial Square and the development surrounding Interstate 394.
The Old-Growth Forest Network is working to identify and recognize protected forests throughout the country, with a goal of having at least one in every forested county in the United States. The organization now includes more than 350 forests nationwide.
Parking at the Big Woods trailhead is limited. Additional parking for the Sept. 24 ceremony will be available at Colonial Square on Wayzata Boulevard.
The Wayzata girls soccer team suffered its first loss of the season Tuesday, falling 2-1 to rival Edina.
Edina took a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first half when Mikaela Caverly intercepted an errant Wayzata pass and set up Grace Gady for the goal.
Wayzata tied the match midway through the second half. Etta Foster sent in a corner kick that was deflected into the net by Morgan Bryant.
The Hornets scored the game-winner with two minutes remaining. Gady’s corner kick was knocked off the crossbar before Ainsley Graves headed in the rebound.
Memorial along Lake Street honors Wayzata native Gordy Aamoth Jr., victims and first responders
WAYZATA, Minn. — Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Wayzata’s 9/11 Memorial at Panoway on Wayzata Bay continues to provide a place for the community to remember those who were lost.
Located near Broadway and Lake Street, the memorial honors the victims, survivors and first responders of 9/11, with a special connection to Wayzata native Gordon “Gordy” Aamoth Jr., who was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center.
Aamoth was working on the 104th floor of the South Tower when the building was struck and later collapsed. His family worked with the community to ensure the Wayzata memorial would recognize not only Gordy, but all those affected by the attacks.
The memorial was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2021, marking the 20th anniversary of the attacks. Its design includes a grove of nine paper birch trees and two long granite elements intended to evoke both the number 11 and the silhouette of the Twin Towers.
The memorial also incorporates artifacts connected to the World Trade Center and was designed as a quiet place where visitors can sit, look toward Lake Minnetonka and reflect.
The documentary below tells the story of the memorial and Minnesotans whose lives were directly touched by Sept. 11.
The memorial stands within the Birch Grove at Panoway, just east of Broadway Plaza.
Tuesday marks the ninth anniversary of the line-of-duty death of Wayzata Police Officer William “Bill” Mathews.
Officer Bill Mathews. File photo.
Mathews was killed Sept. 8, 2017, after being struck by an impaired and distracted driver while responding to a 911 call to remove debris from Highway 12.
Wayzata Police Memorial image courtesy Wayzata Police Department Facebook page.
Mathews is remembered at the Wayzata Police Memorial outside City Hall, along with Sgt. James W. Anderson, who was killed in the line of duty in 1982.
Last season, Wayzata girls XC team was rated number one, not just in the state, but the entire country. Fresh off an undefeated season, and winning Conference, Sections, State, Nike Regionals, and Nike Nationals in Oregon in December, many thought that was the end of the Wayzata dynasty. 6 of the 7 runners were seniors, leaving only one freshman as a returner. Pre-season rankings had the girls barely cracking the top 10 in the state, deeming it a “rebuilding year”. But as the saying goes, never count Wayzata out.
This year’s season started on Thursday with the St. Olaf High School Showcase, and these Trojans were ready to show everyone that they are ready to carry on the winning tradition. Wayzata won the invitational in true form by over 50 points to the second place team, Northfield. Other Lake Conference teams competing included Minnetonka, Hopkins, and Buffalo.
Sabrina Shreshta and Faith Sundet leading Trojans to a meet win. Photo Candice Leddy.
2 new comers, both sophomores coming from other sports last year, were Faith Sundet who won the meet with a 19:00, and Sabrina Shrestha at a 19:22. Sienna Blomberg, a senior, exploded on the scene with a 2 minute PR at a 19:26, followed by the National team returner another sophomore, Alissa Ledman at a 19:48. Three juniors continued the great finishes with Naoko, or “Koko” Neitz coming in at a 20:14, Adele Stark at a 20:25, and Cody Riddering at a 20:31. Three more newcomers, sophomore Brianna Ledman finished in a 20:34, followed by 2 freshman, Eve Lofgren and Olivia Cahill to round out the top 10 finishers for Wayzata. Add junior Laney Grandberg in there at a 20:44, and you have 11 girls that all went sub 21 minutes in the first race of the season.
Rachel Frank, Naomi Jones, Elle Tupa, and Saige Schmidt holding steady at the 2k mark. Photo Candice Leddy.
When asked about the team’s hopes for the season, Alissa Ledman stated “We have a lot of young talent that no one was expecting. It’s going to be a really fun season, and we’re all learning together. We may not have the experience racing that some of the other teams have, but we trust our coaches to talk us through the process, and are confident in this team’s ability to stick together.”
Come support the girls team at the next meet on Thursday, Sept 10th at Steve Michaud Park in Lakeville which will put them up against other top ranked teams in the state.
Senior Sienna Blomberg hitting a PR. Photo Candice Leddy.Freshman Olivia Cahill sprinting to the finish line. Photo Candice Leddy.
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