August 10, 2016 eNews


Thanks for an awesome festival!

Mother Nature served up a perfect summer evening for approximately 2,000 area residents to join us at Armatage park to enjoy our 20th summer festival! You can see some photos on our website or Facebook (more to come!) and please share your photos, too!

We also were given a digital goody bag for everyone to enjoy. Check it out!

This event takes dozens of volunteers, and we can’t thank them enough for all of their help. Plus, we have the best park crew — thanks to all their hard work! If you have an ideas for our 2017 summer festival, or would like to get involved in helping making it happen, please contact our coordinator (info below).



Police activity overnight near 54th/Xerxes

Update about police activity in Armatage last night from our police liaison, Jennifer W.

At approximately 11:30 pm last night Minneapolis police were called to assist Edina Police on a chase. They were pursuing a stolen vehicle that came near 54th/Xerxes, but originally started in Richfield. The occupants fled from the vehicle near 54/Xerxes. Suspects were two 13-14 year old males. Several officers were out, including K9 and the State Patrol Helicopter. After over an hour of searching it doesn’t sound like any arrests were made though, unfortunately.


Burglary Trend

Protect Yourself from Home Burglaries

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office extends a warning to residents in Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Edina, St. Louis Park, Bloomington and the neighboring communities about a recent home burglary trend.

The Sheriff’s Office has analyzed information from dozens of home burglaries that show a recent spike in several communities in Hennepin County. The thieves in the recent home break-ins appear to be gaining access into homes from attached garages.

Based on reports from several home burglaries, it appears the thieves will do one of the following:

  • Remove garage door openers from vehicles parked in driveways (unlocked vehicles and locked vehicles) or open garage doors using a vehicle’s built-in home-link transmitter
  • Enter a garage though an already open garage door
  • Kick-in an exterior garage service door

Once the burglars have access to the garage, they will enter the home through the interior garage access door.

These types of home break-ins have been reported at all times of day and night, and both when individuals are home and away.

Once the thieves have access to a home, they will target small, yet highly valuable items such as cash, wallets, purses, and jewelry. In several instances, homeowners did not initially realize they had been the target of a home burglary due to the lack of evidence of a forced entry.

Tips to avoid becoming a target of home burglary:

  • Always lock your vehicles when parked in a driveway or garage
  • Protect your vehicles with an anti-theft device if not already equipped with one
  • Secure your garage door openers in your house when possible
  • Do not leave your garage door openers visible in your vehicles
  • Close your garage doors when not home or when the garage is not in plain view
  • Lock exterior service doors to garages – reinforce service doors with security bars or deadbolts if possible
  • Lock interior access doors that lead into houses – reinforce access doors with deadbolts if possible
  • Lock home entry doors when you are not home