Wellness

Hoofbeats and Healing

How Gateway Meadows helps veterans — and kids — heal one session at a time. Article by Antara Murdeshwar | Photography by Julie Chappell Photography, Kiera Mount Horses are notoriously poor conversationalists. Yet for many veterans who arrive at Gateway Meadows in Dayton, they turn out to be surprisingly good listeners. What Gateway Meadows Is Twelve miles northwest of Maple Grove, tucked among rolling fields and far enough from the noise of everyday life that you can hear yourself think...

Local Services

The House on Bass Lake Road

One family. One house. One gift they never expected. Article by Jenny Floria | Photography by Provided Early in their marriage, Jennie and Shane Swenson drove past Crescent Cove regularly. The house sat tucked behind a tree-lined driveway in Brooklyn Center, and Shane, curious, looked it up online. It was a home for children with life-limiting conditions. He kept driving. "We had no idea that one day we would be one of those families who need Crescent Cove," he says. That was before...

Finance + Legal Services

Your Car Payment Changed Someone's Day

How Magnifi Financial turns everyday banking into community impact Article by Lauren Dahl | Photography by Julie Chappell Photography Somewhere in Maple Grove right now, a kid is covered in glitter. This is not a crisis. This is Camp Arbor — five weeks, free of charge, held every summer at the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, where children ages 4 through 12 spend their days doing arts, crafts, and games and come home looking like they lost a fight with a craft store. Magnifi Financial Credit Union...

Health + Wellness

The Race That Starts Before Anyone Falls Apart

One race. One cause. One morning you won't regret. Article by Kristy Sellers Fair warning: the Thumbs Up 5K has been known to cause unexpected feelings of community spirit. Consult your calendar immediately. On September 19th, families across Maple Grove will lace up their shoes for a 5K that delivers on two things most events can only promise one of: a genuinely good time and a genuinely good cause. We’re talking kids crossing finish lines like they just qualified for the Olympics...

Entertainment

The Slides Are Enormous. The Screaming Is Optional. (It Won't Be.)

Maple Grove's indoor action park is never not a good idea. Article by Kristi Sellers | Photography by Slick City There is a moment — and if you have been to Slick City Action Park, you know exactly the moment — where a grown adult stands at the top of a four-story dry slide, looks down, and has a very brief but very serious conversation with every decision that led them to this point. The kids behind them are not having this conversation. The kids behind them have already decided. What...

Home Services

College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving

Full-Service Moving • Hourly Moving Services • Junk Removal • Donation Pickup • General Labor Article by David Scheller Do you want careless and disengaged movers to haphazardly schlep your neat stuff across town – or cross country? Or do you want junk removal by people who don’t give a fig about recycling, and would enthusiastically chuck old refrigerators into Fish Lake if they thought they could get away with it? Then you need College LUNKS! Leave them a message today if you would like...

Health + Wellness

The First Step Is Feeling Comfortable

Helping clients slow down, reset, and reconnect with their overall well-being. Article by Kristi Sellers | Photography by Ryan Siemers Photography For many people, the hardest part of trying something new in wellness is not the service itself. It is walking through the door for the first time. That is especially true when the service is personal, unfamiliar, or something people may have questions about before scheduling. At LifeCleanse of Anoka, owner Kim Berger understands that. Her goal is...

Entertainment

Where Summer Slows Down

MarineMax helps Minnesota families feel confident, connected, and at home on the water. Article by Haley Asanovich | Photography by Ryan Siemers Photography In Minnesota, summer is measured in lake days. It sounds like docks creaking in the morning sun, kids jumping off the back of a pontoon, and boats gliding across the water on a warm Friday evening. For many locals, getting out on the lake is more than recreation. It is the rhythm of the season. According to TJ Ortmann, General Manager of...

Food + Beverage

Nautical Bowls Hits the Road

Maple Grove’s favorite bowls are rolling into summer events, festivals, and community gatherings. Article by Kristi Sellers | Photography by Ryan Siemers Photography There are certain things that just belong at a Minnesota summer event: sunscreen, lawn chairs, kids in jerseys, someone asking where the bathrooms are, and at least one person wondering if dinner can be cold, colorful, and covered in fresh fruit. This summer, Nautical Bowls is answering that question on wheels. The Maple Grove...

Travel

IT’S THE SILENCE

Inside Chalet Blu, a handcrafted retreat hidden in Wisconsin’s Blue Hills Article by Tim Doran | Photography by Provided The first thing you notice at Chalet Blu isn’t the towering black ceiling or the dramatic wall of windows stretching toward the trees. It’s the silence. The kind interrupted only by crackling bonfires, distant loons, wind through white pines, and snow falling softly beyond the glass. Tucked into Wisconsin’s Blue Hills, the striking black chalet feels less like a rental...