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Good day, Wayzata. This is Wayzata Scoop: the local newsletter that helps you survive the countdown to snow season.

In today’s Scoop:

• Wayzata's Light Up the Lake Returns Nov. 21 🎄

• Plymouth's Artisan Market Returns with Handmade Holiday Gift Solutions 🎁

• Toys for Tots Alert: Wayzata Collection Starts Nov. 21 🧸

• Lake Minnetonka DAR Transforms City Land Into Pollinator Habitat 🌷

Let’s gobble.

— Dustin Hart

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📢 TALK OF THE TOWN

Wayzata's Pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Kickoff: Light Up the Lake Nov. 21

Fair warning: Wayzata's moving its annual holiday kickoff one week earlier this year, so mark your calendars for the Friday BEFORE Thanksgiving instead of after.

Light Up the Lake hits Lake Street on Friday, Nov. 21 from 4:30-6:30 p.m., and it's the full holiday spectacular – horse-drawn wagon rides, reindeer photo ops, hot cider and treats, letters to Santa, strolling carolers, free glow wands, and the parade of lights featuring local fire departments rolling down Lake Street. The town lighting ceremony happens at 5:45 p.m. at Panoway, officially launching Wayzata into holiday mode.

For the kids: a candy hunt at 5 p.m. at Depot Park (ages 5 and under only), plus reindeer photos and glow wands all evening. For the adults: Muni refreshments at Panoway, which is code for "beverages that make standing outside in November tolerable."

The giving part: IOCP is hosting a food drive on Panoway, and Toys for Tots has a collection spot under the tree. Bring non-perishable food items and toys if you can – holiday spirit and community support in one convenient stop.

Bonus event: the Winter Medallion Hunt runs Nov. 10-14 with clues posted on wayzata.org, wayzatachamber.com, and social media. Kids 12 and under can hunt for the medallion, and whoever finds it first gets to light up Wayzata on Nov. 21. Email [email protected] with questions.

One magical evening, one week earlier than usual. Don't show up the wrong Friday.

Nov. 21, 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Lake Street. The Friday BEFORE Thanksgiving.

Plymouth Artisan Market: Where Your Holiday Shopping List Meets Local Creativity

If you're tired of buying mass-produced gifts from websites that start with "A" and end with "zon," Plymouth's about to give you better options.

The Plymouth Artisan Market hits Saturday, Nov. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Plymouth Community Center (14800 34th Ave. N), and it's exactly what holiday shopping should be: local vendors displaying and selling actual handmade goods. We're talking handmade soaps, fine art, pottery, candles, wall art, woodwork, jewelry, apparel – the kind of unique stuff you can't find by scrolling through algorithm-generated product pages.

This is early holiday shopping done right. You get to browse at a reasonable pace, talk to the actual people who made the things you're buying, and support local craftspeople instead of feeding corporate algorithms. Plus it's free to attend, so you can spend your money on gifts instead of admission tickets.

Seven hours to shop, zero entrance fees, maximum local impact. Whether you're tackling your entire gift list or just browsing for inspiration, the Artisan Market beats fighting parking lots at big box stores.

Free event, open to the public. The kind of shopping experience where "handmade" isn't just a marketing buzzword.

Nov. 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Plymouth Community Center. More info at plymouthmn.gov/artisanmarket.

Wayzata's Toys for Tots Kickoff: Where Police Cruisers Become Santa's Sleigh

Nothing says "holiday spirit" quite like watching 20 police departments parade through town with cruisers full of donated toys, lights blazing and sirens announcing Christmas is coming.

Wayzata Police Department's annual Toys for Tots collection launches at Light Up the Lake on Nov. 21 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Depot. Bring new, unwrapped toys for kids or teens and drop them off during the event. After Nov. 21, donations shift to City Hall and the Police Department through mid-December, so you've got multiple weeks and locations to contribute.

Here's where it gets good: once collection wraps, police from up to 20 departments load their cruisers with all the donated gifts, then convoy over to the KARE 11 Toys for Tots dropoff site – lights flashing, sirens wailing – arriving just in time for the 5 p.m. newscast. It's part logistics, part spectacle, all community impact.

So you're not just dropping off a toy at a collection box. You're contributing to a multi-department parade that turns public safety vehicles into gift delivery systems while making the evening news. That's next-level holiday coordination.

Bring toys to Light Up the Lake Nov. 21, or drop them at City Hall/PD through mid-December. Either way, you're part of the convoy.

Toys for Tots collection starts Nov. 21 at the Depot, continues through mid-December at City Hall and Wayzata PD.

DAR's New Pollinator Garden: Where Right-of-Way Becomes Butterfly Highway

Someone looked at an underutilized strip of city land and thought "bees and butterflies could use this more than weeds can," and now Wayzata has a new pollinator garden.

The Lake Minnetonka Daughters of the American Revolution's Conservation Committee, working with the City's Parks Department, just planted a pollinator garden on city right-of-way north of Ridgeview Drive and south of the Luce Line Trail. It's the kind of smart land use that checks multiple boxes: supports at-risk pollinators, promotes biodiversity, beautifies an otherwise forgettable strip of land, and gives bees and butterflies actual habitat instead of just ornamental flowers they can't use.

Charlotte Clark Jenkins, Chair of the Conservation Committee, explains it simply: "Pollinator gardening is one way that DAR can work with the community to provide food and habitat for our at-risk pollinators." Translation: we're losing pollinators at alarming rates, and gardens like this are one tangible way to push back against that trend while making the community look better.

The DAR plans to keep expanding the garden in future years, which means this isn't a one-time project – it's an ongoing commitment to making Wayzata more pollinator-friendly. Want to help? They're looking for volunteers at lakeminnetonkadar.org/contact-us.

Right-of-way land transformed into ecological infrastructure. Sometimes the best community projects are the ones you barely notice until someone points out what they're accomplishing.

New pollinator garden north of Ridgeview Drive, south of Luce Line Trail. Volunteer at lakeminnetonkadar.org/contact-us.

📖 QOTW (QUOTE OF THE WEEK)

"Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear." - George Addair

🌪️ WEATHER WATCH

Friday through Sunday is just three shades of gray clouds and misery – peak 'why do I live here' weather.

Thu 06 54°/31° Cloudy ☁️ | 💧2%

Fri 07 43°/28° Cloudy ☁️ | 💧18%

Sat 08 36°/22° Cloudy ☁️ | 💧15%

Sun 09 32°/21° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧15%

Mon 10 35°/29° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧5%

Tue 11 49°/35° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧1%

Wed 12 49°/30° Mostly Sunny 🌤️ | 💧3%

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