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Good day, Wayzata. This is Wayzata Scoop: the local newsletter that's scarier than your Halloween decorations budget.

In today’s Scoop:

• Plymouth's Creating Low-Stimulation Space for Kids 🛝

• Free Pumpkin Decorating at Bachman's Oct. 18 (Supplies Included) 🎃

• Northwest Greenway Complete: Plymouth's 315-Acre Vision Finally Reality 🌳

• Free Trunk or Treat Oct. 26: Plymouth's Parking Lot Candy Solution 🍭

Let’s do it.

— Dustin Hart

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📢 TALK OF THE TOWN

Plymouth's Sensory-Friendly Sunday: Where Overstimulation Takes a Break

Sometimes the best community events are the ones designed for kids who find regular community events overwhelming.

Plymouth's hosting a free Sensory-Friendly Sunday Demo & Play Day on Oct. 26 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Plymouth Community Center (14800 34th Ave N), and it's thoughtfully designed for children who need a calmer environment. We're talking reduced attendance, dimmed lights, zero overhead music, and a dedicated sensory room for breaks. Kids get full access to the gymnasium and K.U.B.E. indoor playground, plus extra equipment like creative building blocks, sensory bins, tumbling gear, and sports equipment. Limited noise-cancelling headphones available too.

This month's event includes a special demo of the Young Athletes Program – a partnership between Special Olympics Minnesota and Anna Elder Homes that introduces kids ages 2-7 to sports through play. Equipment's provided, and parents can ask questions about the program while actually watching their kids try it out. No pressure, just exploration.

While the kids play, parents can grab coffee and pastries and actually talk to other adults who get it. Because sometimes the best part of these events is realizing you're not alone in navigating sensory needs.

Free admission to K.U.B.E. (sponsored by Anna Elder Homes), but registration required at plymouthmn.gov/specialevents. Two hours of low-stimulation play where everyone can just be themselves.

Oct. 26, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Plymouth Community Center. Where "inclusive" isn't just a buzzword.

Bachman's Hello Pumpkin Event: Buy a Gourd, Bedazzle It, Leave Happy

If you're going to spend $8 on a pumpkin anyway, might as well turn it into art while someone else provides all the supplies.

Bachman's is hosting Hello Pumpkin at all their locations on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the deal is simple: buy any pumpkin or gourd in-store, and they'll hand you carving tools, paint, glue, and creative inspiration. Then you just go to town. Carve it traditionally spooky, paint it weird and abstract, or bedazzle it into Instagram-worthy oblivion – whatever matches your pumpkin personality.

No RSVP needed, no age restrictions, no judgment about whether you're a carving purist or a hot-glue-gun enthusiast. Just show up, pick your pumpkin, and create something that'll either impress the neighbors or confuse them. Both outcomes are valid.

This is perfect for families who want a fall activity that doesn't involve driving to a farm and pretending to enjoy a corn maze, or for adults who genuinely enjoy seasonal crafts and refuse to apologize for it. Two hours of hands-on pumpkin decorating with all supplies provided? That's basically free entertainment once you factor in the pumpkin you were buying anyway.

Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at all Bachman's locations, including 10050 6th Ave N in Plymouth. Bring your creativity, leave with a masterpiece (or at least something orange).

Plymouth's 20-Year Trail Project Just Crossed the Finish Line (Literally)

Two decades, six phases, 315 acres, and countless city meetings later – the Northwest Greenway is finally complete.

Plymouth's celebrating the final phase completion with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. at the new boardwalk over the wetland near Juneau Lane and 57th Avenue N (navigate to 5709 Juneau Lane, park on 57th Avenue). This last stretch connected the remaining trail gap west of Juneau Lane to 57th Avenue, adding two boardwalks, a rest stop with bench, and a bike rack. Small details, but they're what transform "nature preserve" into "actually usable outdoor space."

Now the full vision is real: nearly 315 acres of wooded nature preserve with 7.7 miles of paved trails stretching roughly 2 linear miles from Lake Camelot east to the Northwest Greenway Pavilion and Challenge Course west. We're talking scenic overlooks, an open-air pavilion for gatherings, the Challenge Course, and connections to neighborhood parks, Plymouth Dog Park, Medicine Lake Regional Trail, Clifton E. French Regional Park, and Elm Creek Park Reserve. It's basically Plymouth's answer to "where should we go outside today?"

The whole thing started with a 2006 voter-approved $9 million referendum to acquire land and preserve open space. Then unfolded in phases from 2015 to 2025 with two goals: preserve high-quality natural resources (creating wildlife corridors through wetlands and woods) while offering recreational opportunities for humans. Both missions accomplished.

Twenty years from vision to reality. Not bad for government work.

Oct. 21, 5 p.m. ribbon cutting. Map and access info at plymouthmn.gov/nwgreenway.

Messiah Church's Trunk or Treat: Halloween Without the Neighborhood Walk

When you want the candy haul without logging miles through subdivisions, parking lot trick-or-treating is the answer.

Messiah United Methodist Church is hosting free Trunk or Treat on Sunday, Oct. 26 from 10:45 a.m. to noon in their parking lot (17805 County Road 6, Plymouth). It's the classic setup: decorated car trunks loaded with candy, kids in costumes going trunk-to-trunk instead of door-to-door, and all the Halloween fun compressed into 75 minutes. Add Halloween games, donuts, and cider, and you've got a complete fall morning without the logistical nightmare of tracking kids across multiple streets.

Costumes encouraged but not required, which is code for "wear whatever makes you happy." The event's open to everyone – church member or not – because good Halloween spirit shouldn't require membership dues. And if weather decides to be typical Minnesota in late October, they'll just move everything inside so rain can't ruin the fun.

This is peak efficient Halloween: controlled environment, guaranteed candy, bonus refreshments, and you're done by lunch. Parents get community time, kids get sugar, everyone wins.

Free event, free parking, free donuts. Sometimes the best community gatherings are the simplest ones.

Oct. 26, 10:45 a.m. to noon at Messiah Church parking lot. Rain or shine, candy will flow. More info at MessiahChurch.org.

📖 QOTW (QUOTE OF THE WEEK)

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde

🌪️ WEATHER WATCH

Tuesday crashes the party at 50° like 'hey remember me? I'm actual fall.'

Thu 16 69°/62° Cloudy ☁️ | 💧24%

Fri 17 70°/48° AM Clouds/PM Sun 🌤️ | 💧15%

Sat 18 62°/40° Mostly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧9%

Sun 19 58°/39° Sunny ☀️ | 💧3%

Mon 20 63°/43° Mostly Sunny 🌤️ | 💧6%

Tue 21 50°/35° Mostly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧23%

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