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🍨 Four events that say "okay, it's summer now"

🍨 Four events that say "okay, it's summer now"

Dustin Hart
May 22, 2026

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Good day, Wayzata. This is Wayzata Scoop, the local newsletter that's hotter than your Memorial Day grill game.

In today’s Scoop:

Wayzata's summer kicks off June 10 with hot dogs, magic, and a dance floor 🌭
The Plymouth Farmers Market is back June 17 🥬
Turtle Fest 2026 takes over French Regional Park on May 31 🐢
Plymouth's free Plant Swap returns June 1 🌺

Let’s do it.

— Dustin Hart

📢 TALK OF THE TOWN

The Wayzata Community Church lawn party returns June 10

Summer in Wayzata officially starts when someone hands you a hot dog on a church lawn. It's the rule.

Wayzata Community Church is throwing a Summer Kick-Off on the Lawn on Wednesday, June 10 from 5:00–7:45 p.m., and it's exactly what it sounds like: a relaxed, come-and-go evening designed to mark the official "okay, it's actually summer now" moment. It's free, all ages welcome, and parked right out front by the Main/Chapel entrance at 125 Wayzata Blvd E.

Here's the run of show:

5:00 p.m. — Hot dogs from Von Hanson's. Show up hungry.
5:45 p.m. — All-ages magic show with Tony Ducklow, one of the Twin Cities' go-to magicians. Kids will be wide-eyed; adults will quietly try to figure out how he did it.
After the magic — PowerTap takes the stage with a high-energy mix of '80s rock, country favorites, and power ballads. The dance floor is open, and if "Don't Stop Believin'" doesn't get at least one impromptu choir going, something has gone wrong.

Running in the background all evening: Adele's Frozen Custard (the real headliner, let's be honest), plus lawn games and activities for kids.

The whole thing is built for come-and-go energy — drop in for an hour, stay for the full three, whatever fits your night. Just bring a lawn chair or blanket and let summer take it from there.

See you on the grass.

plymouthmn.gov

Plymouth Farmers Market returns to Parkers Lake (mostly) June 17

If you've been waiting for the official "yes, it's summer" signal, here it is: the Plymouth Farmers Market opens for the season on Wednesday, June 17.

The market runs 2–6 p.m. every Wednesday through September 30, and the home base is Parkers Lake Playfield at 15500 County Road 6. The exceptions to know: on July 15, August 12, and September 16, the market relocates to Plymouth Boulevard in the Plymouth City Center — same vibe, different ZIP. Worth checking before you load up the canvas tote.

What's on the table: fresh produce, prepared foods, and handcrafted items from local vendors. The lineup is the kind that rewards showing up early (the good tomatoes don't last) and walking the whole loop before you commit to anything.

A few practical notes worth tucking into the tote:

Bring cash. Some vendors take cards, but plenty are cash-only.
SNAP shoppers can use their EBT card at the City of Plymouth booth to purchase tokens, which then work like cash with participating vendors. Solid program, easy process.
Dogs stay home (service dogs welcome). Yes, even the very good ones.
Handwashing stations are on-site — use them.

Fifteen Wednesdays. Three locations. One reliable rhythm to your summer afternoons.

Turtle Fest returns to French Regional Park May 31

Sunday, May 31 is officially turtle day in Plymouth — and we are fully on board.

Turtle Fest 2026 lands at French Regional Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and yes, it's exactly the kind of niche, oddly wholesome event that makes summer in the Three Rivers Park District feel like a gift. Bring the kids, bring the dad-who-secretly-loves-turtles, bring whoever in your life needs a slow Sunday spent admiring a creature that has had this whole "life on Earth" thing figured out for 200 million years.

Here's what's on the docket: meet live turtles up close, spot them in their natural habitats, and chat with the organizations whose entire mission is turtle stewardship (these folks are the most enthusiastic experts you'll talk to all year — guaranteed). There are boat outings to see turtles from the water, plus creative turtle-themed projects for kids who want to bring home crafts that aren't just another popsicle-stick frame.

Five hours, one park, infinite turtle content. It's free to attend, it's family-friendly, and it's the kind of day that ends with someone in your car saying "I had no idea turtles were so cool." (Spoiler: they really are.)

More info: threeriversparks.org/TurtleFest

If your Sunday calendar is open, fill it with turtles.

plymouthmn.gov

Plymouth gardeners, mark June 1 on the calendar

If your perennial garden has slowly turned into a perennial takeover, the city has a fix.

The City of Plymouth Plant Swap is back Monday, June 1 from 4–6 p.m. at the Plymouth Maintenance Facility parking lot (14900 23rd Ave. N.) — and it's exactly the kind of low-key, no-money-changes-hands event that gardeners quietly love. Bring what you've got too much of, leave with something new. Repeat next spring.

The rules are refreshingly simple. Pot up your extras, label them with the common name, and head over. Perennials are the main event, but you can also swap seeds and gardening wares — pots, tools, books, the orphaned trowel collecting dust in your garage. Anything a fellow gardener might actually use.

One important heads-up before you load the trunk: jumping worms. They're an invasive earthworm species that wreck soil structure, plant roots, and mulch, and they hitch rides in potted plants more often than you'd think. Give your soil a quick once-over before bringing anything to swap, and check what you're taking home, too. The Minnesota DNR has a full rundown on how to spot them — worth the two-minute read.

Questions? City Forester Paul Buck is your guy at 763-509-5944.

Two hours. Free plants. Possibly a new favorite hosta. Easy Monday math.

📖 QOTW (QUOTE OF THE WEEK)

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman

🌪️ WEATHER WATCH

Tuesday hits 90° like Memorial Day weekend decided to go full peak July on us.

Fri 22 62°/55° Cloudy ☁️ | 💧24%

Sat 23 70°/53° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧10%

Sun 24 79°/58° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧21%

Mon 25 87°/64° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧20%

Tue 26 90°/64° Mostly Sunny 🌤️ | 💧13%

Wed 27 88°/64° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧24%

Thu 28 86°/65° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧24%

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