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Good day, Wayzata. This is Wayzata Scoop, the local newsletter that's actually keeping its resolution to show up for you.

In today’s Scoop:

• Feb. 7: Fire & Ice Returns with Llamas, Sled Dogs, and $500 in Prizes ❄️

• Special Open Play Alert: Two Monday Options for School Break Sanity ▶️

• Plymouth City Council Adopts Plan to Reduce Energy Use and Save Money ⚡️

• Plymouth History Center Hosts Year-Long Story Time for Elementary Kids 📕

Let’s rock.

— Dustin Hart

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📢 TALK OF THE TOWN

Plymouth's Fire & Ice Festival: 37 Years of Embracing Winter Instead of Fighting It

When you live in Minnesota, you can either spend February complaining about winter or you can lean into it with llamas, sled dogs, and fireworks. Plymouth chose the latter 37 years ago and hasn't looked back.

Fire & Ice hits Saturday, Feb. 7, from 3-6:30 p.m. at Plymouth Creek Playfield (3625 Fernbrook Lane N), featuring free ice skating, snowshoeing, sled dog rides, tube slides, a snow village, winter train rides, bonfires, a heated tent with bingo, and a snow play area for kids. There's also a llama meet-and-greet for photos, because apparently llamas and winter festivals go together. Food is available for purchase, and the whole thing wraps with fireworks at 6:30 p.m.

Parking at the playfield is accessible-only, but free shuttles run from Plymouth Community Center (14800 34th Ave. N) and City Hall (3400 Plymouth Blvd) with free parking at both locations. So basically, no excuses about parking hassles.

The medallion hunt starts Thursday, Jan. 8, with clues posted weekly on social media and plymouthmn.gov/fireandice through Jan. 29 or until someone finds it. First finder gets $250, no registration or fees required.

The coloring contest (Jan. 5-16) has six age categories from 3+ to adults, with downloadable sheets at plymouthmn.gov/fireandice. Plymouth residents only, any art supplies except computer editing. Drop off at City Hall or Community Center, or submit online by 4 p.m. Jan. 16. Winners announced Jan. 20, first place and runner-up in each category get gift cards.

New this year: backyard rink contest. Upload photos or videos of your homemade ice rink Jan. 5-16 at plymouthmn.gov/fireandice. City staff pick top three, visit them Jan. 26-30, winner gets $250. Plymouth residents only.

Extreme weather cancellations posted at plymouthmn.gov/fireandice or call 763-509-5205.

Feb. 7, 3-6:30 p.m. at Plymouth Creek Playfield. Free shuttles, free activities, $250 prizes for medallion and rink contests.

Plymouth's Special Open Play Days: Where $12 Buys Five Hours of Indoor Fun

When school's out and cabin fever hits maximum levels, Plymouth Community Center becomes the answer to "what are we supposed to do with the kids all day?"

Special Open Play Days hit Monday, Jan. 19 and Monday, Feb. 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Plymouth Community Center (14800 34th Ave. N), and for $12 per kid, you get access to the indoor playground, gym, and fieldhouse – which will be loaded with inflatables. It's five hours of supervised play where your children can burn energy while you realize how exhausting it is to actually supervise active kids for an extended period.

Important note: caregivers must stay and supervise children. This isn't drop-off childcare – it's pay-for-access play space where you're still on parent duty. But at least you're on parent duty somewhere warm with inflatables doing half the entertainment work.

Wristbands cost $12 and can be purchased at the Community Center. Regular tickets for individual playground and fieldhouse open play won't be sold during Special Open Play Days – it's all-access wristband or nothing.

Two Mondays, five hours each, $12 per kid. The kind of bargain that makes sense when the alternative is listening to "I'm bored" on repeat for an entire day off school.

Jan. 19 and Feb. 16, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Plymouth Community Center (14800 34th Ave. N). $12 wristbands at the door.

Plymouth's Energy Action Plan: Where Climate Goals Meet Lower Utility Bills

When a city adopts an environmental plan that actually saves residents money instead of just sounding good in press releases, that's worth paying attention to.

Plymouth City Council officially adopted the new Energy Action Plan in September, developed through community workshops and surveys with residents, business owners, and energy utilities (hosted by Xcel Energy's Partners in Energy program). It's not just top-down policy – it's a community-led vision for sustainable energy that focuses on education, engagement, and programs that actually help people reduce energy use while lowering bills.

The plan targets three main goals: help people reduce energy consumption and save money, increase energy efficiency in homes/businesses/multifamily buildings, and boost renewable energy support. Progress gets measured annually to ensure it's working, not just existing on paper. This aligns Plymouth with peer cities and state goals while promoting community sustainability and resilience – buzzwords that actually mean something when tied to measurable outcomes.

First step for residents: Home Energy Squad assessments. This Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy program (delivered by Minnesota Center for Energy and Environment and ICF) helps you identify energy-saving opportunities and installs low-cost materials to fix drafty doors, outdated thermostats, inefficient bulbs, and more. Free assessments available for income-qualified households.

Environmental policy that reduces your utility bills? That's the kind of municipal planning that works for everyone.

Get involved: email Environmental Stewardship Coordinator MK Anderson at [email protected].

Sign up for Home Energy Squad: plymouthmn.gov/homeenergysquad

Free Story Time + Hands-On Activities: Plymouth History Center 2026

When a local history center designs a year-long story time series that spans ice fishing, baby animals, Indigenous peoples, and space exploration, they're clearly not limiting themselves to "how Plymouth was founded."

The Plymouth History Center (3605 Fernbrook Lane N) is hosting free Story Time sessions at 10-10:30 a.m. on select Tuesdays throughout 2026, geared toward families with elementary-age kids. Each 30-minute session features a story read aloud plus a hands-on activity tied to the theme – so kids aren't just listening passively, they're actually engaging with concepts like pollinators, extreme weather, aviation, or camping through crafts and activities.

The 2026 lineup runs from ice fishing in January through winter activities in December, hitting topics like Winter Olympics, birds, flowers, rocks, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, local wildlife, trains, fruits and vegetables, bats, and Indigenous peoples along the way. It's the kind of thoughtfully diverse programming that treats Minnesota-specific topics (wildlife, farming) and broader educational themes (space, aviation) with equal weight.

No registration required, just show up. The History Center itself is worth exploring – housed in Plymouth's 1885 municipal building, it's open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays/Thursdays and first Saturdays, featuring rotating exhibits, a research room with old newspapers and yearbooks, audio recording space for oral history projects, historical photos and models, plus a city history timeline.

Free 30-minute sessions that teach kids about everything from pollination to Plymouth's past. That's public programming done right.

Select Tuesdays at 10 a.m., 3605 Fernbrook Lane N. Full schedule at plymouthmn.gov. Free, no registration required.

📖 QOTW (QUOTE OF THE WEEK)

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

🌪️ WEATHER WATCH

Rain chances are stuck in single digits most of the week – even precipitation is too cold to show up.

Wed 07 37°/25° AM Fog/PM Sun 💨 | 💧9%

Thu 08 35°/21° AM Fog/PM Clouds 💨 | 💧16%

Fri 09 31°/22° Mostly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧15%

Sat 10 24°/13° Mostly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧24%

Sun 11 28°/26° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧9%

Mon 12 37°/30° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧7%

Tue 13 36°/27° Mostly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧12%

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