by Madeline Kopiecki | Mar 1, 2026 | Arts, Education
A freelance photographer creates a coaching platform for fellow creatives. A photography education and mentorship program with global reach has local roots. Paul Weaver says his senior photo session with Maple Grove’s well-known Sandy Jones Photography sparked...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Mar 1, 2026 | Arts
Avalanche Arts lays the foundation for a new performing arts center. In October 2025, Danielle and Shane Vinup signed a 99 year lease with the City of Maple Grove. “We’re good through October 15 of 2124, which was really odd to write,” Shane says. “2124 felt pretty...
by Jennifer Pitterle | Mar 1, 2026 | Arts, Outdoors
A landscape artist incorporates rest and healing into his paintings. Last summer, painter Dan McAvey spent a week deep in the Sax-Zim Bog, an internationally known birding and conservation area in northern Minnesota. “The bog is dense with tons of trees and shrubs and...
by Avery Vrieze | Mar 1, 2026 | Arts
A springtime art show turns trash into treasure. After a hiatus, Maple Grove Arts Center’s (MGAC) The Green Show returns for its next installment from March 16–May 1 at MGAC’s new Grove Square mall location. Lise Spence-Parsons, president and treasurer of MGAC...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Mar 1, 2026 | Photo Contest
“No matter the subject or shooting location, I’m capturing a particular moment in time,” photographer Dean Scheidler says. “I’m happy to share my photos on social media so that others can enjoy the beauty of locations that they might not ever be able to visit in...
by Kate Wodtke | Mar 1, 2026 | Arts, History, Noteworthy
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then the thousands of pictures in the Jim Deane Photography Collection at the Maple Grove Historical Preservation Society’s museum undoubtedly speaks volumes. Capturing the evolution of Maple Grove from small town to vibrant...
by Emily Gedde | Mar 1, 2026 | Arts, People
Singer-songwriter Rebecca Aadland returns to the recording booth. Rebecca Aadland doesn’t just sing the songs she writes; she shares the life she’s lived. The Maple Grove singer-songwriter is busy working on her third album, an eclectic project that ultimately...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Mar 1, 2026 | Local Makers
Try a slice of something new. When looking at a Basque-style cheesecake for the first time, you’d be forgiven for thinking the cake was a bit, well, overdone. Its trademark exterior belies a rich, custardy interior. “Where this dessert really shines is in that...
by Hailey Almsted | Feb 3, 2026 | People, Sports
Meet those from the West Metro who have gold medal dreams. The Opening Ceremony for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games arrives on February 6, and the North Star State will be well represented in Italy. Minnesota is set to send the second-most amount of...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Jan 1, 2026 | Weddings
A bridal couple gets their wedding wish. “It was a dark and stormy morning.” It isn’t a great start to a story, much less a wedding day, but it was the reality Mariah (née Capocasa) Arko woke up to at 6 a.m. on August 16. “I was all frantic,” Mariah says. “I really...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Jan 1, 2026 | Uncategorized
Hello, neighbor! For the past four years as the editor of Plymouth Magazine, I’ve had the privilege of sharing stories about the social fabric that shapes life in Plymouth. I’m exceptionally excited to immerse myself in Maple Grove in the same way as the new editor of...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Jan 1, 2026 | Style, Weddings
Discover how to care for your wedding dress before, during and after the big day. A wedding dress will see brides through one of the most action-packed days of their lives. From first looks and photo shoots to walking down the aisle and twirling on the dance floor,...
by Kate Wodtke | Jan 1, 2026 | History, Noteworthy, Weddings
As Vera Anna Katherine Koch prepared to marry her sweetheart, Harold E. Schaefer, on October 20, 1935, the day was clear and sunny. Her soft velvet dress had been chosen specifically to keep her warm during what is usually a chilly time of year. Instead, the...
by Madeline Kopiecki | Jan 1, 2026 | Weddings
When Brooke (née Rogers) and Nick Vogt traveled across the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis on March 9, 2024, their path echoed that of their first date five years earlier. But what seemed like a stroll toward St. Anthony Main (and the couple’s favorite restaurant)...
by Avery Vrieze | Jan 1, 2026 | Noteworthy, Style, Weddings
The term “airbrushed makeup” can be daunting to brides and members of the wedding party, but Taylor McKinney of Maple Grove’s Taylor Marie Beauty is here to clear up some common misconceptions. It’s cakey. “Something I hear really consistently from our brides is that...
