One of the advantages of city-owned stores, said Jaime, is tight control over sales to under-age drinkers.

 

It’s a changing landscape for liquor operations, including new, large-scale competitors and Sunday sales. Eden Prairie’s operation is adjusting with an emphasis on customer service, loyalty programs, use of social media, and more. It’s also looking at online ordering and delivery; it’s a tiny percentage of liquor operations nationwide, but is growing.

 

The city asked residents quite a few questions about municipal liquor in its latest Quality of Life survey. The liquor operation had “strong” or “somewhat” support from 82 percent of those surveyed. And, while there’s a perception that prices are higher than at some privately owned stores outside Eden Prairie, the marks for customer service and product selection remain in the 87-94 percent range.

 

 

We welcomed our newest foreign-exchange student, Trini, who is from Argentina and arrived Aug. 14. Please contact Kevin Kraemer or Beth Kreusch if you can organize activities for Trini. Club members have been assigned to teams for selling tickets to the Oct. 7 Vino Classico; we’re also in need of more silent auction items. We did a club flag exchange with Adria, who is a Spanish exchange student visiting the club today. If you like craft beer, attend the Eden Prairie Community Foundation’s Prairie Brewfest on Sept. 9.

          

 

Bill Yeager, a retired minister, gave his vocational. Bill grew up on a farm in western Maryland. His family was unchurched and he attended a church service for the first time at age 17 – launching a career in theology. He graduated from the Harvard Divinity School and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1962, serving first in a small community in New Jersey – one made famous because of a recent visit by President Trump. He subsequently served at churches elsewhere in New Jersey and In North Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Michigan before moving to the Twin Cities, where he is near grandchildren. He is 86 and still actively enjoys hiking, biking, sailing, and traveling when he’s not volunteering as a conflict manager for the Presbyterian
Church.

 

Adam Sienkowski is happy to report that he’s the new father of a baby boy. Joe Stoebner is happy to celebrate a 52nd wedding anniversary with wife Carol. Josh Swanson is happy to be orienting 58 new Eden Prairie Schools’ teachers this week. Jeanne Zetah is happy about coming home from Arizona to enjoy summer weather as its intended to be.

 

Julie Kotchevan - Guest of Speaker

Alan Player - Apple Valley Rotarian

Adria Campas - Rotary Youth Exchange