Swim safety reminders for Fourth of July

The summer heat has many families finding relief in the pool or the lake, but before you hit the water there are important safety measures to keep in mind. Jon Foss, the co-founder of FOSS Swim School joined the Fox 9 Morning News to discuss water safety and when to think about enrolling your kids in swim lessons.

Universal School Meals law begins July 1

Starting July 1st Minnesota K-12 students in public schools will be eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch through a new state law. State Sen. Heather Gustafson authored the bill. She joined the Fox 9 Morning News to discuss what the measure means for families.

Fourth of July in Chanhassen

The City of Chanhassen is celebrating Fourth of July in a big way. The city is hosting their 40th annual 4th of July Celebration. The fun begins Sunday, July 2nd and it ends with a massive fireworks show on Tuesday night. Mayor Elise Ryan joined the Fox 9 Morning news to chat about the event.

Cooks of Crocus Hill, Bellecour Bakery have merged

It’s official, Cooks of Crocus Hill and Bellecour Bakery have merged to become Cooks | Bellecour. Along with the new name, the team behind the brands have opened a third location in Edina. The shop is on Market Street in the 50th & France shopping district. Like the North Loop and St. Paul locations, it will offer cooking classes, kitchen retail and a bakery counter with the Bellecour staples. The owners, Marie Dwyer, Karl Benson and Chef Gavin Kaysen call it a fully immersive culinary experience. The Edina shop is open seven days a week and is located at 3934 Market St.

Kids create battlescape out of cardboard

Adventures in Cardboard traces its beginnings to 2010. Since then, it’s grown immensely adding multiple locations and themes. Throughout this summer, 4,200 kids from the metro will spend a week at cardboard camp. We visited one of the camps happening at Central Park in South Bloomington. There were 100 kids running through the woods with cardboard weapons and armor playing an amped-up version of capture the flag. They also spent the week building a village with a giant cardboard castle. The camp combines theatrics, hands-on creative building and open play in natural places.

Lake Minnetonka's new boat-up restaurant

There’s a new restaurant to dine lakeside. Lost Bay on Tonka Bay has a tropical tiki vibe and stunning lake views. It will be a seasonal restaurant in the Caribbean Marina on Lake Minnetonka because there’s no indoor seating though there is a covered area. Lost Bay is from the Innerbloom Hospitality team. They run many popular spots like Macanda, Josephina and Yumi. The restaurant took over the space from Tequila Butcher. They are open seven days a week. Diners can boat up or drive up and the patio is dog-friendly.

Cottage Grove opens kid-friendly coffee shop

The Little Village is both a coffee shop and a safe space for kids to play and get creative. It’s located in the Shoppes at Gateway North. Right inside the doors, is the coffee shop and a retail area with kids clothing and toys. Also in the building, a modern indoor play area for kids 0-6. It does cost to use the space and there’s drop-in pricing, but also monthly passes. The coffee shop is open seven days a week. The play space has some times that closed for open play and are dedicated to workshops, so check the hours before visiting.

Excelsior sleepaway camp begins its 99th season

It’s summer camp season and one located in the west metro is in its 99th season. Camp Fire Minnesota in Excelsior opened up in 1924 as an all-girls camp. Today it’s inclusive to all young people. The camp is located on the shores of Lake Minnewashta and offers both day camp and sleepaway options. While there have been many updates and renovations to the buildings, camp life hasn’t changed that much, even in the age of technology. There are no cellphones at camp, which the counselors-in-training say is a challenge. Instead they dive into books and make plenty of friendship bracelets.

Jersey Boys at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre

Some of your favorite juke box tunes are coming to the stage at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Jersey Boys follows the evolution of four blue-collar kids who became one of the greatest names in pop-music history. The show runs through February 24th.

Snake Discovery Center opens in Maplewood

With nearly three million subscribers, Emily Roberts is a hit on YouTube. She creates educational videos about her reptiles at the Snake Discovery Center in Maplewood. Most of her creatures are rescues. There’s a pair of Boa Constrictors who survived a house fire, and an alligator who spent 27 years in an enclosure that was too small, stunting her growth. Emily’s videos took off in the pandemic and the revenue from that allowed her to build the Snake Discovery Center. Her most popular videos are of baby snakes hatching. In fact, one of her hognose snakes just laid 24 eggs. Starting in July the center will be open seven days a week. Guided tours are available at no additional cost at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour tips

FOX 9's Digital Marketing Lead and resident Swiftie, Addy Van Pelt, stopped by Good Day to break down everything you need to know for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

Cats of the Wedge Tour...touring the cats of the Wedge

Don’t be alarmed if you see large groups of people wandering the Wedge Neighborhood in Minneapolis looking in windows, they just want to see your cats. After a year hiatus, the Cats of the Wedge Tour is back. Wedge resident John Edwards started the popular event seven years ago. He got the idea after many walks admiring the architecture and noticing a sizeable volume of cats in the windows. Even though he’s more of a dog guy and doesn’t own a cat, Edwards started snapping pics for his Wedge Live Instagram account and the rest is history. The Cat Tour begins at 6pm on June 21st. The meeting location is Mueller Park at 25th and Bryant Ave South.

Mirage Performing Arts debuts new show

A Twin Cities based group of performance artists known for putting on innovative shows in unconventional locations is debuting a new piece called Two by Two. The show from Mirage Performing Arts involves creative choreography for the dancers and musicians. The name of the show is meaningful as it will take place on two nights with two dancers and two pianists. Tickets are available on the EventBrite website. DATES: June 20th at 7:00pm June 21st at 7:00pm LOCATION: Antonello Hall MacPhail Center for Music