Sports Fans Have Some Tough Choices Thursday

High school sports fans have no shortage of games to choose from Thursday.

For the Skippers, the evening is filled with a trio of varsity home games. The girls’ soccer team kicks off the action at 3 p.m. when it takes on Benilde-St. Margaret’s at Einer Anderson Field. At 5 p.m., girls’ swimming and diving will challenge Edina at the Minnetonka Middle School East Aquatic Center. And the football team will round out the action with a 7 p.m. game against Bloomington Jefferson at Einer Anderson Field.

Royals’ action is spread further afield but offers even more options. Boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams will travel to the Little Falls Golf Course for an invitational meet that begins at 3:50 p.m. The girls’ tennis team will take on Edina at 4 p.m. at the Edina Community Center. Girls’ soccer will confront Edina at home at 5 p.m. The girls’ swimming and diving team will challenge Wayzata at 5 p.m. at the Plymouth Life Time Fitness. And both the volleyball team and boys’ soccer team will face Edina at home at 7 p.m.

Other news you should know about today:

• Learn how to grow fruit in your backyard: Rebecca Koetter managed demonstration plots covering different methods of fruit production for the home gardener at the Urban Forestry and Horticulture Research Institute at the University of Minnesota. From 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Thursday, she’ll speak at Minnetonka City Hall during a workshop on backyard fruit growing. The first hour will cover species selection and fruit growing basic. The second will cover basic care and ways to manage and identify the most common types of insects and diseases. Learn more here.
• Get to know Minnesota’s geologic history: The West Metro Chapter of Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteers will offer a free presentation on “Minnesota Agates, Erratics, Rivers and Lakes” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Minnetonka Community Center. Presenter Steve Paulsen—a volunteer geology teacher for Three Rivers Park District and a former Badlands National Park Ranger with degrees in geology and computer science—will discuss important Minnesota geology.