March Maple Magic
A shiny new ice rink opens in Maple Grove tonight, plus free egg hunts, maple syrup festivals, and glow skating — it's a packed few weeks in the northwest suburbs!
March Maple Magic 🍁
Issue #2 — Week of March 16, 2026
Hey neighbors! Spring is technically around the corner, but we're going out with a bang in the northwest suburbs this week. There's a brand-new ice rink opening tonight, free sock parties, maple syrup festivals, egg hunts with 20,000 eggs, and a pool party that'll make you forget it's still technically winter. Let's get into it!
🎉 This Week (And Beyond)
Maple Grove Community Center Phase One Ribbon Cutting
Date: Monday, March 16 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Maple Grove Community Center, TruStone Rink, 12951 Weaver Lake Rd (Maple Grove)
Cost: Free
The big moment is finally here! After more than a year of construction, Maple Grove's brand-new third sheet of ice — the TruStone Rink — is officially opening tonight. The ribbon cutting kicks off at 5:30 PM, and public open skate begins at 6:00 PM. This is a huge deal for our community — the $116 million Phase One expansion turned the arena from two rinks to three. Lace up and be part of history!
📎 I-94 West Chamber of Commerce – Event Details
Family Storytime at Maple Grove Library
Date: Tuesdays & Wednesdays, ongoing through April | Morning sessions (check site for exact times)
Location: Maple Grove Library, 8001 Main St N (Maple Grove)
Cost: Free
This is your low-key, no-pressure weekday win. The Maple Grove branch of Hennepin County Library runs Family Storytime multiple times a week — songs, books, rhymes, and movement for kids of all ages with their caregivers. No registration required for most sessions. Just show up, find a cozy spot on the carpet, and let the kids wiggle it out.
📎 Hennepin County Library – Maple Grove Events
Rogers Winter Farmers Market — The Last One of the Season!
Date: Wednesday, March 18 | 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Location: 21st Century Bank Event Center Parking Lot, 12716 Main Street (Rogers)
Cost: Free to attend
This is your last chance to hit the Rogers Winter Farmers Market before they pack up until May! Local makers, homemade goodies, and a bunch of friendly faces at the 21st Century Bank Event Center — right in the heart of Rogers. It's a great quick stop after school or work. Stock up on those locally made treats one more time before the warm-weather outdoor market season begins.
📎 City of Rogers – Winter Farmers Market
Rock Your Socks: World Down Syndrome Day Celebration
Date: Saturday, March 21 | 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Maple Grove Community Center, 12951 Weaver Lake Rd (Maple Grove)
Cost: Free
Wear your brightest, most mismatched socks and come celebrate World Down Syndrome Day with the whole family! The City of Maple Grove hosts this inclusive, all-ages event packed with carnival games, live music, a bounce house, and prizes — and yes, the prizes are mismatched and wacky socks. The socks are chosen as a symbol because the karyotype of Down syndrome chromosomes actually looks like mismatched socks. It's joyful, it's loud, and it's one of the sweetest events of the year.
📎 Maple Grove Parks & Recreation – Rock Your Socks
📎 Eventbrite Registration
Forest Kids Club at Wargo Nature Center (Spring Session Begins!)
Date: Wednesdays, March 25 – May 27 | 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM (weekly)
Location: Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main Street, Lino Lakes (Anoka County — serves our area)
Cost: Free (pre-registration required)
This is a recurring gem for families with younger kids. Wargo Nature Center's Forest Kids Club runs every Wednesday morning all spring long, adventuring out on Wargo's wooded peninsula with guided nature activities and free-explore time. Each week explores a different seasonal topic, and kids get to follow their senses and make new friends in the woods. Pre-registration is required — grab a spot before they fill up!
📎 Anoka County Parks – Activities & Events
Maple Grove Indoor Farmers Market
Date: Thursday, March 26 | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Maple Grove Community Center, 12951 Weaver Lake Rd (Maple Grove)
Cost: Free to attend
Can't wait for the outdoor market season? The spring indoor market at the Maple Grove Community Center runs every other Thursday through April — local vendors, fresh finds, and a fun reason to stop by the community center while you're in the area. Next date after this one is April 9. No tickets, no registration — just show up and shop.
📎 Maple Grove Parks & Recreation – Community Events
📅 Next Week (Mar 23–29)
FREE Maple Syrup Festival at Wargo Nature Center
Date: Saturday, March 28 | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main Street, Lino Lakes
Cost: Free (vehicle permit required for park entry)
Learn how maple sap gets cooked down into the sweet stuff we all love — right at Wargo's beautiful nature center inside the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve. Your family will go through the whole syrup-making process, make maple crafts, do a spring scavenger hunt, and taste some maple treats. Pre-registration is recommended — search keyword "maple" on the Anoka County Parks registration page.
📎 Anoka County Parks – Maple Syrup Festival
FREE Annual Egg Hunt at Prairie Park
Date: Saturday, March 28 | Session 1: 10:00–10:55 AM or Session 2: 11:00–11:55 AM
Location: Prairie Park, 13355 90th St NE (Otsego)
Cost: Free (pre-registration required — one per family)
Otsego Parks & Recreation is going all out this year! The FREE Annual Egg Hunt at Prairie Park features new themed Bunny Trail stations packed with candy-filled eggs, a meet-and-greet with the Bunny, a DJ spinning tunes, and yes — you can bring your leashed dog and they'll get a treat too! There's also a Spring Shopping Extravaganza running alongside it with local artisan vendors from 10 AM – noon. Pick your session and register now before it fills up!
📎 Otsego Parks – Egg Hunt Session 1 Registration
Meet Your Neighbor: An Afternoon in Kenya
Date: Saturday, March 28 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave N (Plymouth)
Cost: Free (pre-registration required)
Plymouth's "Meet Your Neighbor" series is one of the coolest free programs out there. This month's session takes you to Kenya — learning about the culture, terrain, and unexpected connections between communities. It's free, it's an hour, and it's the kind of thing that genuinely broadens your kid's (and your own) world view. Registration required at plymouthmn.gov/specialevents.
📎 City of Plymouth – Meet Your Neighbor: An Afternoon in Kenya
Glow-N-Skate in Rogers
Date: Wednesday, March 25 | 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM
Location: Rogers Activity Center (Ice Arena), 21080 141st Ave N (Rogers)
Cost: $6 per skater — includes a glow necklace! No passes or coupons.
If your kids have been begging for something a little extra on a Wednesday night, this is it. The Rogers Ice Arena goes full glow mode with black lights and neon for a 75-minute session that's just $6 per skater — and that includes a glow necklace. Rental skates are available for $2/pair. No passes or coupons accepted for Glow-N-Skate sessions.
📎 City of Rogers – Ice Arena
📎 Rogers City Events
🐣 Mark Your Calendar (Mar 30 – Apr 5)
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🏊 Spring Egg Dive — Monticello Community Center | Friday, March 27 (multiple sessions: 10–11:30 AM, 4–5:30 PM, 6–7:30 PM) | 505 Walnut St, Monticello | $10/members, $18/non-members | It's the best pool party of the year — plastic eggs are dropped in the pool and kids collect them to "purchase" prizes. Ages 6 months – 12 years. Registration required at MonticelloMN.gov/653. Sessions may still have openings — check now! 📎 City of Monticello – Spring Egg Dive Info
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🐣 Anoka Easter Egg Hunt at Sunny Acres Park | Saturday, April 4 | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Sunny Acres Park, 3399 Colfax Ave, Anoka | Free | 20,000 candy-filled eggs, bounce houses, the Easter Bunny, pizza from Pizza Man Anoka, and tons of prizes — all FREE and open to the public. This is a big one, folks. 📎 Facebook Event – Roseth Realty Easter Egg Extravaganza
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🌷 Nature Play: Spring Plants at Wargo | Thursday, April 2 | 10:00–11:00 AM | Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main St, Lino Lakes | Paid program (check site for cost) | A hands-on nature program for little learners exploring spring plants at Wargo. Great follow-up for families who loved Forest Kids Club. 📎 Anoka County Parks – Activities
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🎨 FREE Once Upon a Story Time: Sticks and Stones | Tuesday, April 7 | 9:00–10:00 AM | Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main St, Lino Lakes | Free | A naturalist-led story time for the little ones at Wargo. No registration needed for most free programs — just show up. Great Tuesday morning option! 📎 Anoka County Parks – Activities
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☀️ Plymouth Open Play Day | Monday, March 15 (watch for next date) | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave N, Plymouth | $12/wristband | The KUBE indoor playground, gym, and fieldhouse with inflatables — all-day access for one flat wristband fee. Caregivers must supervise. Watch the Plymouth Community Center calendar for the next scheduled date. 📎 Plymouth Community Center
💎 Hidden Gem of the Week
The Hen & The Hog — Albertville
📍 5262 Kyler Ave NE, Suite 111, Albertville, MN 55301 | 📞 763-276-1744 | thehenandthehog.com
If you haven't been to The Hen & The Hog yet, please go. This Albertville breakfast and lunch spot runs a fully scratch kitchen — meaning everything is made from real ingredients, not a bag or a freezer box. Think slow-roasted Duroc pork belly with maple bourbon glaze, a cider-brined half chicken, and comfort dishes that punch way above their weight. It's the kind of place where the service matches the food — warm, fast, and genuinely proud of what they're putting on the table. It was recently featured on America's Best Restaurants, and locals have been raving about it for years. Take the family out for a weekend brunch and see what the buzz is about.
👋 That's a Wrap!
Thanks for reading! If you found something in here that you're excited to do, forward this to one friend or neighbor who could use a fun plan this week. The northwest suburbs have so much going on — and the more people who know about it, the better.
See you next week! 🌟
— The Northwest Suburbs Family Guide