Maple Grove Gazette - May 30, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record — Vol. 1 No. 7—Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

This editor is pleased to report that spring has, at last, committed. The gardens of Maple Grove are up—some with more conviction than others—and the strawberries have arrived in earnest, which by long local custom means that for the next three weeks roughly half the town will smell faintly of jam and the other half will be waiting to be handed a jar.

It is also, this editor must note, aN election year, and the mayoral race has overtaken both the weather and the strawberries as the chief topic of conversation at the café, the hardware store, THE DINER, and—to the visible discomfort of at least one member of the clergy—the fellowship hall. The town has, with characteristic thoroughness, divided itself into camps. Lawn signs have appeared. Words have been exchanged. A debate was held. The Maple Grove Police Department has been called upon more than once to remind residents that civic disagreement and personal property damage are, in the eyes of the law, two different things.

This editor, as is his long-standing policy in matters of active controversy, takes no position whatsoever. He reports the record. He draws no conclusions. He has, for the duration of the campaign season, stopped attending coffee hour.

📋 COMMUNITY NOTICES

MAYORAL DEBATE — MAPLE GROVE COLLEGE AUDITORIUM

The two candidates for mayor met Thursday evening in the main auditorium of Maple Grove College for the season's first public debate, moderated by Professor Jack Donovan of the college faculty, who is said to have prepared a great many thoughtful questions and managed to ask nearly three of them.

The format called for two-minute responses. This editor is told the format did not survive the opening remarks. Professor Donovan is widely credited with keeping the proceedings civil, a feat he accomplished chiefly by speaking very calmly into a microphone that the candidates could not turn off. Attendance was high. Opinions, by all accounts, were not changed.

FIRST METHODIST CHURCH — A WORD ON FELLOWSHIP

Pastor Elliot wishes the congregation of First Methodist to know that the doors remain open to all—including, this editor quotes, "those who have, this season, found themselves seated rather farther from their usual pew than is customary."

The Gazette understands, without wishing to inflame the matter further, that the congregation has divided along the same lines as the town—Charlene and her circle firmly behind one candidate, and a considerable portion of the remaining membership behind the other. Pastor Elliot has asked that politics be left in the parking lot. He has, this editor is told, asked this four times. Coffee hour continues, for now, under what one attendee described as "a fragile truce and two separate urns."

MAPLE GROVE GARDEN CLUB — A POINT OF ORDER

The Garden Club reminds members that the spring growing season is well underway and offers its usual standing invitation to those uncertain about what, exactly, is coming up in their beds. The reminder follows a report—submitted with what this editor would describe as great delicacy by Mrs. Hanover—that one member appears to be cultivating an entire raised bed of common weeds under the impression that they are salad greens. The member in question maintains that they are heritage greens, that they were planted on purpose, and that Mrs. Hanover should mind her own rows. The Garden Club takes no position. Neither does this editor, though he notes the weeds in the bed are described as "thriving."

🏛️ HISTORICAL NOTE

This is not the first mayoral race to divide the town along the center aisle. In 1971, a contested election split the First Methodist choir so thoroughly that the sopranos and altos sang from opposite ends of the loft for the better part of a year, a period the church bulletin of the era referred to only as "the difficulty." Order was restored, the archive records, not by reconciliation but by the arrival of a new hymnal nobody had strong feelings about.

This editor has also located, in the town fair records of 1984, the minutes of a Preserves & Pickles Committee meeting that ended in a formal protest over a disqualified entry of strawberry jam. The protesting party's letter, preserved in full, contains the line: "A jam that runs is not a jam. It is a sauce, and it knows it." The authorship is unsigned. This editor declines to speculate.

✉️ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Gazette prints letters as received, lightly corrected for spelling, and entirely uncorrected for tone.

To the Editor—

I am told it is my civic duty to choose between two candidates for mayor. I have heard them both speak. I have read their campaign statements. I attended the debate. I would now like to formally decline voting for either.

One of them cannot finish a sentence. The other finishes far too many.

I arrived at the debate with three questions. What is the actual figure budgeted for road maintenance this year, and how much of it is left? Who is responsible, by name, the next time the culvert on Beech Lane backs up—because it will. And what, precisely, does either man intend to do that the last administration did not? Professor Donovan, to his credit, tried to get them there. Neither candidate answered. One of them spent four minutes explaining why the question was a good one.

A person who cannot give a straight answer in a quiet auditorium will not give you one in a crisis. I have no further questions, because I now have my answer.

Vote as you like. I will be watching what gets done, not what gets said.

— Mildred

This editor offers Mildred's correspondence without comment, as is the Gazette's policy, and notes for the record only that the Beech Lane culvert did back up twice last spring.

🔍 Fellow Sleuths Worth Following

Two picks this week, fellow sleuths, and I'll be honest—when I saw the second title, I laughed out loud, because the universe clearly read this week's Gazette before I did. Pull up a chair and a jar of something that holds its shape.

🎿 Biathlon and Betrayal—Nina Hunt

👉 Meet Nina and grab the book →

🍓 Petals, Preserves, and Peril—Neela Snow

👉 Meet Neela and grab the book →

✍️ Behind the Scenes

I'm still elbow-deep in Hotter than Coffee, and I'll be straight with you: this revision turned out to be a much bigger job than I bargained for. I'd rather take the extra time and get the bones right than rush a book back into your hands half-fixed—so it's taking longer, and I've made my peace with that. Foundations first. The fun stuff comes after, and I promise it's coming.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook

Weekly Notebook: Christmas in July? Yes, Really.

🌿 The Maple Grove Update

Fellow sleuths, it is Memorial Day weekend in Maple Grove, which means the parade happened, the potato salad was contested (as it always is), and Jenna McGregor somehow ended up at the center of something that began as a simple float decoration dispute and ended with Mildred involved in a way nobody had anticipated and Charlene filing a second formal petition.

Details will follow in due course. The important thing is that everyone is fine, the float looked wonderful in the end, and Lisa's energetic pre-screening of the parade route apparently worked, because nothing caught fire.

Progress.

📜The Weekly Tasting Menu

Guest Sleuth picks this week — each one hand-selected because I think you'll love them. Here's the lineup:

🔍 Guest Sleuth Spotlights

🧁 The Main Course

Okay, fellow sleuths. I've been hinting. It's time to actually say something.

Book 5 is a Christmas book.

I know what you're thinking. It's May. Yes. And I'm telling you about a Christmas book in May because it is going to be available this summer — specifically as a Christmas in July release — and I want you to have time to get excited about it.

Here's what I can tell you:

It's Christmas week in Maple Grove. The town does Christmas the way small Midwest towns do Christmas, which is to say completely, almost aggressively, and with great conviction about the correct way to hang lights on the Main Street trees. There will be a candlelight church service. There will be a town square that looks like a snow globe. There will be Jenna's parents, making their another appearance in the series that incudes a call to Jena’s siblings! There will be Lisa, who does something at the aforementioned candlelight service that I promise you will not see coming.

There will also be a disappearance. A mystery that starts with someone Jenna has known her whole life. And there are some new characters arriving in Maple Grove this Christmas who are going to shake things up in ways that will carry through into books to come.

Joe and Jenna's relationship is also... evolving. That's all I'll say about that.

I'm targeting a July release — Christmas in July is a real thing that readers love, and I think this book is going to land beautifully in summer. More details as I get closer to having a title I can actually say out loud.

In the meantime: if you want to make sure you're the first to hear when the pre-order goes live, the best thing to do is make sure you're on my newsletter list. Which, if you're reading this, you probably already are. Welcome, fellow sleuth. You're in the right place.

✍️ Behind the Scenes

I am three-quarters of the way through the first draft and the story is doing that thing where it starts to feel like it was always supposed to exist, like you're discovering it rather than inventing it. That feeling is the whole reason I do this. Charlie is still stealing scones. Some things are constant.

Happy Memorial Day, fellow sleuths. Summer is coming.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook

Maple Grove Gazette - May 23, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record — Vol. 1 No. 6—Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

EDITOR'S DESK — Memorial Day Weekend in Maple Grove(updated)

This weekend, Maple Grove will observe Memorial Day in the manner it has for generations—which is to say, with appropriate solemnity on Monday morning and an entirely unreasonable amount of potato salad in the afternoon.

The annual parade steps off at 11:00 a.m. sharp on Monday, led, as ever, by the surviving members of the local VFW and American Legion posts. Spectators are reminded to remove their hats as the colors pass, and to remain quiet during the moment of silence at the memorial. It is, the editor would gently note, not the occasion for cheering—however well-intentioned.

This year brings a notable expansion to the procession: the Maple Grove Junior High Band will march alongside the senior high band for the first time in recent memory. The junior high ensemble has been practicing together on the football field throughout the month. In many cases, this is the first time students have attmpted to play and march simultaneously. The Gazette is told this is more demanding than the casual observer might suppose.

Taking this event very seriously, I am told, the junior high band members have been practicing diligently outside of school as well. The Band Director, Mr. Robinson, reports that squeaks and missed notes have diminished dramatically. I have also been told that several family dogs in the vicinity now retreat to the basement when the instrument cases come out. Gordon also reports that there has been a significant uptick in the sale of STIHL PRO Protective Earmuffs.

Last week's rehearsal produced what the band director has described, with admirable restraint, as "a teaching moment” when the junior high tuba player mis-stepped during marching practice, which set off a brief but consequential domino effect along the front line of the formation. The piccolo player at the head of the line escaped with only a sprained ankle and is expected to march on Monday in a supportive brace. The tuba was less fortunate; Mr. Robinson has spent several evenings this week with a rubber mallet and a great deal of patience, removing what he describes as "the worst of it." Spectators are encouraged to applaud generously regardless. They are, after all, learning.

By Sunday afternoon the town will already have settled into that particular Memorial Day rhythm—backyard picnics on every block, lawn chairs unfolded in driveways, a steady migration toward the lake and the campgrounds. Coolers will be packed. Card games will get heated. Someone's uncle will, as ever, debate the proper temperature for grilling chicken.

The Gazette wishes safe travels to those heading out of town, and a quiet, restful weekend to those staying in. We will remember why we have the day.

📋 COMMUNITY NOTICES

Memorial Day Parade—Monday, 11:00 a.m. The parade will proceed down Main Street to the Veterans' Memorial at the cemetery. Viewing spots along the route are known to fill up early on Monday morning, and residents are encouraged to plan accordingly. The Men's Club will be placing flags along the parade route in the days leading up to the holiday.

A Reminder Regarding Chairs—Chairs and other items are not to be set out along Main Street prior to Monday morning. Anything placed along the parade route Sunday evening in an attempt to reserve space will be confiscated.

The Gazette has been advised that Charlene is currently lodging a formal complaint with the Village Council regarding this ordinance. Her separate complaint to local law enforcement from last year — concerning the disappearance of several lawn chairs and one market umbrella along the parade route — remains, regrettably, unresolved. Neither the Men's Club, the Village Council, nor the Police Department has yet acknowledged responsibility for the items' removal.

The editor would note, with no particular insinuation, that items closely resembling the chairs and umbrella in question were observed at last year's community rummage sale. Sale organizers are unable to confirm whether the items were purchased that afternoon or, alternately, donated to the local Goodwill thereafter. The Gazette will continue to follow developments as warranted.

No Parking on Main Street—Monday Parking will not be permitted along Main Street on Monday in connection with the parade. Police Chief Carter has requested that residents abide by the ordinance so that he and his officers may be spared the unpleasant task of writing tickets and arranging tows on a national holiday.

Veterans' Luncheon—VFW Hall, immediately following the parade The Ladies' Auxiliary will host the annual luncheon for veterans and their families at the VFW Hall immediately following Monday's parade. Fried chicken, iced tea, and lemonade will be provided. Attendees are kindly asked to bring a dish to pass, along with their own plates and cutlery. All veterans, their families, and members of the community are welcome.

🏛️ HISTORICAL NOTE

Long-time residents may recall the Memorial Day of an earlier decade, when the matter of chairs along Main Street first became one of village ordinance rather than neighborly understanding. For many years, the question of who arrived first to claim curbside viewing space had been settled informally—usually on Saturday evening, occasionally with raised voices, and once, the Gazette is told, with a garden hose.

It was the Village Council of 1979 (or thereabouts—the official minutes are not what one might call meticulous) that finally codified the rule: no chairs, blankets, coolers, or markers of any description to be placed along the parade route prior to Monday morning. The vote, the Gazette has been assured, was unanimous, though several residents present at the time have since suggested otherwise.

The ordinance has held, more or less, ever since. The chairs themselves, occasionally, have not.

🧁 The Main Course—A fellow sleuth worth following.

A new cozy launched this past Thursday and is worth grabbing before the parade starts—

Murder at the Steeplechase by Greta Sinclair—released Thursday. A jockey and his horse turn up dead at the Hillshire Farms Steeplechase, the authorities call it a tragic accident, and Hattie Leiper, naturally, has questions. (One of them is why the man died with his mouth open, as if he swallowed something. Cozy readers will understand why this matters.) Throw in a grumpy Chow Chow named Moose, a Yorkie who keeps everyone honest, a British Shorthair who refuses to be left out, and bonus recipes in the back—and you've got a Memorial-weekend kind of mystery. Greta is a multi-bestselling author and a 2025 Global Book Awards Silver Medal winner, and each Hattie & Moose book stands alone—so jump in here without worrying about the ones before.

Grab it on Amazon →

Read Greta's full Sleuth Spotlight here →

✍️ Behind the Scenes

Fellow sleuths, this one's a personal week in our house.

On Monday we'll be honoring Joe—my husband, a veteran of the 1st Ranger Battalion—alongside all the men and women who have served. He doesn't make a fuss about it. The rest of us do, quietly, every year.

On Sunday we'll gather four generations of our extended family at a local park for our annual kickball tournament and cookout. My niece Jenny has, once again, been relegated to the outfield. (Three years ago she took a kickball directly to the face during what was meant to be a friendly inning. Two black eyes. A solid week of sunglasses everywhere, including indoors. The family has decided one direct hit per generation is quite enough.)

And on the writing desk: Hotter than Coffee is getting a refresh I'm genuinely excited about—a stronger version of the story I wanted to tell the first time around. If all goes to plan, the new edition will be live by Tuesday. I'll let you know when.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook

Maple Grove Gazette - May 16, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record — Vol. 1 No. 5 — Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Mother's Day weekend in Maple Grove proceeded, this editor is pleased to report, with the kind of weather one prays for and rarely receives. Sunshine arrived on schedule. The breeze conducted itself with civility. Brunch lines at Brewed Awakenings exceeded the café's seating capacity by a comfortable margin, and the picnic tables at Memorial Park were, by mid-afternoon Sunday, fully occupied by families who had brought, between them, enough cake to embarrass a wedding.

It is, as readers will be aware, also the final week of the school year for the senior students. The Maple Grove High graduation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday evening, and dress rehearsal in the gymnasium has already produced one item of note—which is shared in the Community Notices, below.

The annual canoe race takes place this Saturday. Civic interest is, as ever, high. Civic complaint is, this editor is told, also high — Charlene having taken a renewed and very personal interest in this year's county fair produce categories, with consequences that have already prompted the Foster family to place an order for fencing of a height not previously seen in their part of town.

Full report follows.

📜 POLICE BLOTTER

THE IRON CREEK BEAVER INCIDENT

Saturday, May 9 — Iron Creek, Salenbeam Property to Walter Farm

The Maple Grove Men's Club volunteers, who by long-standing tradition scout the Iron Creek route in advance of the annual canoe race, conducted their reconnaissance run last Saturday morning. The water level was reported as "noticeably higher than the same week in any of the previous five years," a determination the volunteers reached without instruments and which, this editor is told, was confirmed by two separate volunteers who got their pants wet when they stepped into the water to check for any hazards, and found the tops of their hip-waders below the water level.

The cause was identified at approximately the route's halfway point. A single beaver—referred to in subsequent club correspondence as "the engineer"—had felled every aspen on the Salenbeam property and assembled the resulting timber into what one volunteer described as "a structure with intent." The runoff had been directed, with what this editor must concede was admirably efficient design, into one of Mr. Walter's back fields. Mr. Walter had planted that field exactly one week prior.

A volunteer placed a courtesy call to Mr. Walter that afternoon to alert him to the condition of the field. Mr. Walter, this editor is told, received the news without enthusiasm.

The matter, however, did not end there. The same volunteer received a call back from Mr. Walter the following day. Mr. Walter, in the volunteer's reporting, indicated that he and the beaver had "come to an understanding," and that the canoe race was cleared to proceed as scheduled. The nature of the understanding was not disclosed. Officer Wilson, when consulted, declined to investigate further on the grounds that "there is no indication that any laws have been broken by Mr. Walter or the beaver."

Final Disposition: River clear. Race on. Field condition pending. The engineer remains at large and, by all accounts, undisputed.

📋 COMMUNITY NOTICES

MAPLE GROVE HIGH—GRADUATION CEREMONY

The Maple Grove High School graduation ceremony will take place Thursday evening at 6:00 PM in the school gymnasium. Doors open at 5:30. The Gazette extends its congratulations, in advance, to the graduating class.

This editor must report, however, that dress rehearsal earlier this week did not pass without incident. Conditions in the gymnasium were, by all accounts, unseasonably warm. One member of the graduating class, in what the principal has described as "a deeply human response to a profoundly mismanaged thermostat," elected to reduce the number of layers worn beneath his graduation gown to a number this editor will not specify. The decision, this editor is told, was working perfectly until the steps leading up to the stage—at which point a misstep was made, the gown reasserted its independence, and a brief but vivid moment was witnessed by an estimated forty students, three teachers, and the school's photographer, who was assessing the best spot from which to photograph the ceremony.

This editor declines to elaborate. The student in question has been counseled. The gymnasium thermostat has been serviced. His mother, the Gazette is reliably informed, has already purchased a lighter weight shirt and slacks for the pending ceremony.

ANNUAL CANOE RACE—SATURDAY

The annual Maple Grove Men's Club Canoe Race will take place this Saturday on the Iron Creek route, conditions permitting (see Police Blotter, above). Spectators are welcome at the finish line. Refreshments will be available, and the Gazette is told that the race committee has, this year, "made provisions" for the possibility that the “engineer” may take a renewed interest in the proceedings.

MOMMY & ME—TUESDAY MORNING AT BREWED AWAKENINGS

The Maple Grove Mommy & Me group will gather Tuesday at 10:00 AM at Brewed Awakenings. Coffee, conversation, and the café's spring menu will be plentiful. Strollers will be parked, this editor is reminded, "in an orderly fashion on the sidewalk," by request of the proprietor.

A FOSTER PROPERTY UPDATE

The Foster family has, the Gazette is told, placed an order for an eight-foot privacy fence, scheduled for installation this week. Gordon mentioned the order in passing at the café and has confirmed it on the record. Mrs. Foster has been the reigning produce champion at the county fair for, by this editor's count, several consecutive years. Charlene has recently announced, with considerable conviction, that she intends to claim several blue ribbons in this year's produce categories. She has also, coincidentally, taken up a daily walking route that passes the Foster property at a pace one neighbor described as "investigative."

This editor declines to draw a connection between these two developments. The historical record will, presumably, do that for him.

🏛️ HISTORICAL NOTE

This is not the first time produce competition has driven significant landscape modification in Maple Grove. In 1998, a similar dispute between two long-standing fair contestants resulted in the construction of what was, for six years, the tallest hedge ever recorded on the eastern side of town. The hedge came down only after the contestants reconciled at a funeral neither was prepared to attend without the other.

In 1965, the Gazette's predecessor publication—long since defunct—reported that a beaver had stopped traffic on the old Iron Creek bridge for an entire afternoon. The matter was resolved, per the original article, when "a neighbor went down and had a word with him." This editor has consulted the article twice this week, hoping for further detail. None is offered.

This editor offers the historical record without further comment.

🧁 The Main Course—Meet LB Dayton

If you told me a story about a woman who taught yoga for 25 years, ran her own studio for a decade, competes in ballroom dance, served as president of the Colored Pencil Society of America, and also writes cozy mysteries about art heists — I'd say that sounds like a character I wish I'd written.

But LB Dayton is very much real. And she's become one of my favorite people in the cozy mystery world.

The Art Connection

LB's love of art isn't just a hobby that drifts into her writing — it is the writing. Her Chicago-set series follows the world of art galleries, and the mysteries hinge on theft, forgery, and the kind of high-stakes double-crossing that happens behind velvet ropes. If you've ever wandered through a museum and wondered what would happen if someone actually did try to walk out with a painting under their coat... LB has thought about it more than you have. And she's written it beautifully.

What I love about her work is that the art world details feel lived-in. They're not research — they're reflex. When your author has literal colored pencil competition credentials, you can trust the brushstroke details.

The Dancer, The Yogi, The Mystery Writer

Here's the thing about LB: she doesn't do anything halfway. She taught yoga for 25 years and ran her own studio for a decade — she still teaches classes there. She competes in ballroom dance — and I mean competes, not "took a class once at a community center." She's an accomplished artist in her own right.

And then she started writing mysteries.

She's now 14 books deep across two series — the Chicago art gallery cozies and a Dallas-set chef mystery series that has been picking up serious momentum. The woman simply does not stop creating.

Why You Should Read Her

If you love cozies that feel smart without being stuffy, where the setting is as much a character as the sleuth, LB Dayton is your next binge read. Her Chicago series especially scratches that itch for readers who want a mystery world that feels genuinely specific — not a generic small town with interchangeable shops, but a fully realized world built by someone who actually knows the territory.

Start with her art gallery series if you love atmosphere and clever plotting. Start with the Dallas chef series if you want something warm, food-forward, and fast-paced. Either way, you're in excellent hands.

👉 Browse all of LB Dayton's books on Amazon →

👉 Read the full Spotlight on the Gazette →

✍️ Behind the Scenes

Mother's Day weekend at our house was almost embarrassingly perfect—sunshine, no schedule, and HayHay rearranging the patio furniture into what she informed me was "her restaurant." I was given a menu. I was given a bill. I was charged in hugs, which is the only currency she really accepts. Prior to our Mother’s Day cook-out, my daughters and granddaughters joined me for our annual trip to our favorite nursery. We returned home with two truckloads of flowers and vegetables. Spring planting has begun. Joe avoided any and all talk of plants and gardening by spending an exceptionally long time grilling and then cleaning the grill. Charlie supervised from her sunny patch and registered no complaints, which from Charlie counts as a five-star review. I'd take that Sunday on repeat for the rest of the year.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook