From left: Cathy Peterka, VFW Post 425 Commander Lonnie Duff, Post Adjutant Martin Adams, Eden Prairie Council Member Lisa Toomey, and Tommy and Judy Johnson pose for a photo before the Sept. 2, 2025, City Council meeting. Photo by Jeff Strate
Labor Day weekend and the Minnesota State Fair became afterthoughts during the surprisingly festive and poignant start of Tuesday’s Eden Prairie City Council meeting.
Mayor Ron Case handed retiring Eden Prairie Local News CEO and publisher Steve Schewe a proclamation declaring the day officially Steve Schewe Day. Applause rippled through the council chamber.
Just moments before, the council had accepted a $2,500 donation made last spring by Hopkins Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 425. Again, applause. That gift, along with a more recent $1,500 donation from the VFW, is dedicated to the stewardship of the city’s public open spaces.
Eden Prairie Parks Director Amy Markel said of the May donation, “It’s a wonderful example of an organization that has really showed up to help with natural resource management, education and raising important funds that will help our tax dollars go farther in our stewardship work.”
Both VFW gifts will help the city’s Natural Resources Department expand its “tool library” of gloves, safety glasses, materials and implements needed for removing invasive plant species and restoring habitat with native Minnesota trees, wildflowers and grasses.
Volunteers at Saturday’s VFW Day of Service buckthorn pull will gather at 10 a.m. in the Birch Island Conservation Area parking lot. Photo by Jeff Strate
On May 3, VFW Post 425 members and other volunteers gathered in Birch Island Woods for a buckthorn pull. The event was hosted by the city and managed by Friends of Eden Prairie Parks.
This Saturday’s buckthorn pull in Birch Island Woods is Post 425’s contribution to the VFW National Day of Service. Veterans, city parks staff and Friends of Eden Prairie Parks will again welcome volunteers to join them.
The event begins at 10 a.m. sharp with a short demonstration by woods steward Jim Millin. Details are available on the EPLN event calendar. Friends view this pull as the kickoff for its fall 2025 buckthorn-removal events across the city.
Hopkins VFW Post 425 Commander Lonnie Duff listens as Post Adjutant Martin Adams addresses city staff and the City Council. Image from City of Eden Prairie video
Still serving
During his comments to the City Council, Post Adjutant Martin Adams spoke of the Hopkins VFW’s unwavering commitment to community service since its formation in 1920. Its members have mostly served overseas during wartime, conflicts and peacekeeping missions.
“That sense of service,” he said, “carried on when we took off the uniform of our nation. Our national motto is ‘Still Serving.’”
Referring to declining memberships of legacy service organizations like the VFW, Adams concluded his comments with this assurance: “We do have the resources to contribute to local communities and we’re proud to do so. We thank you for having us here.”
Mayor Ron Case thanked the Hopkins post for its donation and its contributions to other area service initiatives, including Eden Prairie’s Crime Prevention Fund, the Eden Prairie Historical Society and People Reaching Out to People (PROP).
“We are deeply appreciative,” he said. Applause spread through the chamber.
Mayor Ron Case, Hopkins VFW Post 425 Ajutant Martin Adams and Post Commander Lonnie Duff. Photo by Jeff Strate
The mayor, adjutant and commander then gathered near the podium for photos.
Editor’s note: Writer Jeff Strate is a founding member of the EPLN board of directors.
Links to groups mentioned in the story
Hopkins VHW Post 452
Friends of Eden Prairie Parks
City of EP buckthorn webpage