Excelsior

Secret rooms, slides from the second floor to the first and hockey rooms are just some examples of custom features in homes you can see this weekend. The 17th Annual the American Institute of Architects Tour is taking place Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept 29. This tour opens the doors of 14 custom homes, and offers anyone a chance to pick the brains of local architects and learn more about what works and what doesn’t' work when building or remodeling a home. Tickets and a map of locations stretching from Excelsior to Marine on St. Croix can be found at the Homes By Architects Tour website.

The cities of Excelsior and Greenwood are tackling safety concerns with e-bike use among youth, saying a new helmet law has improved the problem.

The rainy weather forecasted in the Twin Cities for the Fourth of July is impacting some cities' plans to celebrate the holiday. FOX 9’s Bill Keller has more.

A woman is now facing charges after an attempted traffic stop in Excelsior which sparked a police chase that led to shots being fired and a crash in Chanhassen this week.

Whether there’s snow, rain or it’s hot or cold Adele’s Frozen Custard has opened on March 1 for the last 38 years, though there was one year they couldn’t open because of a blizzard. This year, they’re expecting big crowds for the warmest opening weekend on record for Adele’s. The custard is the same recipe they’ve had since 1986 though they’ve added new flavors to the menu. The custard is made fresh every day. Unlike ice cream, the air is whipped out of it instead of put into it and it’s made with egg yolks which gives it a velvety texture. Adele’s will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the day before Thanksgiving.

In Scandinavian countries, sauna culture is about building community, and that’s the goal of a new outdoor wellness space in Excelsior. Sauna Camp is using the Camp Fire Minnesota grounds to host it’s sauna and cold plunge activities. There are 10 Minnesota-made, cedar wood-fired saunas of different sizes sitting on the shores of Lake Minnewashta, meaning right outside of the steaming sauna is a freezing cold lake to submerge in. The camp is open Thursday to Sunday through the end of April.

How Lake Minnetonka became the popular lake everyone knows and loves today.

The Firecracker run in Excelsior provided an exciting kick-off to the Fourth of July. FOX 9’s Shayne Wells was onsite.

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.