You may have noticed that several trees were removed along North Main Street adjacent to the Mill Pond and in front of the Austin Municipal Pool.

This was necessary for the Main Street flood project that is now underway. At the completion of the project there will be 84 trees planted in the North Main area.

Monday will be the last chance for area girls and boys ages 10 – 18 to attend a free volleyball open gym from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Ellis Middle School.

This is an excellent opportunity to receive some one-on-one instruction from qualified volleyball coaches. For more youth volleyball information feel free to call our office.

You have one last chance to skate Adult Open Hockey on from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Monday at Packer Arena.

The cost is $6 per person per session. Goalies are free but must have all the gear. Participants must be at least high school age and not in youth hockey.

Tell your friends.

Please call our office to inquire about additional sessions to be scheduled and give your ideas on possible days or times that would work best and we will see what is available.

Come on down to Packer Arena and ice skate indoors. The cost is $4 and $1 to rent skates if you need them. Inquire about family or individual memberships that can be purchased at our office or at the Arena during open skates.

Skate from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, 22 and 29. Additionally, you can skate from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday of this Week. Watch for extra dates and times around the holiday.

The outside ice rink warming houses at Kaufman Park at Eighth Street and 11th Avenue SE and Galloway Park at Eighth Street and Second Avenue SW will open at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20. Dec. 21 through Jan. 5, 2014, the two warming house hours will be 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. except for Christmas Eve. They will close at 4 p.m. and be closed on Christmas Day. Ice rinks may be utilized during daylight hours when the warming houses are not open.

Registration is open for second- through fifth-grade indoor soccer, which will begin Jan. 7. Soccer runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with second- and third-graders from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., and fourth- and fifth- graders from 6:15 to 7 p.m. at Banfield Elementary. The cost is $17.

Support our high school hockey teams in Riverside Arena as the Austin High School boys team hosts Waseca on Tuesday and Winona on Thursday. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. The Public is welcome.

Check out the Austin Bruin’s at Riverside Arena. The next home game will be Dec. 21. Game time is 7:05 p.m.