Lyndsay Zadnik

Ten times as many people rely on Open Cupboard for food now than did just four years ago. To meet the demand that has soared 1000 percent since 2020, the food pantry is adding a second location in Maplewood near Aldrich Arena. The nonprofit organization’s store, Today’s Harvest, celebrates its grand opening Dec. 17 but has already begun serving shoppers on a limited basis. The second store should ease wait times at the Oakdale location. The Maplewood spot will be larger and located near a bus line.

For Laurie Crowell, food is the language of love. She spreads that language through her Golden Fig Fine Foods store on Grand Avenue in St. Paul as well as through regular guest appearances on TV’s “Twin Cities Live.” The Woodbury resident has become a local celebrity since appearing on the first episode of the TV program over 18 years ago. Opening her charming specialty foods shop was a natural progression for Crowell, a lifelong aficionado of local and gourmet provisions.

The Great Pumpkin may not appear in Woodbury, but have no fear, The Haunted Oaks is chock full of Halloween treats not tricks. The Woodbury neighborhood of Royal Oaks transforms into The Haunted Oaks filled with fun, spooky, larger-than-life displays as well as a haunted trail connecting north and south branches of Lamplight Drive. This year, a “Haunted Oaks Creepy Cruise & Scavenger Hunt” has been added on Monday night. The creepy, family friendly cruise will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Ojibway Park.