Good morning, South Metro.
What's inside:
Mo' Bettahs: Hawaiian plate lunch opens today at 410 CR 42 in Burnsville
Tapestry Coffee: 2nd Lakeville location at 160th & Cedar, donuts still available
Sunflower Festival: July 31, timed tickets Sat/Sun, walk-in Fridays, Lakeville location
Data center pause: Apple Valley one-year moratorium, sixth MN city to do it
WWII history: Gopher Ordnance Works, 11,000 acres, 9 months of operation, ruins still visible
Which city ran a secret WWII school that taught American soldiers to speak Japanese?
Brand Farms Sunflower Festival Opens July 31 in Lakeville
Three weekends only, and this year's different—Saturdays and Sundays now require a pre-purchased timed entry ticket. Fridays are walk-in. And no, it's not at the Farmington location.
Apple Valley Just Paused All New Data Centers for a Year
The city council passed a one-year moratorium on July 9—no new data centers, no expansions, citywide. Six other Minnesota cities have done something similar.
Mo' Bettahs Brings Hawaiian Plate Lunch to Burnsville
The Hawaiian-style chain opens its first Minnesota restaurant at 410 County Road 42 on today!
Tapestry Coffee Opens 2nd Lakeville Shop at 160th & Cedar
The same owners behind Donut Star & Tapestry Coffee are reopening the old space as Tapestry Coffee—and yes, you can still get donuts. Open today.
THE BOMB FACTORY IN THE CORNFIELDS
In the spring of 1942, the federal government knocked on doors across Rosemount and told the families behind them to leave.
Pack up. Get out. The War Department needs your land.
They bulldozed the farmhouses. They bulldozed the barns. They scraped roughly 11,000 acres of prime Dakota County farmland down to bare dirt and started building.
THE PLANT
What they built was massive. About 850 buildings. Twenty thousand construction workers. A price tag north of $124 million. DuPont built and operated the plant for the War Department.
The Gopher Ordnance Works was the eighth smokeless gunpowder plant the United States built during World War II. The powder was destined for Navy artillery shells.
The production lines were finished in 1943. And then they sat empty.
THE DELAY
By spring 1943, the nation's existing gunpowder plants were already producing more than the war needed. The War Department put Gopher on "standby status."
For more than a year, the plant just sat there. Hundreds of buildings. Around 80 to 90 displaced farm families. A hundred million dollars sunk into Dakota County soil. Nothing coming out of it.
Then the Italian front heated up. Summer 1944, the government ordered Gopher back into action. Recruitment ads ran in local papers. One showed a woman saying: "If you can run a vacuum cleaner, you can do my war job at Gopher."
Production finally began in early 1945. The war ended in August. The plant closed October 10, 1945.
About nine months of operation. And it's not clear whether any of the gunpowder ever made it to the front lines.
WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND
In 1947, the federal government handed about 8,000 acres to the University of Minnesota. Decades later, investigators found arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, PCBs. The site became a state Superfund cleanup project.
In 2017, the University sued. In 2024, they reached a $13 million settlement with DuPont and the federal government. Eighty years after the war ended.
Drive south on Highway 52 past Rosemount. Look east near County Road 46. You'll see them. Concrete smokestacks rising from the fields. T-shaped walls standing in rows. The bones of a factory that was supposed to win a war.
WHERE TO SEE IT
UMore Park / Gopher Ordnance Works ruins — Visible from County Road 46 and US Highway 52, Rosemount. No trespassing on the property, but concrete structures are visible from public roads.
➡️ 4 bed, 3.5 bath, 0.21 acres
➡️ Chef's kitchen with 10' quartz island, white cabinetry & walk-in pantry
➡️ Unfinished walkout lower level ready to customize
➡️ 3-car insulated attached garage
Price: $825,000
MLS #7104908
Monday, July 13th
Birdies Fore Badges Golf Tournament and Gala (Lakeville) The 3rd annual tournament raising money for the Burnsville Police and Fire Foundation at 7am, morning round for first responders followed by an open gala and after-party. Hit the links.
Theater in the Park: Frozen Jr. (Eagan) A free live performance of Frozen Jr. at 10:30am performed by young people for young people, the perfect way to cool off on a summer Monday. Let it go.
Sarah's Private Shopping Party at Threads & Co (Lakeville) Threads' TikTok-famous cookie queen Sarah is hosting a private shopping party at 5pm with styling, shopping, and her viral cookies. Shop the party.
Chill with a Cop (Farmington) A free family event at Chill Ice Cream at 5pm where kids and families can hang out with local officers over ice cream. Grab a cone.
BINGO, $5 Pints & $1 Meat Raffle at Trove Brewing (Burnsville) A $1,199 cover-all jackpot, $5 pints, free popcorn, and a $1 meat raffle for Von Hanson's gift cards starting at 6:30pm. Play a round.
Tuesday, July 14th
Wild Workouts: Yoga at Llama Trek (Apple Valley) Free yoga at 6:30pm at the Zoo's Llama Trek, one of the most unique workout settings in the south metro with all levels welcome. Find your flow.
MN Bumble Bee Atlas Field Day (Rosemount) A community science outing at Spring Lake Park Reserve at 5pm tracking and conserving native bumble bees, no experience needed. Bee a scientist.
Shannon Park Fundraiser at North 20 Brewing (Rosemount) The Johnny Table All-Stars Trio plays a live set at 6pm in support of Shannon Park Elementary, grab a beer and give back. Pull up a chair.
Happy Hour for Female Entrepreneurs (Eagan) A networking happy hour at 5pm for women who own businesses of any size, built for community, connection, and the sisterhood of figuring it all out together. Raise a glass.
Wednesday, July 15th
Restful Yoga at The Lavender Barnyard (Farmington) Yin Yoga and singing bowl sound bath at 6pm in the lavender fields, an hour of pure calm for $15. Find your zen.
Lavender Pages Book Discussion (Farmington) A cozy open-air book discussion at 6pm at the lavender farm with Loretta leading the conversation, $10 and the perfect companion to a yoga session beforehand. Join the club.
Picnics in the Park at Farquar Park (Apple Valley) A free weekly community gathering at 5:30pm rotating through parks in Rosemount and Apple Valley, just bring your picnic and your people. Spread the blanket.
Tyler Herwig at Crystal Lake Golf (Lakeville) An indie country and pop powerhouse performing live at 6pm, emotionally charged music with high-energy performances on the course. Hear the tunes.
How did you like this week's edition of the South Metro Scoop?
Stay tuned for our next newsletter going out every Monday & Thursday morning.
— Brady Greenbush
Publisher & Editor