<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kathleen Klehr, Executive Director (952-445-0378 or [email protected])</p><p>By the Waters of Minnetonka – Author Talk At the Scott County Historical Society Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 7 – 8pm</p><p>(SHAKOPEE, MN 1/22/2015) — The Scott County Historical Society is pleased to present an author talk by Eric Dregni on Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 7-8pm. Mr. Dregni will speak on his book By the Waters of Minnetonka. Books will be available for purchase and signing this evening. Free with general admission.</p><p>Book: By the Waters of Minnetonka uncovers remarkable and hidden facts about the lake and those who have lived on its shores, from the region’s original Dakota inhabitants to the present. Nineteenth-century plantation owners made Minnetonka into a summer vacation playground for the well-to-do, and Prohibition-era battles led teetotalers to hoax Minneapolis newspapers about bloody clashes between preachers and saloon owners. </p><p>Eric Dregni, who grew up in Minnetonka, sheds light on intriguing, if at times unsettling, aspects of the lake’s history, challenging myths and revisiting elements of the past that have been forgotten or glossed over. He also relates—and sometimes pokes fun at—the opulent, glamorous, and sometimes raucous moments that have made Lake Minnetonka an icon of splendid resort living in Minnesota. </p><p>Author: Eric Dregni is associate professor of English and journalism at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of Minnesota Marvels: Roadside Attractions in the Land of Lakes; Midwest Marvels: Roadside Attractions across Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin; In Cod We Trust: Living the Norwegian Dream; Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy’s Culinary Capital; and Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America, all from Minnesota.</p><p>Scott County Historical Society, 235 Fuller St. S., Shakopee, MN 55379, located three blocks south of the intersection of Co. Rd. 101 and Fuller Street. Visit us online at www.scottcountyhistory.org. General admission: $4 Adults, $2 Students, Free for SCHS members #### </p>