Apple Valley's Newest Arrivals Are on a Spring Clock. This Winter Belongs to the Old Standbys.

On the Minnesota Zoo grounds, three brown bear cubs are working through a pallet of salmon that the Alaska Zoo sent along as a parting gift. They eat it out of public view, at the zoo's Animal Hospital. Their names are Brooks, Bristol and Dillingham. They were about 9 months old when they arrived in October, and they are the best animal news Apple Valley has had in years. They are also the first sign of a pattern this season.

Apple Valley's headline additions this fall are on longer timelines than the calendar. The cubs wait for spring. Picklehall, the 18-court hall on 153rd Street West, is running on a construction target. The project that is finished and in use, Wings Ice Arena, got its biggest upgrade in equipment nobody sees. From now through February, a winter in town depends mostly on places Apple Valley already had.

Where each arrival stands for the holidays

Three cubs from Bristol Bay, waiting out the winter indoors

According to Sun ThisWeek's report on the cubs, the three siblings were found in July near King Salmon, Alaska. They had been seen without their mother for nearly a week. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game rescued them and moved them to the Alaska Zoo in August, and they came to Apple Valley in October.

Each name comes from the part of southern Alaska where they were rescued. Brooks is the smallest and most outgoing of the three, named for the Brooks River in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Bristol, the only female, has a lighter face, reddish-tinged fur and a habit of eating while sitting upright or stretched out Superman-style. Dillingham, the biggest, is named for the fishing community on Bristol Bay and keeps a watchful eye on his siblings.

The zoo has done this before. In 2008 it took in another trio of orphaned Alaska brown bears, Sadie, Haines and Kenai, who became the first residents of Russia's Grizzly Coast. Diana Weinhardt, curator of Northern Trail, put it this way in the same Sun ThisWeek piece:

"Nearly 20 years ago, we welcomed another trio of orphaned brown bears from Alaska, and it's incredibly special to begin that journey again."

The spring timing follows the bears themselves. The cubs will stay active all winter while they grow and get to know their caregivers. Sadie, now 21, will enter torpor, a natural period of reduced winter activity. In spring 2027, the cubs are expected to take turns with her in the Grizzly Coast habitat. Until then, the zoo plans to post cub updates on its @mnzoo accounts on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and in its e-newsletter.

The zoo's winter schedule, and the bear you can still see

A Grizzly Coast walk this winter can still include a bear. Even during torpor, Sadie may come out to her outdoor habitat for fresh air and exercise when she chooses. Families who come to see the newcomers are more likely to see the bear from the 2008 trio.

The zoo's winter schedule is shorter than its summer one. Wanderlight Trail, the evening light walk, ran from June 3 to Aug. 2 this year, so there's no after-dark lantern event on this season's calendar. Here's what the zoo's ticketing pages show for the weeks ahead:

• Closed days: Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, and Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
• Daily hours: On Tuesday, Dec. 1, timed admission runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the zoo closes at 4 p.m.
• Parking: $10 per car for nonmembers on that date.
• Treetop Trail: In cooler months it opens by noon, weather permitting, and closes 30 minutes before the zoo. It can close without notice for weather.
• Indoor fallback: The Royal Credit Union Sea Lion Discovery shows are listed at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the late-November and early-December dates.

Because timed entry ends at 2:30, a winter visit starts in the morning. Plan the trip on the Minnesota Zoo's ticketing site and check the date you want before you go. For more on how the zoo fits into the surrounding streets, our earlier piece on life near the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley covers that ground.

Picklehall, still on its construction calendar

On 153rd Street West, the season's other big arrival depends on drywall. The City of Apple Valley's October community development newsletter reported that all interior framing at 7169 153rd St. W. was finished, windows and doors were going in, and first-floor drywall was about to start. The owner cited delays from fireproofing and material shortages and set a new target of completion by the end of November. Markid II Properties is the developer.

Along with 18 indoor courts, the city lists four restaurant vendors, a tap wall and an outdoor gathering area. Picklehall's FAQ says the food hall will be open to the public. Someone who never picks up a paddle could still use the place as a dinner spot.

Picklehall has posted its pricing on its membership page. Annual plans include unlimited open play. The tiers differ mainly in what a private court costs and how far ahead you can book it:

The same page lists a Founders rate of $1,000 a year for the first 50 members and a Family plan at $900 a year for one household of two adults and two children under 16. You don't need a membership to book. Four courts are set aside for walk-ins, paddle rentals cost $5 for standard and $8 for demo, and balls are $1. A household that plays a few times a winter can stick with walk-ins and rentals. A household that plays every week will find the gap between the $30 and $40 court rates adds up.

The rink upgrade that's under the ice

Wings Ice Arena is the one renovated venue that's finished. It still doesn't look like a big change from the parking lot. The building at 14595 Hayes Road, called Hayes Arena until this fall, got a complete replacement of its ice-making and refrigeration system, new rink boards and other interior upgrades. The city held the ribbon cutting on Sept. 24. Las Tortillas and Culver's handed out free food and custard, and Wings Credit Union took the name under a 12-year naming-rights agreement.

The work was paid for by the $73.5 million bond issue that Apple Valley voters approved in 2023. Of the upgrades the city lists at Wings, the headline item is the new ice-making and refrigeration system, which sits under the playing surface.

The city's announced public skating sessions this winter are at the other city rink, Apple Valley Sports Arena. According to the city's Oct. 21 public skating bulletin, sessions run Sundays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. through Feb. 21. Admission is $5 per skater, and skate rentals are $3 a pair. For a family of four renting skates, a Sunday session comes to $32.

How a winter weekend adds up

Combined, these pieces make a workable winter weekend in town. The zoo runs on a morning-to-early-afternoon schedule with a 2:30 entry cutoff. The Sports Arena skate starts at 3:30 on Sundays. A morning at Russia's Grizzly Coast and the sea lion show, followed by an afternoon on the ice, fits into one Sunday without leaving Apple Valley.

One road project is also wrapped up. Dakota County reports that the resurfacing of 3.5 miles of County Road 42, from 147th Street to Diamond Path, is complete after a July to October construction window.

Picklehall's courts and food hall are aimed at the end of this month. The three cubs are expected in spring 2027 on the same habitat where Sadie, Haines and Kenai first appeared in 2008.

If you live near Hayes Road, 153rd Street West or the zoo and want to know how this year's new venues fit into the Apple Valley around you, Blake Halverson follows these projects block by block. You can find more on our Apple Valley neighborhood page, or reach out anytime with a question about your corner of town.