Celebrate Edina's 125th Birthday Thursday With 'Fast-Paced,' 45-Minute Highlight Program

This year marks Edina's quasquicentennial, and for Founder's Day on Thursday, the city will be holding a short program—consisting of excerpts from residents' diaries, oral histories and historically significant songs performed by the Edina Chorale—designed to celebrate the people who have contributed to Edina over the past 125 years.

“Edina has so many great stories, from pioneer Sarah Baird’s account of the name controversy to Morningside’s rallying anthem to secede from Edina to Southdale’s public relations stunts in the 1950s,” Marci Matson, the Edina Historical Society's executive director, said in a statement. “This fast-paced program will hit the highlights of 125 years in 45 minutes.”

The 7 p.m. program will be preceded by a 5 p.m. open house at historic Cahill School and Minnehaha Grange Hall, where the city was founded on Dec. 12, 1888. And then by a 6 p.m. social hour at Edina City Hall, where historic photographs and a timeline of Edina's "human rights milestones" will be posted in the lobby.

A reception starting at 8 p.m. will include cake.

Representatives from Edina's original founding families along with federal, state and local elected officials will be in attendance.

Read more about the planned festivities on the city's website.