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Ready for Summer?
History is in the air! A couple of weeks ago we learned more about the history of our park system in the Park at an event about which you can read more below! Next week our neighbors at Westonka Historical Society show off an expanded history center, and the SLP School District celebrates its 125th birthday with a fun program at the high school. And then it will be time to officially kick off summer at Parktacular! Please visit us there at our booth and consider becoming a member if you aren't one already. Just click the picture below to join!
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Historic Connections: Our City's Parks
Thanks to everyone who came out to Louisiana Oaks Park Pavilion to learn more about the founding of our park system and to hear from Director Cindy Walsh, former Director Cris Gears, and former Park Maintenance Superintendent Gene Gustafson. They were an entertaining and informative panel. We learned a lot of interesting things, such as that at one point the Parks department had to schedule games for over 200 softball teams! And thanks to our friends at ParkTV, you can watch the entire event online!
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Catch up on the News
There have been a couple recent articles that every SLP history buff should enjoy:
Phyllis McQuaid Featured: The Sun Sailor ran an article last week featuring member and former Mayor and State Senator, Phyllis McQuaid. The piece portrays McQuaid as a visionary and early advocate for light rail as a long term solution to transportation in the metro area.
Thomas Friedman Event: Thomas Friedman spoke recently as part of a fundraiser for The St. Louis Park Public Schools Foundation. He is finishing writing a book in which St. Louis Park and Minnesota feature prominently. The Sun Sailor summarized his talk, including an interesting story about former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. If you want to hear more about that, just ask our Trustee, Paul Linnee, who shared that story with Mr. Friedman. We hope to see Friedman again at the end of the year on his book tour.
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Upcoming Events
There are at least two interesting history-related events coming up that you should find interesting:
SLP Public Schools 125th Anniversary Celebration: Head over to the high school on Monday, June 5th to celebrate the 125th anniversary of our schools. There will be a reception, a brief program, and a performance by the Community Band. Thanks to Jeanne Anderson for all the help she provided the school district gathering materials and stories to feature at the event. The event is free, but they request an rsvp through their website.
Westonka History Museum Expansion: We love to see communities support their local history museums! As noted in the West Metro Briefs section of the Star Tribune, on June 4th the Westonka Historical Society will host a grand re-opening of its expanded museum where you can view hundreds of Tonka toys built at the nearby Mound plant. For details go to: www.westonkahistoricalsociety.org.
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PARKTACULAR
Please visit us on June 18th at the annual Parktacular celebration! We will bring some fun items to view so you can learn a little something--or at least reminisce!--about your favorite city. We will be at one of the many booths in the Expo at Wolfe Park from 10am-6pm. To learn more about all the events that weekend, check out the Parktacular website: parktacular.org.
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Have You Heard?
Volunteers are needed! We have lots of opportunities to volunteer whether you are looking for a one-time project or a small regular commitment. Just email our President Ted Ekkers if you would like to discuss opportunities that would be a good fit for you.
Writers are needed! We are always looking for new perspectives to include in our print publication the Re-Echo. We would love to get member profiles, specific memories, or articles about something you find interesting about our city's history. If you would be interested in contributing an article, please email Ted Ekkers to discuss your ideas.
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Questions? Comments?
Click the button below to email the St. Louis Park Historical Society.
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