One of the first signs of spring is ... bikes!
As soon as snow disappears from streets and trails, and temperatures allow us to trade parkas for sweatshirts, I dust off my bike’s frame, fill up the tires and head out on a ride. One of the local places I love to ride is the Edina Promenade.
A walking path and bike trail near Centennial Lakes, the Edina Promenade welcomes cyclists and pedestrians at its east entrance, next to Yorktown Park, with 10 whimsical bike-themed mosaics. Under the York Avenue bridges, between Hazelton Road and Parklawn Avenue, the Promenade features these colorful tiles that depict a variety of bikers and bikes.
The images on the mosaics are like pages from a children’s picture book:
A cyclist under an umbrella chauffeurs two ducks, two friends ride together on a shiny red bike, a dapper Victorian gentleman rotates along on his penny-farthing, a bicycle decorated with flowers waits for its rider and a cool dude in shades cruises by on his recumbent bike. Each mosaic seems part of a story, capturing a moment in the middle of the adventures of these characters and their bicycles.
These mosaics were made through a community collaboration involving several different groups in their design, creation and installation, including the Edina Art Center, the Bike Edina Task Force and many Edina residents.
Make the Edina Promenade your destination for a walk or ride this spring, and look for these creative tiles that celebrate our many public trails. The first rides of the season feel especially jubilant, and these vibrant mosaics delightfully commemorate the energy, camaraderie and fun of this popular and favorite activity. Ride on!
Contributed by Laura Westlund, a tour guide at the Weisman Art Museum and an art hound for Minnesota Public Radio.
