August 2013

The August issue of Edina Magazine explores local American Legion baseball, Edina's promising high school students and the best hotdogs in the city.

On their 20th wedding anniversary, sheep farmer George Baird promised to give his wife, Sarah, a new house, and the house still stands 127 years later as an Edina landmark.Building such a grand home in 1886 was no easy task, as Sarah documented in her diary.

 

If sitting inside a dark movie theater seems like a waste of a gorgeous summer evening to you, then head to Centennial Lakes Park, where you can bring your own picnic, buy popcorn from the concession stand, spread out the blanket and watch great films on the big screen.

 

Whether trying to get into the college of one’s choice or land a well-paying job after college, in today’s tough economy the competition one faces in order to achieve those goals is tough.

 

From the first fruits of spring to fall’s bountiful harvest, Centennial Lakes farmers’ market features dozens of local vendors amid beautifully landscaped pathways at Centennial Lakes Park. Maybe you’ve dropped in and loaded up on some of the market’s tasty, fresh produce.

 

It’s no secret that the city of Edina is a shopper’s paradise: From 50th and France to the Galleria and the Container Store, shopping opportunities abound. But in this town, shopping is about more than just designer clothes or catching a sale.

 

Three-year-old Harper Christopherson from Edina was born deaf; hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects in America. But technological advances are allowing some children with profound hearing loss to perceive sound.

 

Abbey Taylor, a 6-year-old Edina native, died in 2008 as a result of a faulty pool drain. But before she passed away, she said, “I hope this never happens to another child,” according to Alan Korn, executive director of Abbey’s Hope Charitable Foundation.

 

Jerry’s Foods is a beloved local institution, and the community lost an icon when the founder, Edina resident Jerry Paulsen, died in April at age 89.

 

Jason Deavalon knows hair. The renowned hairstylist began his career 25 years ago working for celebrity stylist José Eber in Beverly Hills.

 

Read:Thirteen-year-old Frank Drum wakes up in the middle of a hot summer night in New Bremen, Minnesota, to the sound of the telephone ringing. It is 1961. There is no air conditioning in the parsonage provided by the Methodist Church for the Drum family.

 

To help make education available to all who seek it, Minnesota State University Mankato has launched new engineering programs within the past year at Normandale Community College in Bloomington and at the campus in Edina.

 

Sharpen your pencils, and pull your lunchbox out of the closet: Edina Public School students return to school this year on September 3 (grades 1–12) and September 4 (early childhood, special education and kindergarten).

 

The popularity of organic food is on the rise. More consumers are seeking natural products that are locally grown.

 

It’s every kid’s dream: an underwater-themed bedroom, complete with beachy accents—and best of all, a life-size mermaid, painted in gorgeous detail on one wall.

 

The hotdog is one of the easiest foods to find, eat and enjoy. A hotdog makes a quick meal during an airport layover, a tasty snack with a few beers at the game, and a universally pleasing cookout option. The convenience store 7-Eleven sells about 100 million dogs a year.

 

You wouldn’t know it by their graceful tapping and stylish top hats and fishnet stockings, but the Rhinestone Rockettes are no spring chickens.

 

These four elite Edina preps are forthright about their fortunes. They share their successes. They contribute to their community.

 

The distance between home plate and the pitcher’s mound is 60 feet and 6 inches, but the gap between when pitcher Rob Wassenaar’s right arm rocketed strikes and when manager Bruce Barron called the hit-and-run to lead the Edina American Legion baseball team to the 1983 state title is a much grea