Ever since the advent of slamming screen doors and complaints of “I’m bored,” parents have looked for activities for their children to fill the long days of summer.
New Morningside and Country Club residents moving into the farm village of Edina in the 1920s found few recreational options for children: no developed parks, no swimming beach or pool, and no organized sports. After facing pressure from the new neighborhoods, the Village of Edina began a summer playground program in 1930 that attracted 75 children per day to the one playground in the community, located at Wooddale School.
As Edina grew, so did the playground program. In the 1940s, Edina coach and teacher Howard Merriman spent his summers organizing playground activities and Edina’s first Little League baseball team.
By the late 1950s, Edina’s population had grown so dramatically that voters approved an $850,000 plan to build “a park or playground within easy reach of every Edina home,” the local paper reported. Five large parks and 23 smaller neighborhood playgrounds resulted.
Ken Rosland oversaw the playground program as a new part-time director in 1958. Summer staff traveled from park to park to present themed programs and activities like Turtle Races, Playground Olympics, Clown Days, Home on the Range and Bike Safety Camp.
As Edina sports programs grew, more children spent their summers on ball fields and hockey rinks than they did on playgrounds. The playground program changed to attract younger children, who still flock to neighborhood parks to fill their long summer days.
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Edina park programs are featured in the Edina History Museum’s “Growing Up in Edina” exhibit, on display through fall 2012. For more info, see the Edina Historical Society website or call 612.928.4577.
