Our annual Best of Edina issue is always a labor of love, a cumulative effort spanning months of planning, surveying and tallying in tandem with creating an especially enduring edition that celebrates the local zeitgeist. Not only is this annual issue a handy reference for discovering the businesses and service providers that you and your neighbors love most, it also includes some special editorial content that showcases some of what’s BEST in Edina.
For example, local citizens partnering to claim a vision of a positive future while living in and through unsettling events is definitely part of what’s best in this community. See for yourself in our feature story on page 34 by local writer Ava Diaz. She details the origins of last summer’s Seeds of Change art installation and the humanitarian award-winning community members who helped make it happen.
Other residents wrote to me about their Edina neighborhoods and what they love most about living there. I compiled these “love letters” in a heart-lifting feature story you can find on page 43. You can also read, on page 24, about two local photographers who spent part of last year’s pandemic lockdown snapping Edina family photos as part of a nationally inspired initiative that resulted in a photo book titled The Front Steps Project: How Communities Found Connection During the COVID-19 Crisis.
These stories plus roundups of beloved local events, restaurants and some summer inspired party and planting tips make this Best of Edina issue one our best yet! Enjoy.