Susan Hawthorne Plank recently ordered our 2010 Christmas ornament of Clancy Drug, and she liked it so much she posted a photo of it on her Edina Class of 1959 web site.

She wrote: "Merry Christmas to All! Here's this year's Edina Historical Society Christmas ornament - Clancy Drug. How many memories does that bring back, including last-minute Christmas shopping or picking up some Cheracol cough syrup to make you feel better from a nasty holiday cold. This ornament, along with others from past years, is available through the Edina Historical Society. Look for their link at the lower right of this page. Only thing missing from this ornament is our dog Rover, who used to lounge in Clancy's lobby every day - until he walked over to the Edina Theater to enjoy both shows and the attention of the cashier, who loved him!"

Thanks to Susan for spreading the word. We truly appreciate our "fans" telling others about the Edina Historical Society. Click on the "Share" button below to connect to Facebook, Twitter or other social media.

Or please join us! The Edina Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that depends on memberships - along with merchandise sales, a $5,000 city grant, and field trip programs - to fund our activities, like this web site.

As I was looking up information about Braemar Arena for a committee working on a hockey history wall, I noticed it opened on Dec.  14, 1965 -- 45 years ago today.

As you can see by the images above, Braemar was part of a huge park-building effort as the village became more suburban.  From just one park in 1955, the village owned 22 parks just 10 years later. Improvements included the metro area's first municipal pool and first municipal golf course.

Nine Mile Creek bike trail made headlines this week, but as the second page notes, Edina long ago began acquiring land along the creek for open green space.

These two pages are part of a report documenting changes in Edina from 1955 to 1965. We have several great summary reports in our collection, some published by the Village (later City) of Edina and some by community organizations such as the League of Women Voters. They provide a great snapshot of life in the community.

As I was shopping at Target before the first big snowfall a couple of weeks ago, I heard an employee announce over his walkie-talkie: "We have no more snow shovels. I repeat, we have no more shovels." Another employee responded, "We have no more ice scrapers."
A collective groan rose up from disappointed shoppers, even though the first snow flake had yet to fall.

Minnesotans like to prepare. Although we don't always buy into the dire predictions of heavy snow - weather forecasters have been known to overstate - we stock up on food, put an emergency kit in the car, and (in these modern times) pick up a DVD or three for entertainment.

Weather forecasting has come a long way since the Armistice Day Blizzard that caught the state by surprise on a balmy fall day on Nov. 11, 1940. Sadly, 49 people died in the blizzard that day, as snow piled up to almost 17 inches and wind chill temperatures plummeted to below zero.

The stories told about that day are amazing. Our research library has the 1985 book written by Edina resident William Hull, "All Hell Broke Loose. Experiences of Young People During the Armistice Day 1940 Blizzard," with stories from 147 Minnesotans.

Mary Fenlason, who grew up in southwest Edina on Tingdale Avenue, wrote that her dad was one of those few prepared for a big storm. He came home early from work with coloring books, comic books and candles. When she got ready to go next door to share her new gifts with her best friend, her mother stopped her. "You cannot go out. You'll get lost."

"Of all the ridiculous things, I thought, it wasn't even dark yet and I had been going to her house for at least a year," Mary wrote in Hull's book.

People did get lost just feet away from their home. Frank Cardarelle, who lived in the same area, remembered going sliding with his brothers on their farm when the wind picked up and visibility worsened. They had to seek shelter in a chicken coop to warm up on their way to their house. His dad spent the night downtown because streetcars were stalled in the deep snow and many had jumped the tracks.

Read more tales of that day at Minnesota Public Radio or check out a short video done by the Minnesota History Center's Collection Department.

Help us expand our collection of big weather events that occurred in Edina. Today might be the perfect day to hunker down at home and dig out your photos of the 1991 Halloween blizzard, the 1987 flooding, the 1980s tornadoes, or just every day photos of enjoying the four seasons in Edina.

Several times over the past few years, various people have stopped in the research library looking for more information about southwest Edina stables where they spent many childhood hours. We had very little information, until recently, when the stable owners' family  donated a large aerial photo and scrapbook.Valley View Stables (later called Parker Stables when operated by one of the horse trainers Phil Parker) figured prominently in many childhood memories. But they were also reknown throughout the Midwest for the quality of their saddle bred horses and for their indoor riding ring, the only privately held one in the region.

Owner C.E. Peterson, better known as Pete, bought the farmland at Antrim Road and Valley View Road and built the stables in 1948. Although he grew up with horses on the family farm in Peterson, Iowa (named after his family who were the original homesteaders), he first worked as an over the road salesman for several years.

Peterson did have an "entrepreneurial spirit," according to his step-daughter Patricia MacMahon Barker, who grew up on the farm located at 6717 Valley View Road.  Peterson rented and operated Pastime Stables in St. Louis Park for three years, prior to building his own Edina business. See the St. Louis Park web site for more info about that legendary entertainment complex.

I'm working on a longer story for our membership newsletter about the stables. If you have photos or information to share, please contact me at 612-928-4577.

Several articles and books have referenced this brochure on "The New Southdale Center," distributed in 1952 as the public was invited to a meeting to learn more about the revolutionary concept of indoor shopping. I hadn't seen the entire document, however, until recently when I stumbled upon it in an archives box while looking for something else.

This little brochure deserves to be seen in its entirety, so I scanned the entire thing for your perusal. So peruse. Enjoy a peek at the past, when apparently the men cared about taxes and the women shopped, dressed in hats and heels.

Southdale is probably our No. 1 researched topic at the museum. With more time, we'd love to put our entire collection online, considering people from all over the country call about this topic. Here's the first document of hundreds....

The Hornets are to state hockey as the Yankees are to Major League Baseball: you expect them to get in the playoffs. Edina has the most Minnesota state championships, finishing first for the 10th time just last year. Eveleth-Gilbert, International Falls and Roseau are the next highest, with 7 championships each.

While many remember Edina's rise to prominence under legendary coach Willard Ikola in the 1970s, Edina made its first state hockey appearance in 1955 with coach Ted Greer.

The Hornets didn't even place back then.
Considering that Edina's high school program was in its infancy (the high school opened in 1949 without a senior class), just getting to the big show was an accomplishment.

We have the 1955 Minnesota State High School League tournament program in our files. I'd love to have the other programs from the Hornets' state hockey appearances. Believe me, it would be quite a large collection... here is a list of Edina's hockey tournament appearances, season records, and final finish:

1955
1956    Sixth
1957   16-7 Fifth
1960   15-4-3 Sixth
1962   16-3-2 Fifth
1967   19-2-1  
1968   15-5-2  
1969   25-1 First
1970   24-1-2 Second
1971   22-2-3 First
1972   22-1-1 Fifth
1982   22-4 First
1983   21-3-2 Fifth
1984   21-4-1 First
1987   12-12  
1988   21-5-1 First
1989   22-4-1 Fifth
1995 AA 21-6-1 Third
1996 AA 18-8-2 Second
1997 AA 25-3 First
1998 AA 22-6 Sixth
2000 AA 19-9 Fourth
2007 AA 27-3-1 Fifth  
2008 AA 28-3 Second
2009 AA 26-5 Fifth
2010 AA 23-6-2 First

The 1955 team (photo at right from program) included: Bernard Nielsen, Austin Brisbois, Larry Johnson, Murray MacPerson, LeRoy Ryan, Coach Ted Greer, Jim Richards, Walt Sirene, Pete Kuhlman, Bob Steinweg, Jim Emerson, Bill Strout and student manager Arnold Coppe.

If you have memorabilia moldering away in your basement or garage, please consider donating your things to the Edina Historical Society. Please contact me at 612-928-4577 for more information.