New park opens in Nokomis

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is pleased to announce it has a new park, and it is to be named “Edward C. Solomon Park” after the late and much-loved commissioner. Festivities to name and dedicate the new park are being planned for Fri., Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The new 40-acre park, bounded by Cedar Ave. on the east, 58th St. on the north, 13th Ave. on the west and 60th St. on the south, was acquired through a trade with the Metropolitan Airports Commission and encompasses open fields, wetlands, and hilly wooded areas.

Park Board Commissioner Solomon represented the Fifth Park District from 1996 until his death in December 2002. Long before becoming commissioner, Solomon was well known for his dedication to the development and promotion of park programs and services, serving 15 years as the president of the McRae Park Athletic Council.

Given Solomon’s many years of dedication to parks, it is fitting to now dedicate a park to his memory. The park dedication will celebrate Solomon’s life. His wife, Harriet Solomon, his son Edward, “Chuck” Solomon, Jr., and his daughter, Dana Williams, will join in the celebration. In addition to a formal program, which will include a ribbon cutting, the unveiling of the park sign, the planting of a memorial tree, and speakers, park staff will conduct sports skills clinics for youth, and the McRae Park Jazz Workshop will provide musical entertainment. Festivities will take place at the intersection of 58th Street and 13th Avenue in the northwest corner of the park.