Author: Stuart Sudak

Seated at the dining room table of the historic Cummins-Phipps-Grill House, Katie Qualey reflects on when her love for Eden Prairie’s history first took root. “I have loved history, and I didn’t know about all our local history,” said Qualey, a freelance graphic artist who has lived in Eden Prairie for 35 years. “Once you’ve kind of learn about it all and share it with others, boy, it really just grows from there.” The house, located across Pioneer Trail from Flying Cloud Airport, ignited Qualey’s interest in the history of Eden Prairie. Constructed between 1879 and 1880, this brick farmhouse…

Are you planning to stay in town for the Memorial Day weekend? If so, here are a few activities you can enjoy in Eden Prairie for the remainder of the weekend. Memorial Day Celebration A Memorial Day Ceremony takes place at 11 a.m. Monday, May 29, at the Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial in Purgatory Creek Park, 13001 Technology Drive. The event will include the Viking Squadron Civil Air Patrol cadets posting and retrieving the Colors, the Eden Prairie Police Reserves Honor Guard raising the Colors to full staff, a performance by the Eden Prairie Community Band, and vocal renditions of “The Star-Spangled…

Serena Haglin, a community service officer for the Eden Prairie Police Department, found herself in a heartwarming rescue mission on Sunday afternoon when a call came in regarding a group of ducklings that fell into a storm sewer drain on Indigo Drive. Upon arriving at the scene at about noon, Haglin didn’t have much time to assess the situation. “Rolled up and right away you can hear the chirping from the sewer cover,” she recalled. “And the lady who called in was very helpful, but she couldn’t see the mother duck, although it was around.” Initially, Haglin had doubts about…

Mark Weber, president of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES), offered a preview of the 31st Annual Solar Boat Regatta, ready to set sail at Riley Lake Park beach on Saturday. Now in its seventh year at the Eden Prairie park, the MRES-sponsored regatta will be anchored at the pavilion overlooking the beach from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A total of 11 boats, featuring intriguing names such as Dragon Avalonus, Ghost Rider, TYTANIK II, and S.S. America, will take to Lake Riley. They are all built by middle and high school students, as well as adults, from across Minnesota.…

Southwest Christian High School (SWCHS) in Chaska has hired David Flom as the new head coach for its varsity boys basketball team. Flom, who previously coached at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) for 17 years, stepped down on March 31 following a challenging season that involved his suspension for reading a racial slur to players. The subsequent reinstatement of Flom sparked protests and caused division among players, parents, and community members. The private Christian school made the announcement this week through a news release, which touted Flom’s “significant success in high school coaching, including numerous statewide and national accolades.” In…

The snowbank that achieved online fame as “Mount Eden Prairie” in the parking lot of Eden Prairie Center is nearing the end of its unlikely journey. As temperatures rise, the once imposing snow mound that dominated the landscape in March has transformed into a modest knoll, caked in a layer of dirt and debris, as of Wednesday, May 17. The difference in size is apparent, as a crow hops from the ground to conquer the snowbank’s low summit, no longer needing to take to the skies to do so. Mount Eden Prairie’s notoriety extended beyond its towering stature. It drew…

Gov. Tim Walz signed into law Tuesday a bill that renames part of a state highway after Prince, citing his transformational impact on the music scene both in Minnesota and around the globe. Outside of Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Walz made the bill official using purple ink in honor of Prince’s trademark color. The seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 from Highway 41 in Chanhassen to Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie is now the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway. Purple highway signs will soon mark the road. “Prince was a proud Minnesotan through and through, and it’s only fitting that we…

Eden Prairie High School has a new head boys basketball coach. According to a media release from the school’s athletic department, Alexander “Zander” Culver has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS), replacing David Flom, who resigned after 17 years in the role. Culver comes from Roseville High School, where he has been a teacher and the head boys basketball coach for four years. Russ Reetz, associate principal of student activities for EPHS, stated in the release that Culver “is going to support and inspire our athletes to become better people and better…

Minnesota is one step closer to honoring the late legendary musician Prince, as the Senate passed a bill 55-5 on Thursday to rename a stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie after him. The legislation to rename a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 from Highway 41 in Chanhassen to Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie as the “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway” passed the House unanimously last month on the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death. It now heads to Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it into law. Sen. Julia Coleman (R-48, Waconia), who authored SF 279,…

Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall received a special visit from Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Guzman on Wednesday. They were joined by Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who had just finished working a shift at the mall as part of his “On the Job with Dean” initiative. The visit was hosted by Phillips and served as a stop on the Biden Administration’s National Small Business Week roadshow, which aims to recognize the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. Eden Prairie resident Michael Bui helped serve as one of the tour guides around…