HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 5 - NWA Sculptures Dedication Ceremony (2)
City of Edina 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 kcaron@EdinaMN.gov EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dedication Ceremony To Be Held for Northwest Airlines
Sculptures at Centennial Lakes Park
Edina, Minn., May 5, 2016 – A dedication ceremony will be held in May for bronze sculptures
commemorating late Edina resident Donald Nyrop, former CEO of Northwest Airlines (NWA) and the
contributions the men and women of NWA gave to the growth of commercial aviation. The dedication
ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, May 16, at Centennial Lakes Park, 7499 France Ave. S.
Following the dedication ceremony, the Edina Community Foundation will host a celebration at 5 p.m. at
Pinstripes, 3849 Gallagher Drive.
The new bronze sculptures are located on the east side of the park. The first installment, called “Dreams
Take Flight,” depicts a 5-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl perched on separate stones dreaming of the
future of aviation while playing with model airplanes, a Convair 580 and a Boeing 747. The other
sculpture is called “The Glamorous Days of Flight” and shows a family boarding an aircraft in the 1960s,
when flying was novel and prestigious. The sculptures were installed in the summer and fall of 2015.
Nick Legeros, Edina resident and winner of the 2014 Public Art People’s Choice Award for his sculpture
“Leaping Hare,” was commissioned to create the sculptures. Legeros is the artist behind many other
popular Edina sculptures, including “Reflecting on Friendship” outside the Hughes Pavilion at Centennial
Lakes Park and “The McCurdy Bench” and “Treehouse” at Highlands Elementary School.
The Edina Community Foundation served as the charitable giving partner for this enterprise, collecting
money for the sculptures from former NWA employees. The project received support from more than
200 donors.
For additional information about sculptures at Centennial Lakes Park, contact Centennial Lakes Park
General Manager Tom Shirley at 952-607-1627 or TShirley@EdinaMN.gov.
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