Party Planning: Northfield begins talks to mark centennial in 2026

Northfield plans to make 100 look good in 2026. 

Trustees got the party started with talks at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday about how to commemorate Northfield’s upcoming centennial.

Ideas included fireworks to light up the sky and an antique car show for a blast from the past.

Village trustees first began the conversation on how to mark the special occasion — 100 years since the Village’s establishment in 1926 — as early as March 2023, when the Village allocated $20,000 toward planning, as reported by The Record.

Village President Tracey Mendrek said to avoid interfering with annual Village events and the resumption of school activities, Northfield’s centennial festivities will likely take place in August 2026 at Clarkson Park.

Mendrek said she brainstormed with Bill Byron, executive director of the Northfield Park District, on what a centennial celebration could look like. Byron suggested a DJ to help entertain the teenage crowd, as well as facepainting and balloon art for children.

“I appreciate the buy-in from the community members, the schools and the park (district). … I think that there’s a lot of interest, and it makes me excited that there’s a lot of interest on the board about doing something like that too,” Trustee Tom Whittaker said.

Mendrek added that Byron also suggested bringing in local bands, because he has noticed more well-known bands at Northfield’s Market & Music events draw audiences from outside communities, mitigating the purpose of a Northfield-centered event.

The centennial celebration will require a budget of approximately $35,000, according to early estimates. Mendrek said she and Village Manager Patrick Brennan are also looking into potential donations to support the celebration’s cost.

The board launched its early ideas for its centennial plans in this month’s Village newsletter, featuring a page titled “Our Story,” which offers insight into Northfield’s origins.

Mendrek said the Village Board will continue to feature similar town information every other month, thanks to Trustee Charlie Orth, liaison to the centennial project; town historian Mary Rhodes; and Village Director of Administrative Services Melissa Jewett.

Officials hope these efforts will pique residents’ interest about the upcoming centennial, Mendrek said.

“We don’t want it just to be a one-day event,” Orth said. “We want to have multiple events throughout the spring and summer to celebrate our rich history.”

Mendrek mentioned incorporating more information about Northfield’s history via a booth at the centennial celebration and presentations for students during the school year.

Public comment opened the door for even more ideas.

Barnaby Dinges, a former Village trustee, said the Village should honor the Ojibwe tribe, the original inhabitants of Northfield, and invite a speaker as part of the centennial celebration.

“I think it would be a wonderful, forward-looking, progressive thing for Northfield,” Dinges said.

Efforts to spread the word about the centennial are already in the works.

According to the minutes from the Village’s June 17 board meeting, Orth said the Centennial Committee has been working on early plans including concepts for a logo, and at Tuesday’s meeting, Orth said he is in contact with local magazines and websites and other news networks.

With just over a year until October 2026, the month of Northfield’s official 100th birthday, the Village Board will continue drawing attention to and assessing the best actions for a centennial celebration.

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