Medina has always carried a name larger than itself. Long before today’s neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and gathering places took shape, our community chose a name rooted in the idea of a city — a place where people come together, build, exchange ideas, and imagine something better.
As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, that meaning feels especially powerful. The story of independence was never only about separation from the past; it was about enlightenment, unity, enterprise, and the courage to begin again. In that same spirit, Medina is entering its own quiet renaissance, where local families, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and community builders are shaping the next chapter close to home.
For me, Meander Park & Boardwalk is part of that story — one that officially began with a June 2021 call to a childhood friend requesting his professional help to build an independent commercial development near the Fields of Medina neighborhood. Five years later, that idea has collectively evolved far beyond complimentary commercial buildings rising along Highway 55’s northwestern corridor, but as a living example of community connection being built in real time. Milestones Early Learning Center is nearing the end of construction and preparing to welcome families this September. New EV Superchargers are coming online as we speak. And in 2027, a restaurant and retail-office building are expected to add new places to gather, work, dine, and connect. When the four-story arts & entertainment event venue with conservatory, ballroom boardwalk and boutique hotel arrives in 2028, this multi-dimensional puzzle will finally be complete. The individual pieces being placed by dedicated humans. Each pushing their own potential; driven by the spirit of a collective purpose. Reminding us that community is built one vision, one risk, one relationship, and one shared gathering place at a time. And it will certainly have taken many times to get there.
That same spirit runs through the pages of this issue. You’ll find it in the story of the Hamel Hawks, where a century of baseball reminds us that tradition only lasts when each generation chooses to carry it forward. You’ll see it in the Hamel Rodeo, where patriotism, volunteerism, youth service, and community service continue to define one of our area’s most beloved summer traditions. You’ll meet entrepreneurs and builders shaping what comes next — from Heintz & Clark’s expansion to Florida, to Route 1’s work transforming food access, to Milestones preparing to welcome Medina families, to local business leaders imagining new ways to serve, gather, train, design, and grow.
You’ll also find quieter stories of legacy and renewal: Izatys beginning a new chapter on Lake Mille Lacs, cousins turning a lemonade stand into a decade of giving, fathers passing down wisdom in unexpected ways, and Medina leaders asking what kind of community we want to become. Together, these stories remind us that America’s promise has never lived only in capitals, monuments, or history books. It lives in local places like Medina — in the people willing to build, serve, remember, risk, and believe that the next chapter can be better than the last.
Elsewhere in this issue, that local renaissance takes on still more forms. Kristin Robbins reflects on service, responsibility, and what comes next after public office, while Kelly O’Brien reminds us that community is often built around a table in her visit to Primo Plates & Pours. Heroes on the Hill turns movement into medicine for veterans and first responders, and A Day at the Polo Fields shows how a summer tradition can become a lifeline for rescued horses through This Old Horse. Architect Jeff Gears brings readers inside the creative discipline of designing Minnesota’s built environment, Brian Taylor shares how Precision Shooting Center is rethinking firearms training in a safer and more accessible way, and Brandon Ferdig’s report from Honduras explores startup societies. And the frontier spirit of builders imagining new models of independence that extend far beyond the borders of the United States.
Even the Hamel Rodeo stories continue beyond the arena, with Cloverpatch 4-H kids learning service and grit in the concession stands and the Giving Back feature showing how one summer tradition helps support veterans, firefighters, youth programs, cancer research, and local nonprofits. Page by page, this issue becomes a reminder that renewal is not one grand event. It is the daily work of neighbors, founders, volunteers, teachers, artists, builders, and families choosing to invest in the place they call home.
And as always, LocalTies would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsoring partners. Their investment in this magazine is also an investment in local storytelling, local business, and the community connections that make Medina and the surrounding Twin Cities west metro such a meaningful place to call home.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “Well done is better than well said.” As Medina looks ahead — and as America celebrates 250 years of independence — those words feel less like a proverb and more like a challenge. The future of a community is not built by what we say we value, but by what we are willing to build, support, serve, and carry forward together.
Sincerely,
A 45-year-old American grateful to celebrate the 250th year of our nation’s Independence
