Valleyfair Commercial, 1980
The Twin Cities area’s newest amusement park, Valleyfair, opened in Shakopee on May 25, 1976. Its 20 original rides included the High Roller wooden roller coaster (still in operation) and the 48-horse carousel rescued from the old Excelsior Amusement Park at Lake Minnetonka (also still in operation).
Video courtesy TC Media Now
In the Shadow of the Gay 90s, Minneapolis, Late 1970s (by Stephen Cysewski)
Minneapolis Simplified, 1975
Photo via Old Minneapolis
Minnesota Zoo Commercial, 1980
The Minnesota Zoo (officially known as the Minnesota Zoological Garden) opened to the public on May 22, 1978. Its garden-like, Apple Valley setting distinguished it from older zoos—including St. Paul’s Como Zoo—but its biggest attraction was an exhibit featuring two beluga whales named “Big Mouth” and “Little Girl.”
Fruit Day
Gay Rights Activists Protest Appearance by Anita Bryant, Minneapolis, 1977
Celebrity morals avenger Anita Bryant visited the Twin Cities on May 21, 1977, to help dedicate a new fruit warehouse in Minneapolis. (She was, after all, a spokeswoman for Florida citrus growers.) Bryant had recently achieved a new level of national prominence by spearheading support for an anti-gay ordinance in Dade County, Florida. Gay rights activists in the Twin Cities were not about to let her swoop into Minneapolis without letting her know what they thought of her. On the day of her appearance at the warehouse, several hundred protesters gathered nearby to celebrate what they dubbed “National Fruit Day.”
Photo via Flickr Photostream: RamDriver
Time Warp
Midnight Weirdness at the Uptown Theater, Minneapolis, 1978
Minneapolis’s Uptown Theater introduced midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show on May 19, 1978. It was the beginning an impressive 18-year run.
So, in honor of this anniversary, may I offer…a toast!…
Photo via Minnesota Historical Society
