Hundreds of people lined Mission Road on Saturday morning to enjoy a glimpse of Prairie Village down through the years.
The city hosted a parade marking its 75th anniversary, with the theme of “Prairie Village Through the Decades.”
It was one of the largest activities the city has planned this year to mark the milestone.
The parade ran down Mission Road, between 79th and 83rd streets, starting at Prairie Village City Hall and ending at Corinth Square.
More than 50 participants created floats representing different decades, with everything from a 1960s “peace and love” theme by advocacy group People for PV to a 1950s diner scene from the Claridge Court retirement community.
At Corinth Square after the parade, Mayor Eric Mikkelson addressed the crowd, saying it was “a joy” to celebrate the city’s 75th anniversary.
Mikkelson nodded to the vision that Prairie Village was founded on: “A place where families could thrive, neighbors would know one another and people could put down roots,” he said. “Defined by decency, safety, fun and a sense of place — and look at us today. That vision did not fade, it flourished.”
Janis Walk, the daughter of Ralph Benizer, Prairie Village’s first mayor, told the crowd on Saturday morning that her family still has the framed $1 checks he earned for each of the two terms her father served as mayor.
He never cashed those checks, she said, a tradition that carries on with today’s governing body.
“This was his favorite place on earth, he always said,” Walk said.
Here’s a look at some scenes caught by the Post:
