On Friday, October 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., the City of Mahtomedi will hold a ribbon cutting to mark the completion of Streetcar Park, with food and refreshments served. At 9 a.m. the next morning, the Wildwood Lions Club and Kramer-Berg American Legion Post 507 open PunkinMania at Veterans Memorial Park, 93 Mahtomedi Avenue.
The Wildwood Lions Club is on the list of groups that helped finish Streetcar Park. Veterans Memorial Park was renovated with help from local veterans before it got its current name. So both events this weekend take place in parks that residents and civic clubs rebuilt by hand. In Mahtomedi, a lot of the public space gets built this way.
A Depot, a Pivot Table, and a Long Gap
Streetcar Park is bounded by Tamarack Road, Quail Street and Briarwood Avenue, near the Mahtomedi District Education Center. The name comes from what used to stand there. During a trolley tour organized through Wildwood Library, local historian Parker Foss pointed out the site as the location of a streetcar depot and a pivot table that turned the cars around.
The Twin City Rail Transit Company began regular streetcar service to Mahtomedi and Stillwater in 1899. It also built Wildwood Amusement Park on the southeast shore of White Bear Lake. St. Paul riders paid the streetcar fare, and once there, park admission was free. Wildwood offered rides, swimming, boating, fishing, dances and picnic grounds. The amusement park closed in 1932. Its pavilion stood until 1937, and the site was taken apart in 1938. The Press Publications account of that tour said 66 years had passed since the last streetcar ran through town.
For decades, the turnaround was just a piece of open ground with a story attached. Since 2019, residents have been changing that.
How the Park Got Built
Lindsay Buck, a landscape architect who volunteered on the project, drew the layout plans and cost estimates. Press Publications describes the effort as led by residents and volunteers, with the City as a partner. The trail infrastructure came first. The park's segment of the Lake Links trail and a donated covered bridge were built in 2019, and trail lighting paid for by a state grant went in during 2022.
Volunteers then did the slow work of planting. The City's January–February 2026 newsletter reported that crews had planted more than 40 trees and shrubs and over 1,000 native plants. Volunteers also pulled garlic mustard and buckthorn and spread wood chips. The 2025 fundraising goal was $11,500. That money was for more picnic-area plantings and an in-ground slide, with both scheduled to be finished in 2026. The $11,500 covered those additions only. Because so much of the labor was donated, the park's total cost does not appear in any single published figure.
The newsletter credits these supporters:
- The City of Mahtomedi and its Public Works department
- Lake Links Association and the Wolgamot Lake Links Trail Enhancement Fund
- Mahtomedi Garden Club
- Wildwood Lions Club
- Rice Creek Watershed District
- Local Scouts
- Local businesses and private donors
The finish line was getting close by spring. At the Parks Commission meeting on May 20, 2026, the minutes noted that digging for the slide had begun and that boulders were going in to keep vehicles out and to keep bikes out of the picnic areas. The minutes also said a Scout-led enclosure for an accessible outhouse was expected by July. A drinking fountain had been bought but was waiting on water-line repairs.
What to Look For on Friday
The ribbon cutting is a good chance to walk the whole site. Lake Links volunteers list these features:
- Native plantings along the paths and around the picnic area
- Wood-chip walking paths
- A natural play area
- The in-ground slide, the main 2025 fundraising goal
- A Little Free Library at the picnic area
- The covered bridge and lit section of the Lake Links trail
A sign about the park's history came up at a 2023 Parks Commission discussion. No published source confirms the sign has been installed. If it isn't there yet, the depot and pivot table are a story to tell on the walk, along with the fact that Hamline Lake behind Briarwood Avenue was once much bigger than it is now.
Saturday Morning at the Old Triangle Park
PunkinMania runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. It offers standard and painted pumpkins for sale, games, pumpkin crafts, fire trucks, food and refreshments. No preregistration is required. The Wildwood Lions Club says the event started in 1987, is its second-largest fundraiser, and that the proceeds go back into the community it serves.
So when you buy a pumpkin Saturday morning, the money goes to one of the clubs that helped pay for the park you walked through Friday evening.
The location has its own volunteer history. In April 2018, the Parks Commission recommended renaming Triangle Park to better honor people who have served the country. The City Council then passed the renaming ordinance after renovations that local veterans helped with. The same park hosts the annual Veterans Day ceremony on November 11 from 5 to 8 p.m., with no registration required.
Getting Between Them While the Avenue Is Torn Up
Veterans Memorial Park sits at 93 Mahtomedi Avenue, and Streetcar Park is near the District Education Center at 1520 Mahtomedi Avenue, so a trip between them will probably involve the avenue. Right now it is in the middle of utility work. Xcel Energy is moving and upgrading natural gas lines along Mahtomedi Avenue, with work expected to continue through late November. The City's most recent notice, updated in late August, said northbound traffic had reopened after the Hickory Street work. Southbound traffic was still closed south of Hickory, in the stretch toward Ash Street. Driveway access stays open, though crews may cause delays.
Press Publications reported these detours for the project:
- Local detour: Warner Avenue
- Through-traffic detour: TH 96/Dellwood Road, Jamaca Avenue/CSAH 9 and Stillwater Boulevard/CSAH 12
- At the work zone: one-lane closures between Ash Street and Locust Street, and occasional brief driveway closures
Lane closures change as the crews move. The City posts current closures and detours at mahtomediave.com, and the utility relocation detour map shows both the local and bypass routes. Check the project site Friday afternoon before you head to the ribbon cutting.
Why the Gas Lines Are Moving Now
The gas work has to be finished before a bigger project starts. Xcel's relocation clears room for the new storm sewer and water main planned for the 2027 reconstruction of Mahtomedi Avenue. The City Council's October 21, 2025, hearing record describes a project of about 1.7 miles from Stillwater Road to Tamarack Street. Its estimated base cost is $13,697,020.
The plan would shrink the pavement from its current 32 to 40 feet down to 26 feet. It adds five-foot boulevards and sidewalks, plus signalized pedestrian crossings at Hickory and Juniper. The Council left out a west-side sidewalk from Neptune Street to Tamarack and kept street lighting as a design option. The October 2025 White Bear Press report projected final design by fall 2026, bids in February 2027, and construction from spring through fall 2027.
That makes this October the last PunkinMania before the avenue is rebuilt. By next fall, the walk to Veterans Memorial Park could have new sidewalks and signalized crossings, or it could be an active construction zone. The schedule will decide which.
Filling Out the Weekend
The next stop is a short drive away. Pine Tree Apple Orchard, at 450 Apple Orchard Road in White Bear Lake, has a busy fall calendar.
- Corn maze: through October 25, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with last entry at 3
- Pumpkin patch: through October 25, weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting and while supplies last
- Elizabethan Syngers: October 10 and 11, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Run & Walk for the Apples: October 17 at 9 a.m.
- Ladies of the Lake quilting shows: October 17–18 and 24–25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Fridays through Mondays, the orchard's salesroom is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you skip the morning crowd at PunkinMania, you can still catch the Syngers Saturday afternoon. If you're planning for late October, the orchard's two pages disagree. The hours page lists the last outdoor activities on October 28 and 29, but the calendar ends the maze and pumpkin patch on October 25. Call ahead before going after the 25th.
The Mahtomedi Avenue rebuild is the next big change to the stretch where you'll be walking and parking this weekend. When the 2027 bids go out, The Muske Team will be tracking what the new street means for homes along the corridor. If you own near Mahtomedi Avenue and want to know where your home's value stands before construction begins, ask us for a free home valuation.
