It may not be Wabasha, Minn. (established 1830), and it's definitely not St. Augustine, Fla. (inhabited since 1565). But what Coon Rapids lacks in longevity, it makes up for in enthusiasm.

Last summer, to mark its 50th anniversary as a city, Coon Rapids hosted a rock concert and ice cream social at the Coon Rapids Dam, attracting more than 2,400 celebrants. But the Coon Rapids 50th Anniversary Committee was just warming up.

A year-long calendar of events has followed, including a Little League reunion, a movie-in-the-park night, another rock concert, a pro wrestling event, a nondenominational prayer service and a community garage sale.

There's also a "50 Things I love About Coon Rapids" display at the Civic Center that residents can still enjoy.

And to add an educational component, the anniversary committee continues to work with the Coon Rapids Herald to produce 50 stories about the city.

"Coon Rapids, it really is in people's hearts," said Joni Anderson, the city clerk who is serving on the anniversary committee.

Now, the committee is planning its grand finale: An all-school reunion that organizers hope will attract more than 1,000 people.

It will be held July 3 at Sand Creek Park during the annual Sand Creek Carnival. The city is pitching in $10,000 to pay for tents and chairs and to hire a local band, the Rockin' Hollywoods. Any money left over will be donated to the high school scholarship fund.

"Coon Rapids is a pretty blue-collar town, so we're doing it up more like a small town street party," said Caroline LaCoursiere, who grew up in Coon Rapids, graduated from its high school in 1981, and is now the attendance secretary at the high school. She said she volunteered for the 50th anniversary committee out of her deep love of the city.

"I've lived here my whole life, and I really appreciate how nice it was to grow up here."

To plan the all-school reunion -- without any kind of guest list or sense of how many people might be coming -- the organizers have had to do some creative marketing.

The local cable access channel, CTN, will carry ads for the reunion, as will the Coon Rapids Herald. Committee member Eileen Matson set up a Facebook page -- "to reach the younger generation" -- and event co-chairwoman Denise Evans is hanging posters around the city. The committee members also printed up manila-colored business cards to hand out when they happen to run into a Coon Rapids High School graduate.

Of course, there's a website, coonrapids50.com, with detailed information about the reunion and answers to Coon Rapids trivia questions -- such as, who was the first police chief of Coon Rapids (Al Bombarger), and what was the Life Time Fitness originally (Zayres Shopping Center)?

If all 30,800 graduates of Coon Rapids High actually were to show up at the reunion, there would be some major parking problems. But "we would be delighted," said LaCoursiere.

The party itself will be divided up by decade ('60s grads, '70s grads, and so on), so that classmates can find each other. And there will be 50th anniversary apparel for sale at the check-in table -- at deeply discounted prices.

Alyssa Ford is a Minneapolis freelance writer.