Albert Lea YMCA celebrating 110 years as a community center

Residents are invited to old-fashioned patio party

By Ayanna Eckblad

The Albert Lea YMCA will celebrate its 110th anniversary Sept. 14 with an old-fashioned patio party.

Nonmembers will be able to go to the YMCA for free on the day of the anniversary, and there will be bounce houses as well as a grilled hot dog lunch for a suggested donation of 20 cents. The reasoning behind this price is that there was a similar event held for the opening of the YMCA in 1914, and 20 cents is how much the lunch cost then.

Historical documents and photos will also be available for people to look at. They may even recognize themselves in the photos.

Albert Lea YMCA CEO April Jeppson spoke on what she is looking forward to at the special anniversary event. She hopes the celebration brings a sense of community she has always felt the YMCA stood for.

“We are a gym, we have workout space, we have a swimming pool, we have a walking track in the gymnasium, but we’re more than just a gym. We’re a community center,” Jeppson said. She remembered recognizing the strong sense of community when she saw how the YMCA stepped up to serve people in the area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Albert Lea YMCA opened in 1914 from an office on South Broadway Avenue. The YWCA, for women, opened in 1928 in a separate building downtown.

As the popularity of both the YMCA and YWCA grew, members decided they needed to have their own facility. Fundraising for a shared building began in the mid to late 1960s. The new building was completed in 1972. In 1979, the gym, running track and racquetball courts were added.

Although the building has undergone many changes throughout the years, Jeppson said one thing that has not changed is the need to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the organization and the community.

Since beginning to plan this milestone celebration, Jeppson said she has become fascinated with the history of the YMCA and the role it has played in Albert Lea and Freeborn County. Many of the people who started the YMCA have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are involved today. She hopes she is able to meet more people who are a part of the rich history of the YMCA.

Jeppson said she admires the strength and determination of those who started the YMCA and those who continued pushing toward further improvements.

“A small group of focused individuals that are working toward the same thing, they get things done … It’s how the YMCA started,” she said.

Currently there is a banner in the YMCA entryway with photos from the past and present. People are also able to purchase vintage style YMCA T-shirts to commemorate the event for $20.

Jeppson encouraged everyone to come to the YMCA during the 110th anniversary event. Even if someone had a bad experience, she said, she hopes they come to celebrate with them and let her know how the YMCA can be improved.

“The Y is not just one thing. It’s part of the community,” Jeppson said. “The Y means something different for everybody … You might have went to camp out at the park, you might have been a counselor at the camp, your kids might have learned how to play basketball or learned how to swim, you might have learned how to swim here. And everybody has a different memory, a different experience.”

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