On August 24, the Edina Education Fund hosted the outdoor concert event Band Together at Edina High School’s main parking lot. This is the second year that the Ed Fund has hosted this event which aims at fundraising money for mental health resources. All sales proceeds and donations will be put towards additional mental health services within Edina Public Schools so that all students can access mental health therapy if needed. 

The event featured local bands such as the Teardowns, Carpet Mode, and Aiden Intro. Many of the band members’ main reason that they’re playing at the event is that they sympathize with the cause. “A lot of us have or have had kids in EPS, and it’s really important to take care of the kids. Especially now, with getting the resources that they need to get through some of these challenging times,” The Teardown’s Colin Wells said.

Compared to its inaugural year (2021), this year’s event ran much smoother. “The first year was much more difficult because we didn’t know exactly what we were putting together but we learned a lot last year,” Executive Director Kathy Rendleman said. This year, Rendleman hoped to see a bigger and more excited crowd. “I think it’s all about the numbers. It’s whether you can fill the actual parking lot [and] make people feel like this is an exciting place,” Rendleman said.

In addition to being a health fundraiser, a lot of students enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with friends and enjoy the entertainment. “The event was really fun. It was nice to see everyone in one place right before school starts, so it kind of eases you back and it was nice to chill at an event like this,” Junior Ava Leonard said.