The City of Mission is throwing a block party to celebrate its 75th anniversary, closing a stretch of Johnson Drive for live music, food trucks, local beer and a decades-themed costume contest on Sept. 26.
The street dance runs from 5 to 9 p.m. at Johnson Drive and Woodson, with activities spilling into The Mission Theater. Johnson Drive between Dearborn Street and Woodson Street, plus Woodson south to West 59th Terrace, will be closed from noon through midnight to accommodate setup and cleanup, according to the city's event page.
Mission breweries will pour beer, food trucks will line the street, and a kids' activity zone sponsored by Wonder and Whoa, a Mission-based creative studio for children ages 3 to 12, rounds out the family programming.
Giveaways are also planned.
At 5:45 p.m., the city will hold a "Mission Through the Decades" costume contest sponsored by Fiorella's Boutique. Attendees can dress in fashions from the 1950s through the present, with prizes awarded in multiple categories before the band takes the stage.
The celebration caps a year of anniversary programming. In the July 2026 issue of Mission Magazine, Mayor Sollie Flora wrote that the milestone "represents generations of families, thousands of stories, and countless memories created along familiar streets and sidewalks."
The city has also organized a "75 Acts of Kindness" initiative running throughout 2026, encouraging residents, businesses and civic groups to give back to neighbors.
Mission incorporated on Aug. 8, 1951, when residents voted to form a local government. E.C. McBride served as the city's first mayor, and attorney Keith Martin hosted early council meetings in his law office at 5832 Reeds Road. The city started as a growing post-war suburb; according to the 2020 census, it now has a population of 9,954.
A downtown window-decorating contest for businesses along Johnson Drive between Lamar Avenue and the Mission Transit Center is also part of the anniversary festivities. Public voting on the displays runs Sept. 1 through Sept. 23, with winners announced at the street dance. The city's contest page indicates registration has closed.
Coming up
- Sept. 1–23: Public voting on downtown window displays (details on the city's website)
- Sept. 26, 5–9 p.m.: 75th Anniversary Street Dance, Johnson Drive and Woodson
