What's A Silver Annie & Why Was Kalamazoo Celebrating It In 1909?

I came across a post on a page that looks back at all the classic postcards that were once printed in Kalamazoo that gives a small glimpse into the past. One, in general, seemed to throw me off a little bit, and maybe I'm just not used to the verbiage but they were talking about Kalamazoo celebrating what they called a Silver Annie in 1909. Personally, it sounds like the name of a racehorse, but it made a little more sense when I looked it up:

In October 1909 Kalamazoo celebrated its "Silver Annie." It marked 25 years since Kalamazoo officially ceased to be a village and became a city. There were a number of parades and this real photo postcard shows a float by the Pythian Sisters heading west down Main Street. This is West Michigan Avenue at Park Street. The Henderson Ames factory is in the background.

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It's short for an anniversary. DERP. This is what happens when I try to think before 5 am. Either way, the 25th ANNIVERSARY looked like it was a lot of fun and honestly, it's really cool we still get snapshots from our past, and that there is still so much left and preserved by our city.

You can check out more old Kalamazoo postcards on their page, Greetings from Kalamazoo: A Vintage Postcard a Day. They don't just provide a glimpse into the past, but regularly have some cool history to go with them. I'm glad that the next time I hear the term "Silver Annie" I'll know what someone is talking about and not feel like a total tool again.