The "Parkettes" were the dance team for St. Louis Park High School. In 1964, they were hired as cheerleaders for the Vikings games at the Metropolitan Stadium. 

Lizz Trach and Cindy Lubet Kalland still hold onto some of their favorite pictures and costumes from their time as Parkettes.

"Looking at the whole Met Stadium outside in the open, the stands were filled, it was very exciting," said Kalland.

Kalland was part of the original squad, and Trach joined her junior year in the mid-'70s. Despite dancing in different eras, there's a lasting bond that these moments with the Vikings created. 

"More than I think any other danceline in the cities, the Parkettes were known for being very professional," said Kalland. "We'd be hired by people around the state to perform."

"It really was something that, I want to say, amazing, but it's more than amazing because the sisterhood is still to this day, and we're talking more than 50 years ago," said Trach. 

The Vikings still bring back Parkette Alumni to perform with the team on gameday.

"We were very, very lucky to do what we did," said Kalland.

The Parkettes were not the first Vikings cheerleaders. The originals were the Pom Pom Girls, or "Viqueens," led by Bob Patrin. They were on the sidelines when the Vikings debuted in 1961. One of those original cheerleaders is still alive, and she was honored in 2024 for the MVC Alumni Hall of Fame.