COLUMBIA, MD — Columbia turns 50 this summer and is getting a jump on its anniversary. The city began its months-long celebration Sunday at The Mall in Columbia.

County, state and federal elected officials attended the opening ceremonies for Columbia's 50th birthday Sunday morning in the mall's open-air plaza. An afternoon of festivities followed, with entertainment from strolling musicians to balloon artists throughout the mall.

Columbia officially turns 50 on June 21. On that day in 1967, Wilde Lake — the first of the community's 10 villages — opened.