originally posted on 8/25/2023
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
On August 12, 43 ACE members met for the annual event held by ACE North Central at Valleyfair (Shakopee, Minnesota). Summer Thrills is becoming a tradition filled with great friends, ERT and unique behind-the-scenes tours. The day started with check-in at the front gate, where attendees had the opportunity to mingle and catch up with friends.
As soon as the park opened to the public, attendees headed to the back of the park. The first activity of the day was to tour the infield of Valleyfair’s 1989 Arrow Dynamics wood structured steel coaster, Excalibur. This coaster has been a topic of conversation for many years — some enthusiasts love it while others hate it. There have even been rumors of its removal over the years. During the tour ACE members asked some of their most burning questions to Rides Manager Tom Soul and Maintenance Manager Jim Boone. Soul has 45 years of experience with Valleyfair, and Boone has 31 years, so there wasn’t a question they couldn’t answer.
The day began with an infield tour of the park’s 1989 Arrow Dynamics Excalibur, granting attendees access to the difficult-to-photograph thrill ride at the back of the park.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
Photo: HaeKyung Thompson. View full-sized image.
While climbing in and around the infield of Excalibur, Soul and Boone gave insight on how this ride is one of the first true hybrids, thanks to its tubular steel rails with a structure of mostly wood. One of its issues has always been the fact it was built before the use of computer-aided design and has been a constant work of love for Valleyfair to keep operational.
Some may remember the speed pop at the bottom of the first hill, which Valleyfair explained needed to be removed owing to its intensity. Soul and Boone also explained how some of the high-impact areas needed to be converted to all steel over the years because the forces of the ride kept tearing apart the structure. The question was asked why the coaster wasn’t constructed of all wood or all steel, and the answer was simple: people love the look of a wood roller coaster, but the need for steel was important to get the best ride.
Considered a close relative of Gemini at sister park Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio), Excalibur also shares a lot in common with Arrow’s mine trains in that it features tubular steel rails atop a structure constructed primarily of wood.
Photo: HaeKyung Thompson. View full-sized image.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
Following this walk around Excalibur, attendees had the entire day to explore the park. There were a few informal ride times scheduled throughout the day, but no activities as a group until lunch. The meal consisted of a wonderful Tater Tot Bar with all the fixings. Tater Tots are one of Minnesota’s staple foods, usually used in Tater Tot Hotdish. After lunch, Valleyfair set up a scavenger hunt around the park using QR codes and a series of five clues.
For a second time during the event, Excalibur was a focal point with ERT at dusk.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
As dusk began to fall, it was time for ERT on Excalibur. The joy of this ERT was to get some sunset/night rides. Owing to its position in the park, Excalibur is the last ride to open in the morning and the first ride to close at night, making these kinds of rides almost impossible to score on a normal visit. The 45 minutes of ERT did not disappoint, and even left some extra time to explore the rest of the park at night, as Valleyfair was still open for one more hour following ERT.
With still more on offer, Valleyfair treated attendees to bonus night ERT on Renegade to complete the event.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
That would have qualified as a great way to end the day, but Valleyfair still had one more surprise up its sleeve. After it closed to the public, Valleyfair treated attendees to a bonus half hour of ERT in the dark on the crowd favorite Renegade, the park’s 2007 Great Coasters International, Inc. wood coaster. ACE extended its thanks to the park and its staff for its hospitality, and ACE members are looking forward to next year’s event.
— Tom Nickerson, ACE North Central Regional Representative
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