originally posted on 8/20/2021
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
Many people ask what makes ACE so great. Well, on August 7, twenty ACEers found out what makes ACE grand. A day of friends, food, rides and surprises during Valleyfair’s Grand Carnivale is what happened at ACE Does It Grand. Check-in started at the front of the park at 10:30 a.m., with the threat of showers lingering in the air. Everyone knew the rain was needed as Minnesota is going through a drought. However, every attendee was hoping of all the days, please not this day.
The early morning rainstorm that had just cleared kept crowds low for most of the day, especially after the first couple of hours, when the crowds dispersed through the park. This made for some fun and easy rides to start the day.
The first group activity was not scheduled until 2 p.m. ACE met up for a behind-the-scenes tour of what it takes to get Grand Carnivale up and running. Attendees were walked back to the makeup shop, where they got to see some of the performers putting on their makeup for the day. Todd Reutter, Valleyfair events coordinator and parade manager, led the tour. While in the makeup shop, he talked about how the building is normally used for Haunt and how every actor, whether for Haunt or for Grand Carnivale, comes through those doors before every shift. One of the things Reutter was proud of was the Grand Carnivale gems. Although Grand Carnivale is in almost every Cedar Fair Park this year, Valleyfair is the only park that is doing prosthetic gems on every character’s face. Some big, some small, but all 75 actors had gems attached each night to help enhance the party atmosphere.
Attendees were able to see the floats up close on a tour.
Photos: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
A behind-the-scenes view showed ACEers how Grand Carnivale was staged. View full-sized image.
Next, attendees continued on to the float tent where all the floats are stored for the day until Carnivale. This was a fun chance to get up close and personal with the floats; the detail on them was amazing. Some of the floats are the same as other Grand Carnivale floats in the chain, but some are different. Reutter explained how Cedar Fair plans to keep running this event for a few more years, during which time the floats will be switched out from one park to the next to keep the event fresh. Some floats will stay at certain parks because of size restrictions, but most will get switched out. This was the biggest year yet for Grand Carnivale in the Cedar Fair parks. In years past, there have been two tours that when finished at one park would go to another. This year Grand Carnivale was scheduled during the same time period for every park in the chain that had the event. Some started a week earlier or ended a week later, but there was at least one week during which every park was doing Grand Carnivale together. Because of that full brand requirement, Reutter mentioned that everyone involved had extremely long shifts for a week straight. Actors had 12+-hour days learning choreographing. Light programmers had to work overnight to check the floats when the actors weren’t rehearsing. Grand Carnivale truly is an amazing event that took an amazing team to pull it off. Besides seeing the floats, many ACEers enjoyed being behind the scenes and photographing rarely seen backside roller coaster shots.
After the tour, the food booths opened, and ACEers got to partake of their second favorite activity. Everyone was given a six-sample tasting card that could be used at any of the five international food booths. China, Italy, Germany, India and Spain were the options. This was the perfect time for attendees to sit down and relax and enjoy each other’s tales and stories.
Prize Winners Andrew and Ravyn Benson won the scavenger hunt.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
A scavenger hunt had been organized. Andrew and Ravyn Benson were the winners. They won a commemorative picture frame and a park vintage sticker. But that was not the only prize for the day: six ACEers were randomly chosen to ride on one of the Grand Carnivale parade floats and help throw out beads. Those who were selected agreed it was a blast.
Some lucky ACEers enjoyed being on a float in the parade.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
Photo: Tom Nickerson. View full-sized image.
Following the parade and the closure of the park, the final event of the night took place. The rain and storms that were predicted for the night held off as ERT on Renegade began. It was 30 minutes of uninterrupted, perfect-dispatching, no-stacking ERT! As one train came in, another went out filled with happy, smiling ACEers. The crew was energetic, the ACEers were ecstatic — it was a perfect way to end a grand day at Valleyfair.
— Tom Nickerson, ACE North Central Regional Representative
Photo: Jay Jacobs. View full-sized image.
Photo: Jay Jacobs. View full-sized image.
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