Valleyfair

Valleyfair

Aerial view of Valleyfair
Slogan	Thrills Connect
Location	Shakopee, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates	44°47′55.47″N 93°27′12.13″W / 44.7987417°N 93.4533694°WCoordinates: 44°47′55.47″N 93°27′12.13″W / 44.7987417°N 93.4533694°W
Owner	Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
General Manager	Dave Frazier
Opened	May 25, 1976
Operating season	May through Late October/Early November
Area	125 acres (0.51 km^2) (0.5 km²)
Rides
Total	48
Roller coasters	8
Water rides	3
Website	http://www.valleyfair.com/

Valleyfair is a 125-acre (51 ha) amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Cedar Fair, the park opened in 1976 and features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City which is included with the price of admission. Cedar Point and Valleyfair were the first two parks in the Cedar Fair chain (although Cedar Point Amusement Park originally opened in 1870) and a combination of the park names – "cedar" and "fair" – were used to name the company.

History

Former logo used until 2007

Valleyfair opened in 1976 featuring 20 rides and attractions^[1] on 26 acres (110,000 m²), with the roller coaster High Roller being the main attraction. The carousel in the park came from Excelsior Amusement Park which was closed in 1973. It is the oldest ride in the park. In 1978 in an effort to increase investment capital for continued park expansion, Valleyfair was acquired by Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio and placed under the management of Cedar Fair Limited Partnership. The park continues to grow every year with new rides and attractions. Since 1976, Valleyfair has invested over $96 million into the park, and today the park has over 75 attractions on 125 acres (51 ha) of land.^[2] A height restriction was imposed in the year 2000 with the building of Power Tower. After negotiations with the FAA and the nearby Flying Cloud Airport, the FAA restricted the building height of Power Tower at 275 feet (84 m) due to its proximity to the airport. Power Tower's original plan was to be a height of 300 feet (91 m) and to take riders to 275 feet (84 m).^[3]

As the park is located on the banks of the Minnesota River, flooding can become an issue during the springtime months before the park usually opens (or when the park is open for the season), notably in 1988, 1993, 1997 and 2014. Excalibur and Thunder Canyon are built outside of a pre-existing river dike, and were built with this flooding potential in mind.^[4]

Attraction timeline

1970s^[1] 

• 1976: Valleyfair opens with Antique Cars, Bumper Cars, Ferris Wheel, High Roller, Scrambler, SuperCat, and Wheel of Fortune
• 1977: Monster and Tilt-A-Whirl open
• 1978: Ye Olde Log Flume opens
• 1979: Enterprise, Kiddie Ferris Wheel and Wild Rails open

1980s^[1] 

• 1980: Corkscrew opens
• 1981: Tot Town opens
• 1982: Pepsi IMAX theater opens, New entrance marquee
• 1983: Three water slides (now known as Panic Falls Body Slides) open
• 1985: The Looping Starship and Bayern Curve open
• 1987: Thunder Canyon opens
• 1988: Two water slides (now known as Panic Falls Speed Slides) and Half Pint Park open
• 1989: Excalibur opens

1990s^[1] 

• 1990: Minnesota River Valley Railroad opens
• 1991: Phase one of Challenge Park opens
• 1992: The Wave opens and two 18-hole golf courses added to Challenge Park
• 1993: Whitewater Country water park expansion; Bumper Boats added to Challenge Park
• 1994: Berenstain Bear Country opens
• 1995: Hydroblaster opens
• 1996: Wild Thing opens; RipCord added to Challenge Park
• 1997: Chaos opens
• 1998: Galaxy Theater opens
• 1999: Mad Mouse opens

2000s^[1] 

• 2000: Power Tower and Frog Hopper open
• 2003: Steel Venom opens
• 2004: Foam Ball Factory and The Rockin' Tug added to KidWorks
• 2005: RipTide and Skyscraper open
• 2006: Xtreme Swing opens and Halloween Haunt occurs for the first time.
• 2007: Renegade opens
• 2008: Halloween Haunt is renamed Halloween Haunt at ValleyScare
• 2009: Re-theme of the water park to Soak City

2010s^[1] 

• 2011: Planet Snoopy opens
• 2012: Fast Lane; Antique Cars closes
• 2013: Dinosaurs Alive!
• 2014: Route 76: Northern Lights opens, Scrambler and Tilt-A-Whirl relocated and Antique Cars to be re-added as Antique Autos; Pepsi IMAX theater and hydroblaster closes
• 2015: Soak City: New Slide Tower, New Children's Splash Pad; Subway relocated, Airbrush Tattoo stand closed

Attractions

Roller coasters

Coaster	Picture	Year Opened	Manufacturer	Description	Thrill Rating[5]
Corkscrew		1980	Arrow Dynamics	A steel Looping roller coaster	5
Cosmic Coaster		2011	Zamperla	A kiddie roller coaster. Previously located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom as Dragon Coaster	3
Excalibur		1989	Arrow Dynamics	A steel roller coaster with a wooden structure	4
High Roller		1976	Rauerhorst Corporation	A wooden roller coaster. It is currently the oldest coaster at Valleyfair.	4
Mad Mouse		1999	Arrow Dynamics	A steel wild mouse roller coaster	4
Renegade		2007	Great Coasters International	A Wooden roller coaster	4
Steel Venom		2003	Intamin	A steel Inverted Impulse roller coaster	5
Wild Thing		1996	Chance Morgan	A steel hyper coaster. It is currently the tallest roller coaster at Valleyfair.	5

Thrill rides

Ride	Year Opened	Manufacturer	Description	Thrill Rating[5]
Enterprise	1979	HUSS	An Enterprise type ride.	4
Looping Starship	1985	Intamin	A pirate themed Looping Starship ride.	4
Northern Lights	2014	Zamperla	A Disk'O ride where a single car travels along a 302-foot (92 m) long, U-shaped track, reaching a height of 43 feet (13 m).	4
Power Tower	2000	S&S Worldwide	A combo Space Shot and Turbo Drop tower	5
RipCord	1996	Sky Fun 1	An additional charge attraction known as a Skycoaster that drops riders in a swinging, pendulum-like motion sending them 18 stories into the air at speeds up to 65 mph (105 km/h)	5
RipTide	2005	HUSS	A Suspended Top Spin ride. Riders get sprayed by a fountain during the ride.	5
Xtreme Swing	2006	S&S Worldwide	A Screamin' Swing ride. It is currently the second tallest of its kind.	5

Family rides

Ride	Year Opened	Manufacturer	Description	Thrill Rating[5]
Antique Autos	2014	Gould Manufacturing	Guests operated Antique Autos are powered by a gas-powered engine and travel around 1,500 feet of track with a center guide rail to keep the auto on track.	3
Bumper Cars	1976	Rauenhorst Corporation	A Bumper cars attraction	4
Carousel	1976	Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters	An antique 48-horse Carousel	1
Dinosaurs Alive!	2013	Dinosaurs Unearthed	A walk through animatronic dinosaur exhibit with an upcharge of $5 or free for gold or platinum season pass holders starting in 2014
Ferris Wheel	1975[6]	Chance Rides	A classic Ferris wheel ride	2
Flying Eagles	2016	Larson International	A flying eagles ride with eight carriages that each have a paddle, enabling guests to change the movement of their carriage.
Minnesota River Valley Railroad	1990	Crown Metal Products	A 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge[7] train ride around the park.	1
Monster	1977	Everly Manufacturing	A classic Monster ride	3
Scrambler	1976	Eli Bridge Company	A classic Scrambler ride	3
SuperCat	1976	Ramagosa		2
Tilter	1976	Sellner Manufacturing	A classic Tilt-A-Whirl ride	3
Wheel of Fortune	1976	Chance Rides	A circular ride that holds 40 riders and raises to a tilted position while rotating backwards.	3

Water rides

These are the water rides besides those in the Soak City.

Ride	Year Opened	Manufacturer	Description	Thrill Rating[5]
The Wave	1992	Hopkins Rides	A Shoot-the-Chutes water ride. There is a bridge at the bottom where visitors can get soaked.	4
Thunder Canyon	1987	Barr Engineering	A six-person River rafting ride	4

Planet Snoopy

Planet Snoopy is a kids area within the park created for the 2011 season as part of a $9 million expansion.

Ride	Year Opened	Manufacturer	Model/Type	Description	Thrill Rating[5]
Charlie Brown's Wind Up	1976	Chance Rides	Yo-Yo	The ride consists of 32 swings lift off the ground while travel in a circular motion and tilting at the top. It was originally called the Flying Trapeze, but received a facelift and renamed for Planet Snoopy.	3
Flying Ace Balloon Ride	1988	Zamperla	Samba Balloon	Eight balloons that can accommodate up to 4 riders. It was originally called Hot Air Balloons.	3
Kite Eating Tree	2000	S&S Worldwide	Frog Hopper	A kiddie version of Power Tower. It was originally called the Frog Hopper.	2
Linus' Beetle Bugs	1976	Ramagosa		A little spinning ride. It was originally called Bumble Bees.	1
Linus Launcher	2011	Zamperla	Kite Flyer		3
Lucy's Tugboat	2004	Zamperla	Rockin' Tug		2
PEANUTS 500	2011	Zamperla	Speedway	A kiddie Whip ride	2
PEANUTS Road Rally	2000	Zamperla	Convoy		1
Sally's Swing Set	2011	Zamperla	Happy Swing	A kiddie swing.	2
Snoopy vs. Red Baron	1988	Chance Rides		It was originally named Sea Planes.	2
Snoopy's Deep Sea Divers		Zamperla	Crazy Bus		3
Snoopy's Junction		D&P		A mini train	1
Snoopy's Rocket Express	2011	Zamperla	Aerial Ride	A kiddie monorail around Planet Snoopy	2
Woodstock Whirlybirds	2011	Zamperla	Mini Tea Cup	A kiddie spinning ride	2

Route 76

"The new Route 76 area will take guests back into amusement park Americana" with the reopening of three classic rides that made their debut in the opening of Valleyfair in 1976. These rides include the Antique Autos, which was formerly deconstructed to make room for the construction of Dinosaurs Alive!, the Tilt-a-Whirl, and the Scrambler. A new ride titled 'Northern Lights' will be the main attraction of the area, featuring a roller coaster track over 300 feet in length and 42 feet in height. This family-oriented coaster will reach speeds upwards of 43 miles per hour, and will resemble the Aurora Borealis at night with colored lights in shades of greens, blues, and purples. The Route 76 area will also have a full service catering and picnic area, titled Picnic Point. Route 76 will be located in the front of the park near Steel Venom, and is set to open on May 16, 2014.^[8]

Soak City

Soak City is a water park included with the price of admission to Valleyfair. Rides include a lazy river, a wave pool, and water slides.

Fast Lane

Fast Lane is Valleyfair's virtual queue system. For an additional charge, visitors get a wrist band that enables them to get to the front of the line on the most popular attractions without queuing including attractions like Wild Thing, Renegade, Steel Venom and Xtreme Swing.

Shows

Power Tower, Xtreme Swing, and Corkscrew from Wild Thing

Valleyfair hosts several performance venues with a wide variety of live entertainment at no additional charge.

• The Amphitheater is a large outdoor venue that has hosted country music tribute shows, battle of the bands competitions, acrobats, and even a dog show. New for 2016 - The Amphitheater will be remodeled and host a new show
• The Galaxy Theater is an indoor, air-conditioned theater, fully equipped with professional lighting and sound. Originally, it was used to stage musical revues, but in recent years, The Galaxy has played host to various comedy and magic acts, such as Ed Alonzo and Chipper Lowell. This year's performance is a magic show starring Ed Alonzo.
• The Gazebo Stage is an outdoor stage with a covered bandstand which presents a musical revue of classic and contemporary hits. The Gazebo always features a 7-piece live band (keyboard, bass, guitar, drums, trombone, sax, and trumpet), setting it apart for most other "tracked" theme park shows. The venue features numerous covered picnic tables and is close to many food service locations, so park guests can enjoy their lunch or dinner while catching the show.
• Street Beatis a roaming band that strolls throughout the park and plays many classic songs as well as some more contemporary music. Some songs from previous years have been, "Thriller", "Sexyback", and "Sweet Caroline".^[9]
• PEANUTS Showplaceis an outdoor venue that is next to the PEANUTS Playhouse in Planet Snoopy. It features stadium bench seating, with awnings to provide shade, and a lot of room for the interactive entertainment.

At the Halloween Haunt, The Boogie Monsters take over the PEANUTS Showplace, performing Halloween and spooky-themed songs for the trick-or-treaters on the nearby Trick-or-Treat Trail

Former rides and attractions

• Northern Lights (Chance Falling Star)
• Bayern Curve (Schwarzkopf Bayern Curve)
• Wild Rails (Schwarzkopf Wild Mouse), replaced with "Mad Mouse"
• Skyscraper – observation tower that operated from 2005–2007 (originally operated at Dorney Park from 2000–2004, and eventually relocated to Cedar Point where it operated from 2008–2015).
• Tot Town: In the space now occupied by the Power Tower was once a small area of rides, a jungle gym and ball pool designed for small children.
• The Flume (1979–2008) – Known as Ye Olde Log Flume until the early 1990s, the Flume was a log flume ride. The Flume was permanently closed and dismantled at the end of the 2008 season.^[10] Soak City waterpark (previously Whitewater Country waterpark) was extended in place of the Flume to accommodate the installation of Breakers Bay,^[11] a wave pool attraction.
• Bumper Boats (closed 2009, demolished in 2010) was a part of the Challenge Park located near the front of Valleyfair. This ride was relocated to Michigan's Adventure.
• Mild Thing was closed in 2010 as part of Valleyfair's revamping of the children's area, and was replaced by Cosmic Coaster.
• Chaos (1999–2011) is a spinning ride which starts spinning in a horizontal position and gradually lifts into a vertical position. Each individual ride unit flips 360 degrees on its own axis. Chaos was removed prior to the 2011 season.
• Skipper and Dolly Dolphin Show (1977? – late 1980s) was a dolphin show featuring two Bottlenose dolphins named Skipper and Dolly. Given that the dolphins could not be properly housed there during the frigid Minnesota winter months and that various other amusement parks had their own "Skipper and Dolly" dolphin shows (such as Pontchartrain Beach and Six Flags AstroWorld, it can be assumed the two animals were transferred from location to location, depending on whichever parks wanted to incorporate the dolphins into their summertime show schedules.
• Adventure Golf (1992–2012) was two 18-hole golf courses,a part of the Challenge Park located near the front of Valleyfair. Its last operating season was 2011, and it was closed to the public during the 2012 season. It was removed and replaced with the Valleyfair Catering Services.
• Antique Autos (1976-2012) was a 1148 ft track featuring self-controlled, gas-powered replicas of 1910 Cadillac Touring Cars. It was removed to build Dinosaurs Alive! It has returned in a different format in the new Route 76 area.
• Go-Karts (1991-2013) was a quarter mile race track located in the Challenge Park. It was removed to make way for Route 76.
• Pepsi IMAX theater (1982-2013) was demolished to make way for Barefoot Beach in 2015.
• Hydroblaster (1995-2013) Two dark slides near Planet Snoopy. The area was replaced with the addition of Breakers Plunge and Breakers Pipeline in 2015.

Halloween Haunt at ValleySCARE

Halloween Haunt is a Halloween event at Valleyfair that was originally known as HalloWeekends, which operated from 1998 to 2000 on weekends in September. The name was changed to Halloween Haunt when the event was brought back six years later in 2006. The Great Pumpkin Fest is a family-friendly Halloween event open during the day, while the park is under normal operation. After the sun sets, Halloween Haunt takes over and features haunted houses, outdoor mazes, scare zones, and live entertainment. Many rides remain in operation during the event, though some are closed to accommodate the transition.^[12]

Haunted attractions

Attraction	Type	Opened	Location
Abnormal Alley (Formerly Festival of Freaks)	Scare Zone	2012	Corkscrew Alley
Blood Creek Cemetery	Scare Zone	2006	Walkway between The Wave & Monster
CarnEvil: Ringmaster's Revenge (Maze until replaced by Zombie High in 2013)	Scare Zone	2013	Planet Snoopy
The Chateau (Formerly Chateau du Damné)	Maze	2006	Behind Mad Mouse
Dinoslaughter	Scare Zone	2014	Dinosaurs Alive!
Hellside Farm	Maze (Scare Zone in 2007)	2007	Soak City Waterpark
Human(e) Habitat	Maze	2015	Site formerly known as Picnic Cove
London Terror	Maze	2013	Site formerly known as Picnic Cove
Mangler Asylum	Maze	2006	Bumper Cars
Mr. Cleavers Bloodshed	Maze	2008	Near Mad Mouse in games warehouse
Trails End	Scare Zone	2015	Near Renegade
Zombie High	Maze	2013	Near Depot Refreshments

Former haunted attractions

Attraction	Type	Opened	Location
Camp Wekilou	Maze	2011-2014	Site formerly known as Picnic Cove
Carnage at Crimson Isle	Maze (Scare Zone in 2006)	2006-2012	Plaza Patio near Pepsi IMAX Theatre
CarnEvil in 3D (Re-themed to CarnEvil: Ringmaster's Revenge Scare Zone in 2013)	Maze	2006-2012	Midway Games
Festival of Freaks (Re-themed to Abnormal Alley in 2012)	Scare Zone	2011-2011	Planet Snoopy

The Great Pumpkin Fest

Planet Spooky was added to the ValleySCARE lineup in 2011 with the parks addition of Planet Snoopy. However daytime family-friendly activities were present prior to the Planet Spooky name. In 2015 it was renamed to The Great Pumpkin Fest. It includes trick-or-treating, storytelling, live entertainment, petting zoo, corn maze, and a preview of Halloween Haunt.

Incidents

• On November 21, 2015 a fire was started at a storage building (haunt attraction London Terror). 25% of the structure was damaged, cause of fire is unknown. Fabric Ceiling will need replacing. No injuries reported.
• On June 16, 2011, the ride Minnesota River Valley Railroad derailed near the amphitheater at the front of the park and careened into the south train station platform. Two passenger cars left the tracks and were later placed back on the tracks by park maintenance. No injuries were reported.
• On August 5, 2010, a chlorine leak from the Soak City Waterpark sent 26 people to the hospital.^[13]
• On September 3, 2007, the ride Xtreme Swing experienced a fire in an electrical junction box. There were no injuries, and the ride reopened several days later after the problem was fixed and the ride successfully tested.^[14]
• On May 21, 2006, the rear car of a roller coaster train on Wild Thing detached from the middle car during the final brake run. 18 people were injured and 14 were taken to a local hospital, though most injuries were considered minor.^[15] An investigation later determined that a mounting bracket in the brake system failed, and the ride resumed operation on June 1, 2006.^[16]

Popular culture

• Valleyfair appeared in a scene in the film Little Big League, with rides such as Corkscrew, Enterprise, High Roller, and The Wave being visible in the scene.

See also

• Excelsior Amusement Park – a park that operated in the region from 1925 to 1973. The carousel that stands inside the entrance came from Excelsior Amusement Park.

References

1. "Timeline | Valleyfair, Minneapolis MN". Valleyfair.com. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
2. "Valleyfair park history". Retrieved May 9, 2013.
3. ValleyFair Park Information
4. "Valleyfair!". CoasterGallery.com. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
5. Ratings assigned per Valleyfair's own system, where "1" is the least intense and "5" is the most. See their "Guest Assistance Guide" (PDF). Valleyfair. for more specific details.
6. Chance, Harold (2004). The Book of Chance. Wichita, Kansas: Wichita Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-9649065-0-3.
7. Crown Metal Products Locomotive Roster
8. Valleyfair. "Route 76 – New area to include classic rides & all-new family coaster". Valleyfair. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
9. "Live Entertainment at Valleyfair". Valleyfair. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
10. Eric. "Valleyfair Flume Headed Out". Theme Park Village. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
11. Valleyfair. "New Wave Pool to Debut at Valleyfair in 2009". Valleyfair. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
12. "Halloween Haunt at Valleyfair". Cedar Fair. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
13. "Amusement Park Goers Exposed to Chemicals in Minnesota". Fox News. August 6, 2010.
14. wcco.com - Ride At Valleyfair Closed After Fire
15. Xiong, Chan (May 22, 2006). "Valleyfair's Wild Thing car derails, injures riders". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
16. Louwagie, Pam (June 1, 2006). "Hoots, hollers make untamed return on Wild Thing". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2013.

External links

• Valleyfair Official Website
• Valleyfair at the Roller Coaster DataBase