SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Valleyfair is getting ready to open the gates for their 2022 season, and the oldest coaster in the park is getting ready with a fresh coat of paint.
The High Roller has been taking fans to heights of 70 feet above the ground since Valleyfair first opened in 1976. Park officials say they got lots of suggestions about a change in color, including highlighter yellow and pitch black, but opted to keep the coaster it's iconic white.
The painting process can take three to four weeks as crews spread more than 1,200 gallons of paint on the wooden roller coaster.
Like any painting project, there are multiple steps in the process. First crews have to assess the condition of the paint that's already there, and then prep the 2,892 feet of track. It's no small undertaking, which is why the rides at the park don't get repainted every season.
"When you think of painting a ride, there is nothing you can compare it to," said Scott Wagner, Valleyfair's painting foreman. "Even though painting a wooden roller coaster is like painting a house, there are no flat surfaces that you can just set up a sprayer or grab a paint roller and do the job. They require painting from many different angles. You finish a spot, and you go back and look at it, and you say how did I miss that spot or how am I ever going to reach that.”
Valleyfair is scheduled to open on May 20 this year. You can find information about the park and purchasing tickets here.
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