SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Lakefront property is a hot ticket here in Minnesota, but at ValleyFair, they have a lake they didn’t ask for.
The park’s main parking lot is currently submerged underneath 1 or 2 feet of water.
"Do you like our new lake? It's really nice, right?” ValleyFair spokesperson Melissa Ferlaak says.
Park leaders have implemented an offsite parking plan that includes park-and-ride locations, shuttles, and utilizing the overflow parking lot at Canterbury Park.
“We can also use the parking lot at Shakopee High School if we need to,” Ferlaak says.
“We are so grateful for the community stepping in to help us out.”
The main gate is also under water.
Ferlaak says the park’s maintenance team brought in mounds of dirt and gravel to build a temporary front gate so visitors can get into the park.
Park leaders have some experience with flood planning because this isn’t the first time the front parking lot has flooded.
"Ten years ago, in 2014, that is the last time that we saw floods in our parking lot like this."
Ferlaak says they're using a lot of the same strategies they used 10 years ago to keep the park open.
But as bad as the flooding is out front, it's even worse in the back.
"About 14 feet. Yeah, we think. That’s our latest estimate,” Ferlaak says.
"Only three rides are impacted right now, they are Renegade, Excalibur and Thunder Canyon."
All three rides are temporarily closed to the public.
Ferlaak says Thunder Canyon is ironically a water ride, so they’re not too worried about long-term damage.
She says maintenance workers aren’t worried about the other two rides either, even though they are both rollercoasters primarily made of wood.
"Those rides sit in an area that frequently floods,” Ferlaak explains.
“Those rides were built to flood, to be in a flood zone. So, they have concrete, big concrete pads underneath. They're built with essentially bridge technology."
All three rides will go through various safety checks before they're back open.
Ferlaak says they don’t have a timeline or estimate for when those rides will be back open.
In the meantime, she says employees are working hard to keep the park open to the public so visitors can still experience most of the rides and attractions at the park.
“It is a feat what they have performed here, keeping the park open for our guests. I would just like to say, people, come on out and see us. If anything, you have a unique experience at the park with this fun view of the water,” Ferlaak laughs.
They hope to launch the fireworks later this summer once the flood waters recede.
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