Valleyfair Blog

Retiring a Legend

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST

As many of you know by now, this season will be Colonel Ohoompapa’s last as the Valleyfair mascot. After 35 years as the owner and face of Valleyfair, Colonel John Philips Ohoompapa has announced his retirement and is saying his “good-byes.” Several characters and mascots have made their appearance at Valleyfair throughout the years; The Berenstein Bears, Pink Panther, Chocolate Mouse, and even a Mosquito, a Loon and a Pint of Milk have been mascots for Valleyfair (can you really call a Pint of Milk a mascot?). However, none have had the longevity or been more beloved than Colonel Ohoompapa. In the past 35 years, Colonel Ohoompapa has been Valleyfair’s most constant personality. He’s made appearances throughout the Twin Cities at parades, festivals, ball games and even a race among several of his fellow Twin Cities mascots. It’s no wonder he’s ready for retirement! So now, with the addition of the Peanuts gang (which, don’t get us wrong, we’re unbelievably excited for) we say good-bye to Valleyfair’s oldest and dearest friend. But before he starts cashing in on 35 years of a Valleyfair 401K, we asked him to share some of his favorite memories from his time at the park. “Back in the days when Chocolate Mouse was around, we really enjoyed getting up on stage and performing in our very own show, Colonel and Friends.” Chocolate Mouse and I tearing up on stage “A few years back I got invited to play in the Mascot Baseball Game at the Metrodome. While my team didn’t win, I did get a base hit and an RBI!” Waiting in line to bat with my fellow mascot teammates “The past few years my age has really started to creep up on me. Thankfully, the Benchwarmerz were around to keep me young and dancing on the midways.” Doing the Soulja Boy with the Benchwarmerz “Of course, my fondest memories are of meeting all the Valleyfair guests over the years. Nothing will ever compare to greeting guests as they entered the park or getting a big hug from an excited young‘un on the midway. It’s been a great ride and it’s with great pride I pass the torch on to Snoopy and his pals.” Greeting a young guest back in the ‘70s High-fiving a young’un during the summer of 2009 From the ValleyGirls, we want to issue a heartfelt “good-bye” to this great Valleyfair legend. You wont soon be forgotten. ValleyGirls and Colonel Ohoompapa

Parades!

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:05:00 EST

Greetings loyal ValleyGirls readers! Sorry for the prolonged absence; this summer has been craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzy busy! We finally were able to steal a few minutes to put together a new blog post. One thing keeping us particularly busy this summer has been our demanding parade schedule. From Earl Brown Days in Brooklyn Center to Pan-o-Prag Days in Lakeville, we’ve covered all corners of the metro with our parade crew. Valleyfair’s parade crew consists of our marketing/group sales interns, full-time staff, and our own beloved strolling band, the Benchwarmerz. Check out our newly-renovated Antique Auto! Major props to the physical plant for making this old clunker run like new. It’s the Benchwarmerz! Some of our fabulous interns were on-hand to help hand out coupons. If you haven’t caught the Valleyfair crew in a parade yet, you still have a chance! Here’s a list of our upcoming parades: Rosemount Leprechaun Days, July 21st Shakopee Derby Days, August 8th See you there!

Guest Blogger: Matt Wagner

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST

Hey everyone! My name is Matt Wagner and I’m a self-acclaimed Valleyfair addict. I have been going to the park since I turned six years old, and 11 years later, I have gone to Valleyfair more times than I can count. I’ve been on just about every ride at the park, including many of the older rides that have now been removed from the park. The first time I went to Valleyfair (1998), I rode Wild Rails which was located in the area where Mad Mouse is today, and I also got the chance to explore Tot Town which was a kids area located where Power Tower stands today. There have been many changes to the park since 1998, and a major hobby of mine that started when I was six, is to document those changes. I started to become really enthused with Valleyfair in 2007 when the park added Renegade, which, in my opinion, is the best roller coaster in the park. Some other rides that I recommend are Xtreme Swing, Wild Thing, Monster, High Roller, and the Flying Trapeze. While those are all great rides, my all time favorite ride in the park is Ripcord. Although it costs a few additional bucks to ride, the thrill of the ride is worth the money! Also, the employees who run the ride really make it a fun place to hang out while you wait for your flight. They are, without a doubt, my favorite ride operating crew in the park. One of my favorite older rides was the Flume. The Flume was removed right around the time of the 2007 Haunt to make way for Breakers Bay. I started to record certain aspects of the park thoroughly right around the time that the Flume was removed. When I heard the news that it was being replaced with a new wave pool, I went to the park just about every weekend to take photos and videos of the ride so, that in future years, guests could look back and see what the park looked like when the Flume was around. In March of 2006, Valleyfair announced that a new event was coming to the park that fall, that event being the Halloween Haunt at Valleyscare. On top of my fascination with Valleyfair, I also had a strong interest in haunted houses, so hearing the news that Valleyfair was expanding its season with this scary event was fantastic news! I have followed the Haunt ever since 2006, and to this day I still am very enthusiastic about the event. Fall is my favorite time of year to visit Valleyfair because there are so many great things going on in the park. The Green Giant Corn Festival, the cooler weather, and Valleyscare combine each fall to make a great finale to each season. Last fall, I had the opportunity to work in CarnEvil at the Haunt, and it was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had! I had a blast working each and every night, and I made a ton of friends with a lot of the other monsters who work at Valleyscare. I am definitely planning on returning to the Haunt this year, and I am sure that you all will love all of the horrifying new things that are in store for the event this year. Eventually, I would love to work at Valleyfair, namely in the Haunt department. It is my dream to be able to design some of the horrifying attractions that debut each fall at Valleyscare, and I hope to add some ideas and concepts to the already great list that the Haunt department has already. Thanks a bunch to the Valley Girls for letting me tell you a little bit about my enjoyment for the park, and also a big thanks to all of the employees and folks in management who make the park the great summer and fall destination that it is! ______________________________________________________________________ Thanks Matt for such a great entry for our blog! If there are any other readers who'd like to guest blog, submit your blog or blog idea to valleygirls@valleyfair.com!

Chew on This

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:27:00 EST

We enjoy writing all of our blogs, but once in a while, we get to blog about something extra special. Usually these blogs involve the ValleyGirls getting the opportunity to do something that the typical Valleyfair employee doesn’t get to do…in our own mind’s eye, we’re kind of a big deal. :) In this case, we were invited to do an exclusive taste testing of all the new foods in the park for the 2010 season. Little did we know the taste testing would last TWO hours and include about 30 new food items ranging from walleye on-a-stick to pistachio-flavored gelato. Here’s a breakdown of the new eats on the VF streets: Location: Corner Bistro New Food Items: Pizza On-a-Stick, Grilled Paninis, Pretzel Twisted Sausage, Gourmet Pretzels, Iced Coffee, Frozen Lattes Our Faves: If you are a java junkie like these ValleyGirls, you’ll love the iced coffees and frozen lattes served at the Corner Bistro. While you are there, grab a mouth-watering pizza on-a-stick; our personal favorite at this location. Enjoying one of the delicious iced coffees served at Corner Bistro Location: Coasters New Food Items: Black & Bleu Burger, Inferno Burger Our Faves: For those of you who like your food with a fiery kick, the Inferno Burger is for you! With chipotle bacon, jalepeno peppers, and pepper jack cheese, this burger is sure to leave your taste buds burning—in a fantastic way! Location: Maui Wowi New Food Items: Pina Colada, Strawberry Banana, and Mango Orange Smoothies Our Faves: These thirst-quenching smoothies are certain to cool you off on even the hottest of summer days. We found the Pina Colada to be most refreshing. Location: Northwoods Grill New Food Items: Memphis Turkey Burger Our Favorite: You wouldn’t think that a turkey and coleslaw sandwich would be exceptionally tasty, but the flavors compliment each other perfectly and make for a mouth-watering meal. Location: Icee Mix-it-Up New Food Items: Gelato Our Faves: For an Italian spin on traditional ice cream, visit our Icee Mix-it-Up location. With a variety of flavors to suit anyone’s tastes, we offer a gelato flavor for everyone! But if you want the most bang for your buck, go straight for the mocha gelato. Location: Depot Refreshments New Food Items: Deep-Fried Oreos, Homemade Cheese Curds, Walleye On-a-Stick, Pork Chop On-a-Stick, Cowboy Bites, Bull Bites Our Faves: These ValleyGirls are at a loss for words to describe how delicious the food offerings were at Depot Refreshments…and leaving these two ValleyGirls speechless is no easy feat. From the Homemade Cheese Curds to the Deep-Fried Oreos, each item was more scrumptious than the last. The aftermath of our taste testing at Depot Refreshments …and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We checked out the new food at several other food venues including Stadium Pizza and Austin Blues. We also tried the new gluten-free options in the park-- gluten-free pizza at Mama Chetta’s Pizzeria and gluten-free cookies and brownies at Cinnabon. All in all, these ValleyGirls managed to cram a month’s worth of eating into one afternoon…and we weren’t sorry in the least bit. We were, however, a little sleepy upon our return to the office. Nap time anybody? :) We’d like to say a special thank you to our Food Department for arranging our exclusive taste testing session. We had a great time and are looking forward to our next batch of homemade cheese curds.

Chris Kluwe Day!

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:26:00 EST

What up ValleyGirl blog readers? Here’s a quick Rock Band®, Live update…it totally rocks! After five awesome days of adrenaline pumping performances, the verdict is in: Rock Band®, Live is a hit! Word has spread so fast that it has attracted the attention of one of the nation’s greatest Rock Band players. Nationally ranked Rock Band player Chris Kluwe will be joining the cast of Rock Band®, Live on Thursday, June 24th. …oh yeah, did we mention that Chris Kluwe is also a record-holding punter for the Minnesota Vikings? Well he is, and he will be here providing face melting guitar licks at the 3:00 pm Rock Band®, Live show. Be there before the show and again after for your chance to play Rock Band with Chris Kluwe. Plus, Chris will be signing autographs Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the Carousel plaza. For full details go to following webpage: http://www.valleyfair.com/public/information/special_events.cfm See you there!

Get Your Game Face On!

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:22:00 EST

It was a typical Sunday afternoon in the office. ValleyGirl Kim was going through all the things in her “To Do” file that hadn’t been done during the week and ValleyGirl Alison was busy returning guest emails and phone calls… same old, same old. Suddenly, as if simultaneously struck by the same thought they both jumped up and rushed toward the other’s cubical. Meeting halfway they exclaimed in unison, “We work at an amusement park, lets go have some fun!” Okay. So it didn’t really happen like that. Actually, not even close. Nevertheless, we decided to ditch the grind of office work and hit the Games Midway. To make things interesting, we went head-to-head on some of Valleyfair’s most popular games of skill. We started off with a heated game of Wac-a-Mole… which Kim totally dominated. Next stop was Bushel Basket… lets just say these ValleyGirls could use a little practice on this one. In the spirit of the World Cup we hit up Valleyfair’s newest soccer game; needless to say the results were not up to FIFA standards… Kim’s first attempt: epic fail Alison’s first attempt looked more like a move from her Live E! days Final challenge of the day was Football Toss. This one got a little intense, after 2 throws Alison was 0 for 2. Then Kim stepped up and drilled it in on her first throw. ‘nough said. Alison concentrating deeply on her throw Alison wasn’t so sure about Kim’s lackadaisical approach, but Kim nailed it. All things considered, it was a great day to play on the Midway. Side note, Valleyfair employees aren’t actually allowed to play any Midway games. The ValleyGirls were granted special VIP status for blogging purposes. Even thought Kim blew Alison out of the water these ValleyGirls still remain the best of friends.

Rock Stars Wanted

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:59:00 EST

For the first time ever, Valleyfair is bringing in a touring show to perform at Galaxy Theater. After a killer premier in New York City, the Rock Band®, Live cast boarded their tour bus and set out to rock the crowds at Cedar Fair parks across the country! Following heart pounding performances at Dorney Park and Kings Island, Rock Band®, Live premiers at Valleyfair on June 17th. Having heard rumors around the office about the “huge Rock Band®, Live set” and “killer costumes”, our curiosity went through the roof. Luckily, we were able to track down some photos to give ValleyGirl readers an exclusive look at Rock Band®, Live! Oh yeah…did we mention that you can compete for a chance to star on stage along side the cast of Rock Band®, Live? Stop by the Rock Band display near Galaxy Theater and see if you have what it takes! A display similar to this one will be set up outside of Galaxy Theater You’ve rocked out at home, now come to Valleyfair and take it to a whole new level. Rock Band®, Live will be in the Galaxy Theater from June 17-27 and you can bet that these ValleyGirls are going to be in the front row on opening night. More information can be found at the Rock Band®, Live page on the Valleyfair website: http://www.valleyfair.com/public/information/rockband.cfm See you opening night!

Down by the Bay

Sun, 30 May 2010 14:54:00 EST

Saturday, May 29 was the opening of Soak City Waterpark and Breakers Bay wave pool. To celebrate, we started off the morning with the 2nd Annual Duck Race… which went swimmingly. Leah McLean and Bill Lunn from KSTP Channel 5, as well as Mike Muelken from Hope for the City, came out to emcee the event. Many thanks to our sponsors and participants for helping us raise money for Hope for the City’s Lunch Box for Kids program. And, congrats to our winning ducks; numbers 3, 6, 8, 15, 18, 20 and 26! Mike, Bill and Leah pose with some of our Duck Race participants With that we officially kicked off the 2010 season of Soak City Waterpark. Check out these pics from opening day! The new Soak City Waterpark entrance sign View of Breakers Bay wave pool with Wild Thing in the background Breakers Bay wave poolers riding the waves Little ones playing and having fun in the zero-depth entry As you can see, guests wasted no time jumping into Breakers Bay and enjoying the rest of the waterpark. It was a pleasant change from the cold start to the waterpark season we had last year. For that reason, we’re going to take today’s gorgeous weather as a sign of many more beautiful days ahead. We don’t know about you, but these Valley Girls are looking forward to a good ol’ fashioned Minnesota summer… humidity and all. For information on how to beat the heat at Soak City Waterpark you can find our calendar online at www.valleyfair.com. See ya at the “Bay”

Quack-Quack, Lucky is Back

Wed, 26 May 2010 15:38:00 EST

It’s that time of year once again! In just a few short days, you can ride the waves in Breakers Bay Wave Pool. To kick off the opening of Soak City Waterpark on May 29th, we’re hosting the 2nd Annual Duck Race! Lucky has been practicing for hours to prepare for the Duck Race. We don’t want to “soak” your brain with too much info, so here’s a breakdown of this year’s event: Who: Valleyfair, 5 Eyewitness News and YOU! What: 2nd Annual Duck Race When: Saturday, May 29th at 11:00 am Where: Ripple Rapids in Soak City Waterpark at Valleyfair Why: To support Hope for the City’s Lunch Box for Kids program and kick off the opening of Soak City Waterpark. How: Sponsor a duck in the Duck Race and your $10 duck registration fee goes to fund this vital program. BONUS: you will also receive a certificate for $23.00 admission to Valleyfair, valid on May 29th. If we haven’t already convinced you to sponsor a duck and support this organization, here is a peak at the cool prizes going to the winning ducks: * Valleyfair tickets * KSTP studio tours * And more! For more information, visit our 2nd Annual Duck Race page: http://www.valleyfair.com/public/information/duckrace.cfm

Physics Days!

Fri, 21 May 2010 16:59:00 EST

For 3 days each year, Valleyfair becomes Minnesota’s largest classroom when we host Physics Days. That might not sound very exciting, but take our word for it: it’s AWESOME. Neither of these Valley Girls got to experience anything that cool in high school. Students get to come out with their classmates and teachers to learn the physics behind our most popular rides. They perform various experiments on rides like Wild Thing, Xtreme Swing and Chaos. Experiments range from calculating centripetal force (yeah, we had to look that up) to measuring ride velocity and everything in between. Intrigued, we decided to perform some physics experiments of our own. Excited and optimistic, we ventured out to Xtreme Swing. Once we got to the ride, we pulled out our handy-dandy physics notebook! Here’s an example of what we were SUPPOSED to determine: Calculate the cycle of Xtreme Swing using: T = 2pi(L/g)^1/2 …Well, that was a little more physics than these Valley Girls could handle. Unfortunately it’s been a long time since either one of us has dabbled in the sciences. Luckily, we were already at Xtreme Swing so we got in line and enjoyed the ride. Even though we couldn’t figure out the equation, we did recognize that Xtreme Swing is a giant pendulum… and that’s science, right? Oh well, guess we better hit the books.