From Dolphin Shows to Roller Coasters: A Look Back at the Last 45 Years with Tom Suel

Valleyfair has developed an extensive history over the last 45 years. It has grown, developed, changed, removed rides, built rides, all while creating memories for an entire community. The park has been a staple of our Minnesota community, and it is rare to find someone who has seen it all. That's exactly what we were looking for when we finally convinced our Maintenance Director, Tom Suel, to sit down in front of a camera and share some of his favorite memories.

Back in the Day

Tom started working here in 1976 when we first opened. At first, it was a summer job in the games department. When Valleyfair first opened, employment in the park was competitive, and you had to know someone even to get an interview. Tom was fortunate to have the right connections, and he started that June and worked for two years seasonally before a maintenance job opened up and transferred to full time.

Tom has watched the park drastically change over the years. Valleyfair started relatively flat and not as densely wooded as we know it today inside the park walls. The perfect example to showcase this significant change is Antique Autos which was located at the front of the park when we first opened in 1976. The space was flat at the time but now holds dense foliage. 

Let's Build and Let's Build Big

One of the more significant milestones for Valleyfair early on was the introduction of the larger coasters in the late 80s and early 90s, starting with Excalibur. Tom's department, maintenance, worked alongside the contractor to build the largest coaster in the park at the time! 

In 1996, everything changed again with the addition of the Wild Thing, which was initially meant to go to Dorney Park but ended up at Valleyfair due to permit issues. From painting to laying pieces out to building the structural beams of the Wild Thing, the maintenance team took the lead in every step as the ride was fast-tracked for the park. 

The next major roller coaster edition, Renegade, proved to be just as tricky a construction project with crews from California not being used to harsh Minnesota winters. However, Tom recalls that it was worth all the challenging moments because it is such a phenomenal ride. 

Singing, Dancing, and So Much More

One of the more considerable changes to the park, according to Tom, is in the entertainment sector. When the park opened, not only did rides look different, but so did entertainment. Many live shows existed then, including dolphin shows (featuring Skipper and Dolly) since the rides were not as prevalent at the time. The dolphins were one of Tom's favorite things about the park. In addition, maintenance took care of the pens for the dolphins, giving Tom opportunities to interact with them over the years. 

Tom has seen the park transition from an emphasis on shows and live entertainment to a park with a striking skyline and unique rides. Still, with several new live attractions coming up this season, he finds himself excited at the prospect of our entertainment department growing. However, Tom is most excited for Grand Carnivale because it is unlike anything the park has ever done before. 

Overall, Tom likes that he gets to have a hand in a lot around the park. Over the years, he has gained construction experience and experience in helping with setup and planning for our large-scale events and rides production. It's not an easy job, but Tom enjoys the challenges of both maintaining current structures and introducing new ones.