FAIR LANDS BIG COASTER

Thrill seekers craving more adventure will have something extra to enjoy at next month’s Steele County Free Fair.

In a major announcement Monday, fair officials revealed they have landed a new attraction that no other county fair, at least in Minnesota, can claim. The fair will feature the Arctic Blast, a 3-to-4 story, 55-foot roller coaster with a couple hills and lots of spirals.

“Any time you bring in an attraction like that, we’re super excited to have something like this,” said Scott Kozelka, the fair’s manager. He added the fair has been looking at new attractions, and the owner of the Arctic Blast reached out to them to make its debut in Minnesota.

Kozelka said the roller coaster will be operating in the new area south of the grandstand infield off 18^th Street and near Elm Street. This area is one that the fair is hoping to develop over the next few years after shutting down the racetrack many years ago. The area has been largely unused since the closing of the racetrack.

Artic Blast owner Timmy Bessette, who also manages Gold Star Midway, which the fair has used for many years, said he and his brother-in-law Mike Featherston stumbled across the roller coaster on the West Coast where it had been stationary in one place since the 1980s. They acquired the ride in May, and it will be offered independent of any of the other Gold Star rides.

The roller coaster is making its debut under Bessette and Featherston’s ownership this week at the Montana State Fair in Great Falls.

Bessette said the roller coaster will arrive one week prior to the Steele County Free Fair because of the work involved in setting it up. “It requires a crane and a forklift to put it together,” he explained. “It takes so much more work to put it up,” he added.

The Arctic Blast will not be offered at any other venue in Minnesota, according to Bessette. “We’re doing this for the Steele County Free Fair and Scott (Kozelka),” he said, adding that this specific ride would not fit at most county fairs.

“This is what you call a spectacular ride,” Bessette said. “It just brings more thrills.”

There is only one catch. The roller coaster will not be a part of the regular midway, meaning those wanting to ride it will have to pay an additional cost of $10. It will not be part of the fair’s Mega Ride wrist bands that are sold prior to the fair, though Bessette expects some discounts may be offered to those who have the Mega tickets.

After the Steele fair, the Arctic Blast will head back out west before ending up in Louisiana later this fall.