HOT PURSUIT
It wouldn’t be wise to sail off into the sunset just yet without mentioning some mighty impressive numbers regarding this year’s Steele County Free Fair, which has become widely known as Minnesota’s largest fair.
And with good reason as I’m sure you can attest to by taking in the breathtaking vibes offered at this year’s fair.
For the first time ever, the fair sold out a record number of 5,500 mega passes on the first day of the fair two hours before the deadline to make the purchase. That’s why you probably noticed an unusually amount of thrill seekers dashing from ride-to-ride in the midway with lanyards hanging on them with their passes.
And speaking of rides, the Arctic Blast was delayed in getting started, but once it did, it proved to be quite the thrill for many people. Fair manager Scott Kozelka was the first one to ride the big roller coaster at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
During one of my visits to the Steele Saloon, I ran into a couple who raved and raved about riding the Arctic Blast. They were going to go back on it again. This wasn’t a couple of young kids either. They were in their 60s. Good vibes seem to hit all ages.
It seemed only appropriate that the fair landed the Arctic Blast this year because National Roller Coaster Day was on Saturday.
Perhaps one of the most mind-blowing numbers this year was 1.4 million views on the fair’s Facebook over the 30-day period prior to the fair.
Another number Kozelka and his team was proud of involved Wednesday night’s Christian music concert, Big Daddy Weave, which cracked almost 2,000 visitors. “People are already asking who we will be bringing in next year,” Kozelka said the day after the concert.
The big underground wiring project involved 13 miles of wire and 3,600-man hours to get it all installed. Kozelka made special mention of R&K Electric, which donated all the electrical for the Steele Saloon.
Getting into the fair should never be an issue for anyone. It costs nothing. For 100 years, the local fair has offered free admission. Kozelka said the fair became free because depression-era folks simply couldn’t afford to come. And the fair prides itself on continuing that tradition a century later.
Steele’s free admission sure beats spending $20 per person to get into the Minnesota State Fair. It makes me wonder if some families are forced to take out a loan just to go to the State Fair.
I hope you enjoyed all our fair coverage this summer, especially the past few weeks. It’s one of the most exciting times of the year for me. It’s rewarding to highlight the accomplishments of so many people who take special pride in the fair.
We’re not done with the fairs just yet. Stay tuned next week as we go in hot pursuit of coverage of the State Fair.