Valleyfair, one of Cedar Fair’s theme parks, in Minnesota has announced that because of high flood water in the park, the park would be closing some of their attractions until further notice. The park has closed three of their attractions, which includes Renegade, Excalibur, and Thunder Canyon. Valleyfair has also announced via their Facebook page that the flooding has also affected their parking and guests are encouraged to carpool or park in an additional parking area and take a free shuttle to the park.
Photo courtesy of @MyFox9 on Twitter
Valleyfair announced on Sunday, June 22, that Renegade, Excalibur, and Thunder Canyon will not be open due to flooding. Renegade and Excalibur are both considered to be wooden roller coasters, although Excalibur is more of a hybrid coaster than a true wooden coaster as it features steel tubing as part of the track along which the coaster travels. Thunder Canyon is a White Water Raft Ride. Valleyfair has not yet announced a re-opening date for any of the attractions, and they may be closed for quite some time. Because Renegade and Excalibur are both wooden coasters, if they stay under water for an extended period of time, Valleyfair will be faced with expensive repairs to replace dry rotted wood or the ultimate decision to remove the attractions because of the damage. Six Flags New Orleans is a prime example in terms of water damage. After Hurricane Katrina flooded the park, several of the attractions would be far too costly to repair the water damage and would just need to be torn down. However, Six Flags New Orleans was underwater for several weeks before flood waters receeded and Valleyfair’s attractions haven’t even been underwater for a week.
In terms of keeping guests safe, Valleyfair may keep the attractions closed until after the flood waters recede, giving them the chance to inspect the attractions from top to bottom and access and repair water damage that may have occurred to the attractions.
We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.
For more information about Valleyfair, visit the official website by clicking here.
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