It's a sure sign the Great Minnesota Get-Together is right around the corner. The first ride arrived at the Mighty Midway Friday.
Randy Forcier is in charge of putting together the "Equinox."
It looks like a giant windmill. It stands about 75 feet tall and it turns in five directions explains Forcier. He says it is a large project that takes plenty of people, and plenty of time to get set up.
"There's lots of pieces, these arms get unloaded with a forklift and bolted on," explains Forcier. "Once this thing is all the way set up, we fill it with 3500 gallons of water, to keep it weighted and from tipping over. There's of course safety features to keep it from getting started without water."
And Forcier says the Equinox is not for the faint of heart.
"One minute you're going one direction, the next minute you're going the other direction. It's sometimes straight down. It's sometimes straight up," Forcier tells WCCO's Al Schoch.
This year the Fair is also doing a digital ticket so visitors can debit each ride. Instead of dishing out paper tickets that are tough for operators to track, Forcier says it'll all be done electronically.
The Minnesota State Fair opens in 13 days on Thursday, August 24th.