Meet the family who has owned the Minnesota State Fair's Space Tower for over 40 years
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A major malfunction at the Minnesota State Fair grounded a popular ride on Wednesday.
The Space Tower is closed for the rest of the 2023 fair. A fair spokesperson told WCCO they need to replace some special electronic equipment and it won't arrive in time.
The Space Tower is an iconic attraction and landmark that you can see from pretty much anywhere on the Fairgrounds. Built in 1964, it's hundreds of feet of history. And one family has owned the tower for more than 40 years.
"I like coming out. There's always something new every year. Something happening that is new," said Gretchen Kantor.
But it's an old attraction that really keeps Gretchen coming back.
Forty-two years ago, she and her husband Errol bought the Space Tower — and it's never let them down.
So, what made them want to buy the tower?
"As far as I was concerned it was an accident," Gretchen said. "I was in engineering with Northwestern Bell at the time."
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Gretchen thought her husband was going to buy a concession stand. When she learned they were the new owners of a 330-foot ride, she went to work and taught herself everything she could.
"One way that it was very difficult was all our documentation was in German. So I had to get that translated, and via a German-English dictionary, so I knew what we were doing," said Gretchen.
Over time, the State Fair became a Kantor family reunion with the kids and grandkids getting involved.
"It's got original 1964 electronics in here," said Ben Kantor.
Gretchen's sons, Ben and Joe, now the run the show. Ben is a pilot and Joe is an attorney. But for 12 days each year, they are Space Tower operators.
"A slow day is 2,000 to 3,000 people, and a busy day is 7,000 now," said Ben.
"The way I talk about it is it's one minute up, one minute on top, one minute down," said Joe.
A bird's eye view that lets you find your lost car from the sky, all while checking out Minneapolis and St. Paul from one location.
On a clear day you can see up to 25 miles from here, or more. The Space Tower is essentially an elevator that sits on the outside instead of the inside.
And Ben and Joe have to know it inside and out.
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The Tower is one the last major machines that runs on two DC motors, which are located at the top of the ride. Occasionally, one of the brothers has to climb the ladder all the way the top to do a safety check.
"Your arms burn at the end. It's a long climb and it's not as safety-minded as a new construction would be. So the ladders do move quite a bit when you're climbing," said Ben.
Owning a popular ride for more than four decades means there's no shortage of uplifting stories to tell. Like the time aerialist Jay Cochrane walked on a tight-rope from the 4H building to the Space Tower.
"He had this huge pole, it was huge and there were times that it was almost vertical against the wind," said Gretchen.
But he made it.
For the record, the only time the ride really got stuck was when a squirrel had a close encounter with a transformer and knocked out power to half the Fairgrounds.
"There were people that were stuck on the ride for a little bit. Now we have a back-up generator in case squirrels decide to get adventurous again," said Ben.
Of all the rides to get stuck on, at least this one has one of the best views.
"You get to listen to the people talk to their kids about, 'Oh, I rode this when I was a kid with my dad in the 60s. So, it's really fun to hear the generational stories when they come in," said Joe.
The Kantors go through a three-page safety checklist each year, and inspections begin in May. They have had people reach out hoping to do a wedding on the Space Tower, and they say that is something they are open to in the future.
