A day never to forget

 

            I have been to the dome for many events such as 1985 All Star Home Run Derby, over 100 Vikings games, the last baseball game in the dome against Kansas City, but this day was a day I could do nothing but shake my head in disbelief what I was seeing.

            The tour guide took us into the baseball press box for the beginning of the tour. We watched a video of actual footage from the dome cameras that showed the actual happenings of the beginning to the end of the roof that has serviced that stadium for 27 plus years.

             The press box brought flashbacks because the last I attended in the dome was Buffalo on December 12. I was in this same press box. I looked out and saw nothing but an absolute mess as I looked up and through all the tears in the roof, I saw the IDS building along with other similar in height Minneapolis buildings.

             I saw the words Mall of America Field imprinted into the roof, dangling inside the dome upside down near the TV media press box.

            I looked onto the field where there was no green grass but rather it covered by many sheets of wood spread throughout the field. There was a handful of mark lift equipment with them up in the ceiling installing some of the new panels. These panels weigh 500 pounds each. There were countless amounts of workers on ground level. On this day, it was windy so the workers on the 90-foot equipment were called back to the ground.

            The new roof currently in the installation phase has a promise date of August 1, if done early the company gets a bonus, and if late, there is a fine. The new roof will have a lower profile. They are also designing a different heating system to keep the dome inflated. The material the crew is using is the best on the market and is suppose to be tougher for any kind of weather.

            The crew is starting in the center of the dome with the new panels and working their way out. There are some good panels left but will be removed in favor of the new ones. The old ones will be held in case another stadium with similar roof needs them.

            In moving on, looking down on the field from the press box, which is behind the old home plate. There was a rather large hole at home plate where the guide told us they pulled all the dirt and clay out of area. There is a foot deep of water gathered there now. They have named this Lake Metrodome. In the event when they finish all water will be pumped out.

            The sight was so overwhelming looking at speakers dangling and some of the light sets were lower. It seemed such a mess and it was so hard not to shake your head thinking how much work it is going to take to get back up and running. I did scout out my seats and if we were at a game we would see all white with the roof hanging there also.

            The tour took us into a suite to see how nice they are, but again looking out onto the field at different angles is something hard not to forget.

            We went in the TV media press box and looked down from what would be about the old Twins center field. It is almost as if something old, built into something new. The cost given to us was around 22 million dollars before all said and done.

            My tour group of about 25 people went in the Vikings locker room. The last time I was in the locker room there was jubilation after winning one of our few games. I walk in now, looked around, absolutely a ghost room. It was so bare all players names removed from their lockers. It was just one big empty space.

            On the way back, we looked at the cables that are used to push the seating down for football games. If you remember, the Twins had them pushed back when they played. These cables I looked at were just huge. This was jus one of those things you would never see unless a tour of this. I am not mechanical nor do I claim to be but this still was fascinating to see behind the scenes.

            The tour ended but not before I thought, I am so glad I took time to see something like this. The cost of the tour is 4.00 and it last about 45 minutes. In old tours they would take, you on the field but now for obvious reasons cannot. I was given a 3-inch souvenir piece of the old roof as part of the 4.00 charge. They have about 2000 to hand out.