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It's almost as much a part of spring in Rochester as the leaves reappearing on the trees-- the Sports Bubble at RCTC is once again missing from the Med City skyline.

A big shout-out to the crew over at Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) who worked hard during the hottest day of the year so far last Saturday, May 1st (when Rochester set a record high temperature of 91 degrees) deflating the sports bubble and getting it ready for storage again this year.

According to a post on the RCTC Facebook page, it took a crew of 60 people to get the familiar dome ready to be stored for the summer and fall seasons over at Rochester Regional Stadium. 

If you're not familiar with the Sports Bubble at RCTC, their website describes it like this:

The Rochester Regional Stadium & Bubble, constructed on the campus of Rochester Community & Technical College, features a full-size turf football/soccer field. Thanks to a temporary dome that covers the field during the winter months, the venue is available for use year-round. The venue is often utilized by local sports organizations to host practices and camps, but is available for anyone who wishes to use it for their event.

But last year, the familiar, puffy-looking dome that magically appears off Collegeview Road and County Road 22 in southeast Rochester in the fall almost DIDN'T get inflated. Why? Because 2020, that's why.

Actually, it wasn't inflating the Bubble that was the question. It was more the deflating it last spring that was the issue. The Post Bulletin reported back in September that the RCTC Sports Bubble, which is usually inflated in the fall and then removed in the spring, was never removed in 2020-- thanks, of course, to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The PB noted that the company that usually removed and stores the massive bubble wasn't up to the task this year, mainly because taking down the structure is no small task and usually involves a team of nearly 60 people. So, the Bubble just sat there, all deflated and sad, covering the football field throughout the spring and summer of 2020.

But, of course, it DID get inflated again last fall-- and, thanks to the RCTC Yellowjacket crew, has now been successfully deflated and stored for use again this fall. I love a story with a happy ending, don't you?

And while we know that it takes 60 people to inflate and deflate the Bubble, just HOW they do it IS kind of a mystery, isn't it? Just like THESE mysteries that are still unsolved here in Minnesota. Keep scrolling to check 'em out!

Listen to Curt St. John mornings from 6 to 10 on Quick Country 96.5
and afternoons from 2 to 6 on 103.9 The Doc

10 Unsettling Unsolved Mysteries from Minnesota

Too many families and friends don't have answers because of these Minnesota cases that are unsolved. Take a look at these 10 murders and disappearances and if you know anything, reach out to your local police department.

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