Sometimes events don’t just move, they come home. That seems to be the philosophy behind the upcoming 2026 edition of the Midwest Ride-In, a fixture in the vintage snowmobile world often simply called “Waconia.” Although the name hasn’t changed, the location is getting a reboot: the 35th annual Ride-In will now take place January 30–31 at Dehn’s Pumpkins & Event Center—on the shores of 450-acre French Lake, not far from the Twin Cities.
And for longtime attendees, that “going back to roots” vibe might feel like déjà vu.
When the Ride-In began, sleds weren’t just displayed, they were ridden, raced, iced-over, and gas-fumed, often across frozen lakes that guaranteed float-on-ice action even when snow was scarce. Over the decades, as Waconia grew—the city expanding, land values rising—the Lake Waconia venue gave way to a land-locked ERX Motor Park in Elk River, where the event ran for five years starting in 2020. That move worked—until nature and logistics reminded everyone what they were missing: unpredictable snow, sprawling grounds, long walks between show zones, and dwindling magic.
Event organizers say they listened when people complained. The new venue brings the snowmobile gathering back to a cozy, manageable size—and crucially, on water again. Planners hope that the lake and nearby trails deliver rides, swaps, judged shows, and good-old vintage ambience without the fatigue of a sprawling facility. Add in heated indoor spaces, easier access off I-94, swapped-swap meet logistics, and even the return of crowd-favorite pork-chop dinners and lake cruising, and this feels less like a relocation—more like a homecoming.
I admit: part of me flinches at the word “smaller.”
There’s a certain love for scale in vintage events—the bigger the parking lot full of restored sleds, the more teeth-grinding you feel as an aficionado. And yes, maybe some of the over-the-top grandeur gets lost when you shrink footprints. But there’s something real to the idea that quality over quantity—the smell of two-stroke, the click of skis on ice, the crowd’s chatter around a bonfire—doesn’t require acres. Sometimes it just requires soul.
Dayton might not have “Lake Waconia” in its name. But French Lake has history, cold nights, and open water when Mother Nature cooperates. That’s good enough. Because, for many Ride-In regulars, vintage sledding isn’t just about the machines; it’s the memories, the laps, the storms, the laughs, the near-miss spills, and when given the chance to dial that back in, I say let them.
So come January, when the vintage crowd gathers on French Lake’s shores, expect more than a swap meet—expect community, nostalgia with torque, and a little lake-side recklessness to go with the pork chops. Welcome home, Ride-In. Let the two-strokes roar again.
