A Vintage Snowmobile Event Is Moving Locations, But Going Back to Its Roots

The beloved Midwest "Waconia" snowmobile gathering has reclaimed its lakeside character for 2026.

Photo by: Midwest Vintage Snowmobile Show

By: Kyra Sacdalan

Dec 2, 2025 at 8:35am ET

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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.

Photo by: Midwest Vintage Snowmobile Show

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.

Photo by: Midwest Vintage Snowmobile Show

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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.