Hot summer means good tubing season

With all the hot weather this summer, Somerset tubing companies said business was booming this summer.

Kelly Montpetit, Float Rite Park office manager, said Float Rite Park had a terrific summer.

“We had a great season,” Montpetit said. “The drought did not affect us.”

While other rivers, some particularly in southern Minnesota, suffered lower levels thanks to the drought, Montpetit said the Apple River stayed strong and kept the tubers coming through all the hot weather this summer.

While both Apple River Hideaway and River’s Edge said they had good tubing seasons as well, the owners were unavailable for comment.

Other businesses were also positively affected by all the hot weather, among these was Somerset’s Bob and Steve’s BP station.

“The hot weather is good for us,” said store manager Katie Potting, “because we get the campers and the racing people that come through here a lot.”

Potting said there have been a lot of campers and racers stopping at the BP station this summer. While the general number of people going through the store has stayed about the same, Potting said she has noticed the weather affects the day-to-day flow of customers.

“The warmer weather does better, but we still get the same amount of people unless it’s raining or cold,” said Potting.

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