Egan Young

Egan Young chases tornadoes. To him, there’s nothing more thrilling, but the aspiring meteorologist enjoys quieter pursuits, too. On show nights, you’ll find him just inside the Park’s front door, selling tickets and checking in guests before sending them off with a cheerful “Enjoy the show!”

He’s worked the front door since the 2021 Christmas Show, but has been coming to the Park all of his 18 years. His mother Judy has been involved with the Park since 1996, as a performer and now as a board member.

“I’ve always liked being here,” says Egan. “I enjoy being around creative people.”

 The high school senior is active in Drama Club and Quiz Bowl, but his real passion is meteorology, which he’ll study next fall at St. Cloud State. Experiencing seven tornadoes in three states over the course of 12 days solidified that decision.

The tornado that made the greatest impact occurred on Saturday, June 28 near Gary, South Dakota. Egan had been planning to work at the Park that night, but after reading a foreboding forecast hopped into his anemometer-topped 2012 Caravan and headed straight to South Dakota instead. At 7 p.m. he and his dad Chris encountered the biggest tornado they’d ever seen. That sight was eclipsed an hour later when they spotted a far more massive funnel just beginning a 40-minute, 10-mile track of destruction. The two followed the high end EF3 tornado along the entirety of its path, filming as the giant funnel passed over prairie farmland, pausing to annihilate a farmstead before moving on. Spoiler alert: despite total destruction, two of the five people at the farm sustained minor injuries, the others were unharmed. 

Click here to see Egan’s film, Tornado of a Lifetime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzVxJLqrYQE