Ann and Jeff Erickson take time on an early fall day to pose by the Golden Bubble sign. Ann and Jeff gave new life to the Golden Bubble after it had not been operated as a reception/dance hall since 2005.

Will the Golden Bubble Return?” asked a headline appearing in the Faribault County Register in February of 2018.

More than five and a half years later, the answer is a resounding yes. However, there were some trials along the way.

“We opened our doors in August of 2019,” owner Jeff Erickson recalls. “Then, COVID hit and we had to close in March of 2020.”

It was not the ideal way to get the establishment, which hadn’t operated as a reception/dance hall since 2005, off of the ground.

But Erickson, whose grandparents, Harry and Marg Krueger, owned and operated the Golden Bubble from 1963 until 1976, was not deterred.

“When we were able to reopen after the COVID lockdown there was still a delay in getting the business going because people plan their weddings so far in advance,” Erickson explains. “Now, things have really picked up.”

Not only is the Golden Bubble a popular venue for weddings, wedding receptions and wedding dances, it also is a favored place for anniversary celebrations, meetings, school reunions and corporate events.

“We host Christmas parties for some companies,” Erickson comments. “Groups like Pheasants Forever have also had their banquets here.”

According to Erickson, those other events help fill the gap when the wedding season tapers off.

“The wedding season starts to slow down in late fall and early winter,” he shares. “We will stay busy over the holidays and we will still have some winter weddings and other events until the spring weddings arrive.”

Erickson says for a seated event, he is able to sit 550 people at tables and still have it be comfortable for everyone.

“We do not like to seat as many people for a wedding,” he comments. “We need to leave room for a head table. We have found the average wedding usually includes 325-350 guests and we can fit that many people in our venue very comfortably.”

Erickson is hoping to be able to provide an outdoor location for wedding ceremonies sometime in the near future.

“We have the space on our property and it will provide another option for people to consider,” he shares. “We also have a limousine and can pick people up from their ceremony and transport them to the Golden Bubble for their reception. Again, it is another option we are able to offer.”

To think, reopening the place his grandparents used to own started out as a dream.

“I drove by the place a number of times when I was hauling beans to Fairmont,” Erickson says. “One day, I think it was during the fall season in 2018, I stopped. The door was kind of kicked open so I did a walk through of the place. The steakhouse that used to be attached to the ballroom was junk.”

However, he knew the rest of the building was in good condition.

“It is a metal-stud building. I knew it was sound,” Erickson explains. “My main concern was with the 40 foot by 60 foot dance floor. It would cost too much to replace. It needed to be OK. If it wasn’t, it was a deal breaker. It ended up needing refinishing, but it was still in good shape.”

He also walked through the building with Faribault County Sheriff Mike Gormley and then contacted Tom Warmka, who served on the Faribault County Board at the time.

“Tom was excited and he got the rest of the commissioners on board with my idea of reopening the facility and I was able to purchase the building from the county,” Erickson comments. “Then, we were able to get to work.”

Erickson reveals it took 18 months to work on the renovation and get the building back up to code.

“We built a new entryway right where the old one used to be. We can now accommodate people with disabilities. We also built a garage where the kitchen of the old steakhouse used to be,” he says. “Now, when there is a catered event, the caterers can back their van into the garage to unload it in a climate controlled building. Even if it is hot, raining or snowing, they are out of the elements.”

Erickson credits his wife, Ann, and his children, Madison, Mikenna and Ryker, for helping make the place go. He shares he also values some really good friends who help operate the venue.

“We meet with a wedding couple about one month before their big day to go over the details,” Erickson says. “We want to be sure we have the colors correct and we don’t want them worrying about anything.”

After an event like a wedding reception, he estimates it takes four people about four hours to clean the place up.

Erickson adds that all of the work it took to bring the Golden Bubble back to life has been very rewarding.

“The members of the community appreciate it,” he comments. “The people who were around during its previous life say it’s different, yet it’s the same.”

There is one puzzle Erickson has been unable to solve.

“We don’t really know how the place got its name. There are theories it was named after champagne bubbles or it was because it was located among golden cornfields,” Erickson says. “Or maybe my grandparents were sitting around the bar enjoying a drink and somebody came up with the name.”

However it got its name, the Golden Bubble, located at the junction of Highway 22 and County Road 16 south of Wells, is definitely back and ready to host a wide variety of events.

Erickson says he is happy to see people gathering at the “Bubble” again.

“It is a lot of work,” he admits. “But, it is loads of fun being at the events, seeing smiling faces and meeting many new people.”