---

The making of a movie remains a mystical undertaking to the average person; and even though the Chisago Lakes Area has certainly enjoyed glimpses of movie magic through the filming of Grumpy Old Men in Center City, the Coen brothers' A Serious Man, that was partially shot in the St. Croix valley and Taylors Falls as a setting for Here on Earth a few years ago-- it's still a special thing to encounter a familiar face or location in a feature film.

Imagine the thrill for the team at Rosenbauer, in Wyoming, who get to see one of their fire trucks in the new Transformers movie.

Rosenbauer fire apparatus company is basking in the movie magic. Its behemoth Panther airport fire truck has a substantial "role" in the summer action flick Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon. It has been making "guest appearances" the last few days. You will get a chance to see it this Saturday, in Lindstrom, when the Panther takes its place in the Karl Oskar Days parade.

The Panther is taller than a one story building, 10 feet wide, 41 feet in length and weighs close to 50,000 pounds.

The first glimpse you get in the movie of the truck is an aerial shot. The rig comes onto the big screen cruising along a basically empty highway. It has already been set up that this vehicle is the revered old timer, "Sentinel Prime" a Transformer whose existence is a U.S. government secret.

The Rosenbauer-built truck makes the most of its close-ups, accentuating its size and aura of powerfulness. All things considered the fire apparatus company must be pleased with the truck's screentime.

Publicity hit the streets well in advance of the June 29 general release of Dark of the Moon--the third film based on the Marvel science fiction fable. Dozens of regional T.V. stations, print media, and the internet have carried pieces on Rosenbauer (which used to be called General Safety) and its Transformers connection.

For Transformers 3-- Dark of the Moon-- the Rosenbauer truck was personally tapped by director Michael Bay. Word is that Bay noticed the Panther on a website and had his people get a hold of Rosenbauer people in the west coast division of Airport Rescue Fire Fighting Vehicles or ARFF for short. That was March of 2010.

Director Bay has gone all out on the eye candy in this Transformer movie, so it's obvious why he chose the Rosenbauer airport fire truck. Massive and futuristic in appearance, the Panther was tweaked a bit for its Hollywood debut, including tint on the windows and a new paint job to match the Sentinel Prime color scheme.

.... get up close

Rosenbauer is providing the truck for the Karl Oskar Days Parade, in Lindstrom, this Saturday, July 9. The parade steps off at 2 p.m. (See map for route.)

Rosenbauer's press release states the rig is "...exhilarating to see when all the lights are on and the sirens are screaming." Whether or not you've seen the movie, if you are even a shirt tail fan of Transformers --this weekend's Karl Oskar parade will be one you won't want to miss.

---