Winter carnival
From CollabLandWiki
History: The first carnival was in 1886 and was held in the first two weeks of February. It has been celebrated every year for the past 122 years. There have been 36 ice palaces in all, each a different shape and size. The carnival has been known to draw in up to 350,000 people, in town for just those couple of weeks that the carnival is held. “In addition to showcasing Saint Paul, the business leaders wanted to disprove a New York newspaper reporter who had described their beloved city as “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in the winter.” Patterned after Montreal’s Winter Carnival, the first Saint Paul Winter Carnival included parades, skiing, snow shoeing, a blanket tossing contest, and push ball, a game played with giant balls. The most successful attractions were its ice castle and six large toboggan slides” (http://www.winter-carnival.com).
The Legends: There’s King Boreas, the eldest son of Astraios, the god of Starlight, and Eos, the goddess of the Rosy Fingered moon. He is known as the “king of the Wind” the celebrated monarch of the carnival.
There’s also the Fire King who has been part of carnival since its beginning along with his Vulcan crew. His name has changed over time from Fire King Coal, then Ignius Rex, Fire King Rex, and since 1916, Vulcanus Rex.
The Royal Guards Protect the Kingdom and Klondike Kate performs her Cabaret for all to see. She was so famous for dancing, that the minors dusted her with so many gold nuggets that she was dubbed “Klondike Kate”.
Events: When there’s enough money available there will be an Ice Palace, one of the most famous attractions to the carnival. There’s also the Minnesotan Hotdish Tent, for those with a good apatite and to work off the carbs gained you can ice skate, play boot hockey, participate in the Art Treasure hunt in the Capitol and see the parade. The kids can enjoy the many events just for them, coloring contests and the Teddy Bear Band to name a few.
Location: The Carnival takes place all around the St. Paul area, from the Capitol, to White Bear Lake.
Strengths and Weaknesses: The Carnival works really well for attracting people from both the twin cities area and the rest of the state. With the large number of people that attend the Carnival, it provides an income for St. Paul that a Minnesotan city rarely sees outside of the summer tourist months. Another success that the Carnival has is the large variety of activities which give everyone, no matter their age or experience, something to enjoy during the Carnival. When it is able to be built, probably the largest success of the Carnival is the ice palace. Of all the other activities, this is the one that draws in the most people and is the most easily recognizable part of the Carnival. The Carnivals main weakness is the lack of funding that it receives. Although some years events have been canceled due to weather conditions, others (mainly the ice palace) have been canceled due to lack of funding. The ice palace stopped being a regular event in 1992 and since that time has only been included in 2004. One potential weakness that also accompanies the Carnival is parking and transportation. This weakness has mostly been fixed with the buses that drive around St. Paul and can drop people off at the different activity locations.
Source: Star Tribune Jan 23, 1990, and http://www.winter-carnival.com/
