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Favorite Winter Carnival Stories of All Time

Submitted by Scribe on
Forums
Wampeters, Foma, and Granfalloons



This is actually a part of my honor's project, so if you could be so kind as to include in your discussion these things: 

Did you gow up in Saint Paul? 

If so, what neighborhood are you from? 

Are you a "transplant" to Saint Paul? 

If, so from where, and what brought you here? 

Are you from "across the river"? 

How did you get involved in the Carnival? 

Please describe how you think the Carnival reflects the Saint Paul culture. 

How much do you know about the legend of the Carnival and the history of Saint Paul through the Carnival? 

 

 

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OT

Off topic, but an interesting aside. Tangle Town was originally called Oak Park. People of my generation still refer to it as that.
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 7:26 AM Permalink
KITCH

You know your from SSP if you know a Peta or Francis...

OT---do you know where Sunrise Hill was???
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 7:32 AM Permalink
OT

No, unless it used to be called something else. :pbpt:
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 7:43 AM Permalink
Scribe

South Saint Paul,is still part of the culture of the city. Just like the discussion of subdivisions you're having within the neighborhood. That's unique to Saint Paul culture, each neighborhood has it's own identity, however during carnival time we celebrate our identity together as Saint Paulites, that's that magic MM was describing. It is what makes it different from the State Fair, which is special in its own right but it does not suspend reality and create a magical atmosphere.
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 6:14 PM Permalink
KITCH

scribe.......sorry honey...but we got work 2 do in another thread...
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 6:18 PM Permalink
Pay Me

It's like going to Disney World...but in the cold:)
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 6:19 PM Permalink
KITCH

heck...must be part of the reason i'm going downtown tonight...

I want to know the feeling in shorts...
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 6:22 PM Permalink
Scribe

Hmmm, I was just thinkin (uh oh,everybody duck!)

Something that I haven't covered is the sub-cultures that carnival creates. For instance, the Vulcs, Royalty, Bouncing Team, Unicyclists, Tax Collectors, WC Volunteers and of course, Medallion Hunters all bring people together with their own understanding of the WC. All groups have their own language, jokes and inside traditions but all of us share the same overall understanding of our identity and sense of place within the city of Saint Paul.
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 6:22 PM Permalink
me2

shorts? I was going down there in a snowsuit-

at least gotta wear a scarf
Mon, 08/15/2005 - 6:52 PM Permalink
Scribe

All right folks, continue to share your WC stories and impressions. :ooh:
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 7:26 PM Permalink
KITCH

on of my favorite all time moments was when we all got togethor to make a plan on how to do the last clue of a hunt....

then tim ran up the hill with ots....and picked up a flag
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 7:37 PM Permalink
Scribe

I love that one too! Unfortunately it was not the WC silly!
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 7:40 PM Permalink
KITCH

heh...what vulcan's in the summer is not part of the WC???

same thing...we are the coolercrew in the summer...
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 7:47 PM Permalink
OTiS

Shortcut.... :sillygrin:
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 7:50 PM Permalink
Wicked Nick

I think most of my favorite things happen during the hunts themselves.... sometimes when your not even hunting... like those cold nights when you've spent countless hours searching and need a short break to refresh, so you stop to build a snowman.....and then proceed to knock it to pieces.....

or snow-angels on the bank of crosby lake.....and then whoever you happen to be hunting with sits on yours's head.....
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 7:58 PM Permalink
Clue Master

I like walking through Phalen in the middle of summer and someone points out the exact area that you cleared during the hunt 2 years ago that now has a nice perfect circular growth area where you dug on clue #3. And then standing in a hole on a beautiful 75 degree evening where there once was 1000's of hunters swinging shovels, rakes and hoes on a freezing ass winter night a couple of years earlier.
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 9:26 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Or the help of a stranger that gives you a carpet sample from his van so you can stick it down the back of your pants to try and save what's left of your frost bitten ass during the coldest day in hunt history. Now that I'm older I really don't think I could dig in -26 degree temps anymore. Especially when there's a 15 mph wind kicking all night. I still can't believe how the 20 of us late night diehards kept doing it. We would hunt for 15 minutes and run to the car and warm up for 15. People were running back and forth all night. Luckily the hunt 'zone' at the time was close to parking so you could keep your car running if you wanted to. Talk about exhaust smoke! It was an eerie site I won't forget. Especially because I don't see me ever being a part of it ever again if it gets even close to that raw outside.
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 9:33 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Or.....

Thinking I hit the jackpot the first time I seen the frog at the frog pond during my first hunt. I can't believe how cliché' it is now. I thought I hit the jackpot back in '80! I still feel that some hunt could still lead us there. Or at least use the clues anyway.
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 9:44 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Or....

The time a couple of movie producers decided that we were a crazy enough bunch of OCD hunters to make a professional documentary about the whole event.
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 9:59 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Or....

Peppermint Schnapps!
Mon, 08/22/2005 - 10:00 PM Permalink
Scribe

Those are funny stories THX!

Kitch...the Vulcs actually REPRESENT summer! :sillygrin:
Tue, 08/23/2005 - 9:23 AM Permalink
Clue Master

HAHA! Glad I could help hon.

Now cook me somethin'

:eek: :sillygrin: :wink: :smile:
Tue, 08/23/2005 - 10:22 AM Permalink
Wicked Nick

and they dont do a bad concert either.... :wink:
Tue, 08/23/2005 - 1:25 PM Permalink
Scribe

I know. I even have the CD :ooh:
Tue, 08/23/2005 - 4:53 PM Permalink
mrmnmikey

One of my best stories/memory about the hunt is the 1st time I saw this girl. I'll never forget it. It's also the 1st time I got to see the medallion.
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:14 PM Permalink
Scribe

I personally love that story! :smile:
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:15 PM Permalink
Clue Master

3M showing us exactly where to look on clue #3 and none of us taking his advice.
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:19 PM Permalink
Scribe

And these guys finally solving their PR issues:
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:26 PM Permalink
mrmnmikey

Ha!
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:27 PM Permalink
Wicked Nick

I did.....a couple of times
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:28 PM Permalink
Scribe

Funny, Boreas seems just a tad bit wilder than any Vulc I've ever known! :pbpt:
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 5:41 PM Permalink
Wicked Nick

damn... that makes him sound like a vulc in disguise...
Wed, 08/24/2005 - 6:02 PM Permalink
ares

cool link about the mythology behind the wc, scribble. gotta wonder how titan got in there as the north wind instead of boreas.
Thu, 08/25/2005 - 6:39 PM Permalink
Redbear

I'm ba-ack
Thu, 08/25/2005 - 7:05 PM Permalink
Clue Master

RB is BACK!!! :ooh: :eek: :ooh: :sillygrin:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 11:40 AM Permalink
Clue Master

How do we know that you're the real RB?
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 11:41 AM Permalink
THX 1138

That's the real Redbear!
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 12:02 PM Permalink
Clue Master

How do we know that you're the real THX? :worried:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 12:11 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Where have all the real Cooler Crew people gone to?

AHHHHHHHH!!! :worried: :eyeroll: :worried: :eek: :ooh:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 12:12 PM Permalink
THX 1138

How do we know that you're the real THX?

How do we know you're the real Clue Master?
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 12:26 PM Permalink
KITCH

How do I know I'm the real KITCH???

:pondering: I haven't taken a "JOE" in a while......hmmmm....
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 1:25 PM Permalink
OTiS

Maybe it's because it's 420 Bob. :confused:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 2:32 PM Permalink
East Side Digger

I am not the real ESD I am a medalionator imposter :sillygrin: :goofy: :lipsealed: :pbpt: :cool: :eyeroll: :worried:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 9:28 PM Permalink
ares

how do we know that the real medallionators aren't just medallionator imposters?
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 9:31 PM Permalink
East Side Digger

I am so confused :confused:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 10:03 PM Permalink
OTiS

Well... the medallionators pretend to be real hunters...... :goofy:
Fri, 08/26/2005 - 10:22 PM Permalink