The Winter Carnival maze on Harriet Island may get built with pure Minnesota ice after all, organizers said today.
Not only that, but the Late Show with David Letterman has shown interest in sending someone to check out the icy labyrinth.
An upcoming cold snap has boosted organizers’ hopes that there will be enough ice on Lake Phalen to harvest the 2,500 blocks needed for the maze. The carnival runs from Jan. 26 through Feb. 4.
A mild winter has forced organizers to consider a variety of backup plans, from using plastic to Styrofoam to a snow-ice mixture dubbed “snice.”
The warm-weather contingency plans for the Amazing Ice Maze became the subject of national news over the past several days. Kate Kelly, president and CEO of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, said the ideas provoked some hearty Minnesotans to call the office, demanding: “How dare you use plastic?”
Kelly said her office would make a final decision next week and hope to harvest the ice on Jan. 19 or 20. The carnival runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
Kelly and her crew are feeling some added pressure, now that the ice maze has gotten the attention from the Late Show with David Letterman. The talk-show host apparently is interested in sending stage manager Biff Henderson or another Late Show personality to “get lost in the ice maze,” said carnival spokeswoman Mary Huss.
They haven’t struck a deal yet. The Lettermen people have asked the foundation if they can shoot the segment on Feb. 5, which is the Monday day after the carnival closes. It needs to be on a weekday, Huss was told, and in February – the better for sweeps month.
“It’s definitely a motivation,” Huss said. “No snice for Dave. Ice for Dave.”
Copyright 2007 Pioneer Press.