Skip to main content

2018 Winter Carnival kicks off with palace lighting, fireworks … and a walleye suspended in ice

Submitted by Administrator on
The Winter Carnival ice palace is lit and fireworks go off after the Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. The 4,000-block, 70-foot-tall Ice Palace was built to welcome the world to Minnesota for the Super Bowl and placed in Rice Park for the 17-day Carnival. The Winter Carnival has built 36 Ice Palaces with the first one in 1885. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

The Winter Carnival ice palace is lit and fireworks go off after the Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. The 4,000-block, 70-foot-tall Ice Palace was built to welcome the world to Minnesota for the Super Bowl and placed in Rice Park for the 17-day Carnival. The Winter Carnival has built 36 Ice Palaces with the first one in 1885. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Most South Wind Princesses get bounced, said Elaina Hamann, the 2017 South Wind Princess who flew through the air before the start of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. "I was so ready. I hit my pose, then saw how high I was. I was "oh wow!" "I had so much adrenalin pumping...it was a great way to end my year." (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Most South Wind Princesses get bounced, said Elaina Hamann, the 2017 South Wind Princess who flew through the air before the start of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. "I was so ready. I hit my pose, then saw how high I was. I was "oh wow!" "I had so much adrenalin pumping...it was a great way to end my year." (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Marchers walk down Sixth Street in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. With luminaries in hand to light the way, carnival dignitaries, ambassadors and organizers walk with local business leaders from the Securian Building on Sixth and Robert to Rice Park. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Marchers walk down Sixth Street in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. With luminaries in hand to light the way, carnival dignitaries, ambassadors and organizers walk with local business leaders from the Securian Building on Sixth and Robert to Rice Park. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Senior Royalty Linda Jones wears earrings on her glasses at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. With luminaries in hand to light the way, carnival dignitaries, ambassadors and organizers walk with local business leaders from the Securian Building on Sixth and Robert to Rice Park. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Senior Royalty Linda Jones wears earrings on her glasses at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. With luminaries in hand to light the way, carnival dignitaries, ambassadors and organizers walk with local business leaders from the Securian Building on Sixth and Robert to Rice Park. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Parade goes pull out their phones to record the lighting of the 2018 Winter Carnival Ice Palace as it is lit after the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Parade goes pull out their phones to record the lighting of the 2018 Winter Carnival Ice Palace as it is lit after the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Sarah Cashman from Lino Lakes, checks out the walleye in the ice palace before the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Sarah Cashman from Lino Lakes, checks out the walleye in the ice palace before the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

The ice palace is lit after the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

The ice palace is lit after the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Morgan Duthart from Scotland takes a picture of the MN (for Minnesota) in coins she and her friend put on the ice palace before the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. She is visiting her friend from summer camp. This year, the community was offered a chance to be a part of the Ice Palace with the Buy a Block initiative to help build the PeopleÕs Palace by purchasing ice blocks and helping us raise funds to support the community-driven project. (Jean

Morgan Duthart from Scotland takes a picture of the MN (for Minnesota) in coins she and her friend put on the ice palace before the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. She is visiting her friend from summer camp. This year, the community was offered a chance to be a part of the Ice Palace with the Buy a Block initiative to help build the PeopleÕs Palace by purchasing ice blocks and helping us raise funds to support the community-driven project. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Mary Lou Rice, left, her daughter, Jen Gorski and twin granddaughters, Isabel and Sofie Fox march in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. They took the bus from Woodbury and will take the bus back home. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Mary Lou Rice, left, her daughter, Jen Gorski and twin granddaughters, Isabel and Sofie Fox march in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. They took the bus from Woodbury and will take the bus back home. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Keri Just, 2, rides atop her mom, Clara Just's shoulders at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. "It's our tradition to come up each year," said Clara, an Evanston, Illinois cop who used to live in St. Paul. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

Keri Just, 2, rides atop her mom, Clara Just's shoulders at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. "It's our tradition to come up each year," said Clara, an Evanston, Illinois cop who used to live in St. Paul. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

By | news@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press

The 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival kicked off in dramatic fashion Thursday night with the much-anticipated lighting of a 70-foot ice palace in Rice Park, followed by a brief fusillade of fireworks as Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” played.

Prior to the ceremony, visitors and dignitaries walked down Sixth Street, luminaries in hand to light the way, in the Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade.

Other high points included carnival princesses being bounced in the air and, in a weird twist, a walleye suspended within one of the ice palace’s building blocks for attendees to gawk at.

King Boreas of the 2005 Winter Carnival, Steve Schmidt, caught the walleye in Lake of the Woods, according to palace project manager Joe Gallagher. Gallagher then froze the fish into one of the ice blocks.

Copyright 2018 Pioneer Press.

Tags

Original Link
2018 Winter Carnival kicks off with palace lighting, fireworks … and a walleye …