Carol Carney, the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s first Klondike Kate, died May 22 after a short nursing home stay.
When Carney was interviewed for an article that ran in the Pioneer Press on Jan. 25, she talked about her time as a Klondike Kate, the Winter Carnival’s mistress of “fun, frivolity and good fellowship.” She sang, too.
Carney told the Pioneer Press that she competed for the sash “because I love Winter Carnival.”
The Kates celebrated 50 years at the 2021 Winter Carnival.
Carney’s daughter Lori Bestler said she was admitted to a nursing home on May 7.
There will be a celebration of life on Tuesday, May 25, at Grandstrand Funeral Home in Lindstrom, with a 4-7 p.m. viewing and a 7-8 p.m. service.
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