The seven-member Vulcan Krewe, a St. Paul Winter Carnival tradition since 1940, accompanies Vulcanus Rex on “Luverne,” a 1932 Luverne Fire Truck built in Luverne, Minn. They’ll be rolling around town through the end of the Winter Carnival on Feb. 10, when they unseat Boreas, the king of the winds, calling forth warmer temperatures and the gradual demise of winter.
While the Vulcan mythology may be the stuff of legend, fans of Winter Carnival tradition, take note. There’s plenty of real history behind the lore.
NO MORE SECRET IDENTITIES
Vulcanus Rex and the Vulcan Krewe are chosen each year by the order of Fire and Brimstone, the Vulcan alumni. Krewe members’ real names were a well-kept secret until a scandal in 2005 revealed their true identities. The 2006 Krewe was the first to unmask before the Winter Carnival, and Krewes have shared their identities ever since.
“My dad was a Vulcan in ’64 and my mom didn’t know,” said Chuck Gerber, Grand Duke Fertilious ’06. “He called her and said, ‘I won’t be home for two weeks and I can’t tell you why.’ She figured it out.”
CHARITABLE WORK
Beginning with the first official Vulcan Krewe in 1940, the mischief-makers became known over the years for smudging women’s faces with greasepaint, sometimes against their will. It’s a tradition that has sometimes gotten them into trouble and faded with time. Beginning around 1970, the negative attention also inspired efforts to put more energy into charity work.
Founded by Steve Casalenda, Grand Duke Fertilious ’05, the nonprofit Vulcan Community Charities puts on a charity golf tournament, funds scholarships at the University of Minnesota and auctions off parade rides on Luverne for good causes. Each year, the Vulcan Krewe pick a charitable organization to partner with.
“When you look at it, we raise a lot of hell, we have a lot of fun, and we’ve been in trouble, but we give back,” Gerber said.
ELDERS
The eldest active member of Fire and Brimstone is Bob Baker, 94. Jerry Lanahan, 72, served as Vulcanus Rex in 1993 and 2005 and is now president of the Fire and Brimstone after more than four decades of Krewe services. “I’ve been in it 43 years, since 1975,” said Lanahan on Friday, before riding to Rice Park hanging off the back of a fire truck.
THE LOGO
The Vulcan logo changes annually. Most years, it’s drawn by Perry LaBelle, Vulcanus Rex ’06, who built exhibits at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley until retirement.
The 2009 Vulcans were known as the “Sainted Krewe” because they appeared in the Pioneer Press “Sainted and Tainted” letter column five times for their good works. (Some still suspect Krewe members wrote some of the flattering letters.)
Copyright 2018 Pioneer Press.
