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Donors stepping up quickly to make the Winter Carnival ice palace happen

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St. Paul Pioneer Press features editor Kathy Berdan, photographed in St. Paul on October 30, 2019. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
By | kberdan@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press

The 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival’s seven-story ice palace received a warm welcome when it was announced Thursday afternoon.

Previous plans for a showcase, record-breaking ice palace on the state Capitol grounds to coincide with Super Bowl festivities in Minneapolis were dropped in October after the millions of dollars needed for the project couldn’t be raised.

The “People’s Ice Palace” announced this week will be in Rice Park, with a more manageable price tag of $800,000. More than 75 percent of the money had been raised through private and corporate donations at the time the plan was unveiled, according to Dan Stoltz, chair of the committee working on the palace. No public money is involved in the project.

The St. Paul Winter Carnival unveiled the design for an ice palace that will be built in Rice Park as part of the 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival. The palace will be part of an extended carnival to be held Jan. 25 – Feb. 10, 2018, to connect with Super Bowl activities. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)

The design for an ice palace that will be built in St. Paul’s Rice Park as part of the 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)

The People’s Ice Palace started to live up to its name after the plan was unveiled in the early afternoon. By 5 p.m. Thursday, the Winter Carnival website had received $10,000 in donations, said Deb Schaber, CEO of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which runs the Winter Carnival. By noon Friday, the tally was at $15,000.

The public can sponsor ice blocks, with a minimum donation of $25. Most of the blocks purchased are in the $25, $50 or $100 range, Schaber said, but there have been a couple of $500 and $1,000 blocks.

“Buying a block in the first 24 hours has raised close to $15,000,” Schaber said. “We are confident that this momentum will continue to bring this project to 100 percent commitment in pledges and donations. We love the community support and excitement.”

Schaber shared some of the comments accompanying the donations:

  • “For our 10 Grandchildren to grow up seeing the Ice Castle like we did!! :)”
  • “The Winter Carnival was a part of our evening the night we became engaged and warms our hearts every year.”
  • “Donating because the Winter Carnival NEEDS an ice palace especially when the Super Bowl is in town.”
  • “I have been interested in the winter carnival since a child. I am now 65 years old.”

Ice block sponsorships are available at wintercarnival.com.

Construction on the People’s Ice Palace is expected to start Jan. 6. The ice will be harvested from Green Lake near Spicer, Minn., starting Jan. 3. The 4,000 blocks for the construction weigh 500 pounds each and will be hauled to St. Paul on flatbed trucks.

The 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival has been extended an extra week (Jan. 25-Feb. 10) to overlap with Super Bowl LII, which will be Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Copyright 2017 Pioneer Press.

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Donors stepping up quickly to make the Winter Carnival ice palace happen