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Pioneer Press Winter Carnival

Meet the candidates for St. Paul Winter Carnival Queen of the Snows

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20150123__150123_carnivalcoronation_krystleigboogbonna.webp, Krystle Igbo-Ogbonna takes a moment after being crowned Aurora, Queen of Snows during the St. Paul Winter Carnival Royal Coronation at the RiverCentre
By MOLLY GUTHREY | mguthrey@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressMeet the nine candidates for the 2024 Aurora, Queen of the Snows of the St. Paul Winter Ca

Here’s your day-by-day guide to the 2024 St. Paul Winter Carnival

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This year, a couple big events are moving to new locations, and the Winter Carnival is consolidating their outdoor events into one massive heated tent
STP-L-jea-18-GRAND-DAY-PARADE-0128-1.webp, Elly Johnson, 12, from Lakeville gets a Vulcan V at the 2023 Winter Carnival Grande Day Parade in downtown St. Paul on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (John
By JARED KAUFMAN | jkaufman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressSnow may be lacking, but the frigid weather can only mean one thing — King Boreas has retu
STP-L-jea-06-LIGHT-THE-PARK-0126.jpg, The Landmark Center is the backdrop for a laser light show as part of the Winter Carnival’s Light The Park at Rice Park in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan.
THURSDAY, JAN. 25Be There For…Light The Park — Kickoff to Carnival @ Rice Park: Join the Royal Family and Vulcans starting at 5:30 p.m., with a laser
STP-L-jea-05-ROYAL-CORONATION-0127.webp, Vulcans light up the crowd at the end of the 2023 Winter Carnival Royal Coronation at St. Paul RiverCentre on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (John Autey / Pio
SATURDAY, JAN. 27Be There For…Vulcan Reveal @ Landmark Center: Note the new location for this year’s official reveal of Vulcanus Rex LXXXVI and the 20
STP-L-jea-05-SNOWPARK-0122.jpg, Volunteers brace themselves for a wintry torrent as they receive another load of snow during the “Snow Stomp” at the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Vulcan
SUNDAY, JAN. 28Be There For…Fire and Ice Winter Run @ Minnesota State Fairgrounds: Sprint or stroll across the Fairgrounds for the annual 5K, 10K, 15K
STP-L-jea-01-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Robin Hickman-Winfield explains her family's connection to Rondo Avenue to Junior Royalty during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Lan
THURSDAY, FEB. 1Be There For…Rondo Night @ Landmark Center: The second annual celebration of St. Paul’s historically Black Rondo neighborhood will bri
STP-L-jea-19-GRAND-DAY-PARADE-0128-1.webp, A bouncing girl with the St. Paul Bouncing Team rockets into the air during the 2023 Winter Carnival Grande Day Parade in downtown St. Paul on Saturda
FRIDAY, FEB. 2Be There For…Klondike Kate Arctic Sizzle @ Camp Bar: The Kates take the stage for a lunchtime revue from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.-ish. Hope
STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-009.jpg, Members of the Vulcan Krewe parade through the streets of downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The parade symbolizes Vulcanus Rex’s march on the ice cas
Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade @ West 7th Street to Rice Park: The fire king and his krewe will celebrate the (eventual) return of warm weather duri

Vote for the canine king and queen of the 2024 St. Paul Winter Carnival in the Doggie Depot contest

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The top dogs will be crowned by the royal family during a dog-friendly event at Union Depot
king-and-queen.webp, Emily Schmall of Falcon Heights and Dory, left and Donna Mankowski of Prior Lake and Revere, right, celebrate after the dogs were crowned Canine-Queen
By MOLLY GUTHREY | mguthrey@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressAhead of a doggie coronation at Union Depot, online voting is underway to select the canin
Collage-Maker-24-Jan-2023-05.33-PM.webp, Lucy (left), the Canine Queen of the Snows and Rio, the Canine King Boreas of the 2023 St. Paul Winter Carnival.
A week following this year’s parade, at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, the 2024 king and queen will be formally crowned by the 2024 St. Paul Winter Carniva

Embodying ‘an indomitable spirit’: A Q&A with Jody Vander Hart, the 2024 Klondike Kate

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STP-L-jea-10-KLONDIKE_KATE-0110.webp, Contestant Jody Vander Hart, from Vadnais Heights, performs during the Klondike Kate Contest at Mintahoe Catering & Events-Inwood Oaks Event Center in
By JARED KAUFMAN | jkaufman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressBefore she sang her second song at the 2024 Klondike Kate competition, the event’s emcee a
STP-L-jea-16-KLONDIKE_KATE-0110.webp, Jody Vander Hart, center, from Vadnais Heights, is sashed as 2024 Klondike Kate during the Klondike Kate Contest at the Mintahoe Catering & Events - I
Right after Vander Hart was “sashed” as the 2024 Klondike Kate, we caught up with her to ask some questions.Q: You were on stage last year, too. What

The last time a Winter Carnival queen departed during her reign was 1957 — and she was getting married

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By MOLLY GUTHREY | mguthrey@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressAs a child, Joe Gallagher loved paging through the memory book his mother, Eva Wicker Gall
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What happened was that Queen Eva married her prince, Pvt. James F. Gallagher.“My dad was in the Army,” Gallagher says, “and they had gotten engaged in
2016BOREAS5.webp, The 2016 Titan, Prince of the North Wind, Joe Gallagher and Princess of the North Wind, Shannon Cherep are introduced at the St. Paul Winter Carnival
LVII, by the way, translates to 57. Serving as the 57th Titan felt fitting to the son of the ’57 queen.“My goal was to finish my term and honor my mot

At the Winter Carnival’s puzzle tournament, a look inside the world of competitive jigsaw puzzle-solving

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St. Paul’s annual puzzle competition is the country’s largest.
STP-L-jea-05-WC-PUZZLE-0128.jpg, The family and friend team of (from left) Jill Derouin, reaching for puzzle piece, from Minneapolis, Laura Scott from St. Paul, Janae Derouin from Det
By JARED KAUFMAN | jkaufman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressAs teams huddled around tables of scattered jigsaw puzzle pieces, their matching shirts pr
STP-L-jea-02-WC-PUZZLE-0128.jpg, Spectators on the second floor watch dozens of teams put together jig saw puzzles at the 2023 Winter Carnival Jigsaw Puzzle Contest at Landmark Center, STP-L-jea-01-WC-PUZZLE-0128.webp, A team wears matching shirts stating “The Jig Is Up” while working on a puzzle at the 2023 Winter Carnival Jigsaw Puzzle Contest at Landmark Center in, STP-L-jea-03-WC-PUZZLE-0128.webp, (From left) Family friend Nicole Schmitz, Emily Kutzler, Joshua Doss and mom to Emily and Joshua, Betty Doss, all from Pillager, Minnesota work their , STP-L-jea-04-WC-PUZZLE-0128.webp, The family and friend team of (from left) Jill Derouin, from Minneapolis, Laura Scott from St. Paul, Janae Derouin from Detroit Lakes and Emily Mehr-K
After the initial frenzy to rip open the brown paper bags hiding the 500-piece puzzle boxes, Landmark Center became unusually quiet as the clock ticke

2023 Vulcan Krewe’s identities revealed: Ivan Weiss Jr. is a second-gen fire king

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In the Vulcans’ “den,” their home during the carnival, a backlit red V proclaims, “Where 8 Become 1.”
STP-L-VULCANS-0205-001.webp, The Vulcan Krewe of the 2023 St. Paul Winter Carnival is photographed in St. Paul on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The Krewe is, front row, from left;  Bar, STP-L-VULCANS-0205-002.webp, The Vulcan Krewe of the 2023 St. Paul Winter Carnival is photographed in St. Paul on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The Krewe is, front row, from left;  Bar, STP-L-VULCANS-0205-003.webp, Ivan Weiss Jr., from Stillwater, is Vulcanus Rex LXXXV of the 2023 St. Paul Winter Carnival, photographed in St. Paul on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (John
By JARED KAUFMAN | jkaufman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressVulcanus Rex has once again defeated King Boreas for control of the seasons, according to
juxtapose-gif-1.gif, The Vulcan Krewe of the 2023 St. Paul Winter Carnival is photographed in St. Paul on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The Krewe is, front row, from left; Baro
On the way out of events like this, the two monarchs might exchange furtive fist bumps or secretive smiles. For Weiss, whose father was Vulcanus Rex f

Photos: 2023 Winter Carnival Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade

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Vulcanus Rex’s triumph over King Boreas seemed a bit tenuous on Saturday night given arctic temperatures in downtown St. Paul, but tradition is tradit
STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-009.jpg, Members of the Vulcan Krewe parade through the streets of downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The parade symbolizes Vulcanus Rex’s march on the ice cas, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-010.jpg, St. Paul community members march in the Torchlight parade during the winter carnival in downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The torchlight parade symbo, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-001.jpg, St. Paul community members make the “V” hand gesture as they proclaim allegiance to Vulcanus Rex during their march in the Torchlight parade during th, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-008.jpg, A clown rides around downtown St. Paul on a scooter in the torchlight parade on Feb. 4, 2023. The torchlight parade symbolizes Vulcanus Rex’s march on, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-006.jpg, The mascot of the Minnesota State Fair joins the Vulcan Krewe in the torchlight parade in downtown St. Paul and gives fist bumps to onlookers on Feb. , STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-007.jpg, Community members dress as characters from the legend of Vulcanus Rex and parade through the streets of downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The torchli, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-004.jpg, Community members dress as characters from the legend of Vulcanus Rex and parade through the streets of downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The torchli, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-005.jpg, Community members dress as characters from the legend of Vulcanus Rex and parade through the streets of downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The torchli, STP-L-VULCANS-0205-003.webp, St. Paul community members make the “V” hand gesture as they proclaim allegiance to Vulcanus Rex during their march in the Torchlight parade during th, STP–L–TORCHLIGHT-0205-002.webp, St. Paul community members march in the Torchlight parade during the winter carnival in downtown St. Paul on Feb. 4, 2023. The torchlight parade symbo
By BRYSON ROSELL | brosell@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressThe Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade marched Saturday from West Seventh Street through down

At Rondo Night, a celebratory step toward a more inclusive Winter Carnival

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At the event, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Mayor Melvin Carter spoke about the importance of revitalizing St. Paul’s historically Black neig
STP-L-jea-05-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Keith Baker with ReConnect Rondo talks with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Landmark Center in dow, STP-L-jea-07-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Student jazz musicians from Walker West Music Academy perform during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Landmark Center in downtown St., STP-L-jea-06-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.jpg, Student jazz musicians from Walker West Music Academy perform during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Landmark Center in downtown St., STP-L-jea-04-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Juliet Mitchell toss a beanbag as she plays corn hole during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul on, STP-L-jea-03-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Jervis White sells sauces and seasonings at his Black Roots table during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Landmark Center in downtown, STP-L-jea-01-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Robin Hickman-Winfield explains her family's connection to Rondo Avenue to Junior Royalty during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night at the Lan, STP-L-jea-02-RONDO-NIGHT-0202.webp, Robin Hickman-Winfield holds a doll of herself, left, and her great uncle Gordon Parks at her table during the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Rondo Night
By JARED KAUFMAN | jkaufman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressThe first St. Paul Winter Carnival event Rekhet Si-Asar attended was in the mid-1990s, not

Traffic delays expected in St. Paul on Saturday

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IMG_20190202_181014-2.webp, Vulcans pass by at the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. (Julio Ojeda-Zapata / Pioneer Press)
By MOLLY GUTHREY | mguthrey@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressThere might be a Saturday downtown slowdown in the capital city.People planning to attend
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