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Pioneer Press Winter Carnival

Come for the Winter Carnival, stay for what else St. Paul offers

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20111202__WinterCarnival_vulcanunveiling.webp, Vulcans reveal their 2012 Winter Carnival button Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, in St. Paul’s Rice Park. (Pioneer Press: John Brewer)
By AMY CARLSON GUSTAFSON | Pioneer PressIf you’re traveling to downtown St. Paul to see the newly crowned King Boreas and the royal family or to watch

St. Paul Winter Carnival ice carving delayed: too warm

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20130117__130120sl-WC-Ice-Carving.webp, Eden Prairie resident Deneena Hughes saws pieces of ice to use in creating the piece “Breaking Free” in the Multi-block Ice Carving Competition during
By JAIME DELAGE | jdelage@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressWe’re not looking at classic St. Paul Winter Carnival weather this weekend.The afternoons ar

Joe Soucheray: Bring back the Winter Carnival floats

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20140124__140125bbcut-norwayfloat_2.webp, Gordon Shumaker built this Whirlpool-sponsored float for the International Festival in Bergen, Norway. (Courtesy Steve Shumaker)
By JOE SOUCHERAY | jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressOne of Gordie Shumaker’s biggest Winter Carnival Grande Day parade floats was commission

St. Paul had some amazing ice palaces - here they are

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Mini-ice-palace-and-historical-photos-of-palaces012.webp, The 1986 ice palace near Lake Phalen was assembled with the help of 1,000 volunteers. The 128-foot-tall spectacle drew hundreds of thousands of visito
By NICK WOLTMAN | nwoltman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
Over its 130-year history, the Winter Carnival has brought 36 Ice Palaces to St. Paul — some more palatial than others.This year’s palace in Rice Park
Mini-ice-palace002seqn.webp, Crews construct a mini ice palace in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, Sunday, January 24, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi), Mini-ice-palace003seqn.webp, Joe Vanek of Hinckley helps build a round room on one side of the mini ice palace in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, Sunday, January 24, 2016. (Pionee, Mini-ice-palace001seqn.webp, Jim Brown uses a chainsaw to cut ice blocks to size, as Dan Klingner looks on, as crews build the mini ice palace in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, S, Mini-ice-palace004seqn.webp, helps build the mini ice palace in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, Sunday, January 24, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi), Mini-ice-palace005seqn.webp, Rob Graham stacks up ice blocks for one of the Four Winds sculptures which will ring the mini ice palace in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, Sunday, Ja, Mini-ice-palace006seqn.webp, A stack of ice blocks will be carved into a South Wind sculpture of a bull and caballero, one of the Four Winds sculptures at the four corners of Rice, Mini-ice-palace-and-historical-photos-of-palaces007-L.jpg, Carnival-goers walk past the 2004 Ice Palace, Mini-ice-palace-and-historical-photos-of-palaces009-L.jpg, The 2004 Ice Palace is illuminated after dark, Mini-ice-palace-and-historical-photos-of-palaces013-L.jpg, Vulcans and the Royal Family do battle outside an ice palace, Mini-ice-palace-and-historical-photos-of-palaces016.jpg, A main paints an Ice Palace model, Mini-ice-palace-and-historical-photos-of-palaces010-L.jpg, Carnival-goers sit on the ice throne outside the 2004 Ice Palace
But there have been plenty of impressive Ice Palaces in past years. From the Pioneer Press archives, here are 14 of the most spectacular:1886: Origina

Joe Soucheray: Rumor has it Minneapolis wants our ice castle. It can just chill

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wpid-20141126__1-StPaulChristmas_wintercarnival_StPaul_skybox.webp, (Courtesy of wintercarnival.com)
By JOE SOUCHERAY | jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressAnd speaking of rumors: Joe Soucheray does not – repeat, does not – write the Pioneer Pr

Queen of the Snows candidates have one thing in common: hot cocoa

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2015QueenofSnows_KrystleIgbo-Ogbonna.webp, 2015’s Aurora, Queen of the Snows Krystle Igbo-Ogbonna. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
By MOLLY GUTHREY | mguthrey@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressOne of these 18 candidates will soon be crowned Aurora, Queen of the Snows of the 2016 St.

Test your knowledge of St. Paul Winter Carnival ice palaces

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20140523__Icepalace1992_skybox.webp, A fireworks display puts the final touches on the lighting ceremony for the 1992 Ice Palace during opening night on Harriet Island in St. Paul Wednesd
By PIONEER PRESS | news@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press//cdn.playbuzz.com/widget/feed.js Quiz not loading? Open it hereCopyright2015 Pioneer Press.

Meet the 2016 Klondike Kate

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Klondike-final001-XL.jpg, Theresa McConnon of St. Paul is crowned the winner of the Winter Carnival\'s Klondike Kate competition held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednesday n, Klondike-final002-XL.jpg, Theresa McConnon of St. Paul , center, is crowned the winner of the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, We, Klondike-Kate-2016002-XL.jpg, Amy Hopkins of Baldwin, Wisconsin uses a phone as a prop as she belts out a song at the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition which was held at , Klondike-Kate-2016001-XL.jpg, Kristen Coulthard of West St. Paul belts out a song as the Winter Carnival\'s Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednes, Klondike-Kate-2016003-XL.jpg, Rachel Orzoff of Richfield sings for the judges and the crowd as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdal, Klondike-Kate-2016004-XL.jpg, Theresa McConnon of St. Paul belts out a song as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednesday nig, Klondike-Kate-2016005-XL.jpg, Christine Christofore of Little Canada sings a bawdy song as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, W, Klondike-Kate-2016006-XL.jpg, Rachel Orzoff of Richfield sings her second song as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednesday , Klondike-Kate-2016007-XL.jpg, Christine Christofore of Little Canada sings a bawdy song as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, W, Klondike-Kate-2016010-XL.jpg, Kristen Coulthard of West St. Paul works the judges as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednesd, Klondike-Kate-2016008-XL.jpg, Theresa McConnon of St. Paul takes her turn in front of the judges as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in O, Klondike-Kate-2016009-XL.jpg, Amy Hopkins of Baldwin Wisconsin sings a bawdy song as the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition was held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednesd, Klondike-final003-XL.jpg, Theresa McConnon of St. Paul is crowned the winner of the Winter Carnival's Klondike Kate competition held at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Wednesday ni
By GINGER PINSON | gpinson@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressTheresa McConnon of St. Paul was named the 2016 Klondike Kate at the Prom Center in Oakdale

What's new at the 2016 St. Paul Winter Carnival? Bike races, dog royalty, film fest

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20140309__140310carnival2-1.webp, Undated photo, courtesy of Charlie Hall, of the 1986 ice palace near Lake Phalen. Hall, King Boreas XLVII, chaired the 1986 Winter Carnival Committee
By KATHY BERDAN | kberdan@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer PressThe St. Paul Winter Carnival is in its 130th year, and with it comes a lot of tradition: tor
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