St. Paul is very big on tradition, especially when it comes to the St. Paul Winter Carnival! Some of the features I enjoy are: The ice carvings, snow sculptures, the parades, and the Medallion Hunt. It is also a time when my family comes down to enjoy what St. Paul has to offer.
Personally, I like to try to figure out where the Winter Carnival Medallion is hidden. This is a source of great frustration for me, as I am still learning about St. Paul's parks. I moved to St. Paul over 12 years ago and have fallen in love with this tradition, I believe, most of all!
A couple of years ago I bought some books about St. Paul Parks, as well as a couple of copies of ST. PAUL PARKS "A TREASURE HUNTER'S GUIDE". I keep one at home, and one at work so I can ponder the whereabouts during my breaks and lunches. The hunt for the Medallion seems to consume me until it is found, even from the 1st clue. Even tho I haven't really gone searching further than the downtown parks, it is still fun to try to figure out.
Also I found the St. Paul PioneerPlanet Water Cooler - where all treasure hunters that are serious go chat about the possibilities. I imagine there are some that try to throw others off, but it is a great way to get to know other St. Paulite's. You'll even find an occasional person that used to live in St. Paul which still has an interest and just can't wait to give their ideas about where the medallion is hidden for others to pursue.
Winter Carnival time is a time of looking back at years past, as well as looking ahead to the new year. It's an exciting time to live in St. Paul!
I enjoy collecting St. Paul Winter Carnival buttons. This year, there are 4 styles of buttons you can buy. If you are like me you need to purchase extra buttons for when you have family and friends visit.
(In 2000, the St. Paul Winter Carnival started its 'branding' of the "The Coolest Celebration on Earth", so each year no longer has it's own theme. I am not sure why this was done, as this was a fun part of the Carnival! I don't mind a branding - and really like the slogan. Perhaps if enough of us express our feelings, they will add one back starting in 2002! I am not sure that the fun in collecting the buttons and other items will ever be the same without it. A theme each year was an integral part of the attraction of the Carnival, so I can't imagine it is gone forever.)
Some carnival buttons I have include:
2001 "The Coolest Celebration on Earth" [descrip: 4 different round buttons]
2000 "The Coolest Celebration on Earth" [descrip: 4 different round buttons]
1999 "No Time for Cold Feet" [descrip: 4 different round buttons]
1998 "The Legend Lives" [descrip: rectangular]
1997 "Winter Wonderland" [descrip: diamond shaped]
1996 "The Great Winter Reunion" January 26-Feb 4 [descrip: rectangular]
1995 "On with the Snow" [descrip: rectangular]
1992 "You've Got to Believe" [descrip: lg. round]
1953 "Hi, Neighbor" Jan 30-Feb 8 [descrip: round]
1949 Minnesota Territorial Centennial 1849-1949 (StP FUN keys)
1947 [description: yellow keys w/ bells] (StP FUN keys)
1941 "Show your Colors" Feb 1-9 [descrip: sm. round, perhaps a special button, not the usually yearly button]
I am still learning about the buttons. For instance, there have been many buttons printed per year for the different participants, including the Royalty,
& the Vulcans.
Also I have the 33 1/3 rpm record which has the song " Come to the Carnival at Old St. Paul" on Side One, and the "Legend of the St. Paul Winter Carnival" on Side Two I would like to find out how old the above record is, and where a listing of ALL past Winter Carnival buttons could be obtained. If you have any of this information, please e-mail Annette at the
address at the bottom of this page. Thank You.
The Minnesota Historical Society has microfilm that you can go through of old Newspaper Articles, going back to the mid 1800's! I found some information below by spending some time at the Minnesota
History Museum:
1922 Winter Carnival information and advertisements from the St. Paul Pioneer Press include:
January 22, 1922
Advertisement: We Buy and Sell Carnival Suits Hugo Herrman
The Carnival Suit Man.
969 E. 7th Street__Van Buren 1545.
January 28, 1922
Headline: St. Paul First City in Country To Inaugurate Winter Carnival
More than a score of years ago St. Paul first inaugurated outdoor winter sports festivals in the United States with its famous ice palace and Carnival. It had very natural advantage and a good generally willing populace.
The Old Colony magazine, in an article in the December issue, says: "St. Paul was probably the first place in the United States to make any ambitious effort to popularize winter sports, and Tuxedo and Lake Placid followed.
(The above is only a portion of the article)
Headline: TORCHES FOR CARNIVAL
A gay sight will greet visitors in the Phalen district Monday night. Officers of various commercial organizations of the East Side have promised to give all Carnivalites fuses and torches.
The flares will be used to add even greater brilliancy and color to the Carnival procession in the district.
Headline: WINTER CARNIVAL TO OPEN TONIGHT
(pg 3, continued from pg 1 - this contains only a portion of the article)
Despite the fact that most of the outdoor activities are to take place in the immediate vicinity of the toboggan slides in the five districts there are indications that the downtown section of the city will have its share of merry-makers throughout the week.
All the theaters, cafes and dance halls are preparing for large crowds. Merchants have reported a marked increase in the demand for outdoor and sporting apparel, evidence that hundreds of persons will be out in Carnival suits during the week.
Special Carnival Week programs have been arranged at most of the downtown and community theaters.
Officers of the St. Paul Municipal Outdoor Sports association Friday night announced that the last steps have been taken to assure the success of the festival. The two toboggan slides which are not yet entirely complete will be ready within a day or two. The Como slide, situated at the top of a natural hill on the shore of the lake, and extending nearly three hundred feet downward, was given a thorough bath Friday night, and by this morning it is expected that the ice will be sufficient speed to carry the toboggans a long distance onto the lake.
Headline: GIRLS TO MAKE MERRY
Scout Troups to Hold Prologue to Carnival Today
Because the formal opening of the outdoor sports carnival is not until 8 P.M. tonight is no reason why the Girl Scout troops of St. Paul should be prevented from stealing a march on the rest of the merry makers, they say. Hence they have arranged an athletic program for the afternoon which is to be offered in the form of a prologue to the carnival itself.
One of the big features will be a snowball fight between the St. Paul and Minneapolis troops. Other features will be skiing, skating, snowball throwing, sculpturing and tobogganing.
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