The St. Paul Winter Carnival Royal Family takes cold comfort in the fact that, while they celebrate winter, they know there are many in St. Paul who aren’t able to keep warm.
Two members of the Royals will try to stay comfortable in the cold on Wednesday night and sleep in the Ecolab Ice Palace in Rice Park to “raise awareness of those going without,” said Tom Leonard, 2018 King Boreas.
The Lord of the Queen (her boyfriend) Charlie Lehnen and Danny Maslowski, one of the king’s guards, will spend the night in the clearly chilly castle. They will sleep on the balcony of the seven-story structure, which was built to celebrate the 132nd St. Paul Winter Carnival and Super Bowl 52 across the river.
Leonard, co-owner of Fury Motors in South St. Paul, has had a Dodge Ram pickup parked in the ice palace courtyard and visitors have been encouraged to drop into the pickup bed their coats, hats, mittens and other cold-weather gear, which will be donated to people in need through Neighbors in South St. Paul.
“There’s just such a need,” Leonard/Boreas said on Monday.
While “bags and bags” of clothes have been collected, the Royals wanted to do more, and when a palace sleepover was suggested, Lehnen and Maslowski jumped at the opportunity, Leonard said. They’re asking visitors bring donations and fill the truck.
Gertens Outdoor will loan a tent and cold-weather camping gear to the frozen feat. The Royal Family will stop at the Ice Palace at about 7 p.m. Wednesday to wish them well after the Fancy Hotdish contest at The Lexington at 4 p.m.
The Winter Carnival was extended to 17 days this year because of Super Bowl festivities, which concluded with the Big Game on Sunday. The Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by the overthrow of Boreas by the Vulcans, fireworks in Rice Park and Vulcan Victory Dance. For info: wintercarnival.com.
Copyright 2018 Pioneer Press.
