The four 2004 St. Paul Winter Carnival buttons — featuring ice palaces, of course — went on sale Wednesday after their formal unveiling at a ceremony in the skyway level of Fifth Street Center in downtown
The $5 buttons, which come with a carnival "passport," show artistic renditions of three past ice palaces and the new one that will be built later this month at Cleveland Circle, adjacent to the Xcel Energy Center.
The three historical images trace the development of the ice castles, beginning with the largest — the 1888 mammoth 15-story structure that contained 55,000 blocks of ice and is said to be the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920 short story, "The Ice Palace."
Also featured are the last walk-through castle — the 1941 ice palace at Como Park — and the most recent one — the 1992 Harriet Island palace, which coincided with the Super Bowl in Minneapolis and drew more than 1 million visitors.
The accompanying passport includes a ticket to the ice palace, coupons and prize information. It also includes a registration card that adds $5,000 to the prize for whoever finds the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion.
The button and passport provide discounted or free admission to many Winter Carnival events. The expanded carnival runs from Jan. 22 to Feb. 8, the day of the NHL All-Star Hockey Game.
Buttons will be sold individually or in family packs of four for $17 at SuperAmerica, Snyder Drug and Cub Food stores.
For more information, go to http://www.wintercarnival.com/.
Copyright 2003 Pioneer Press.
