Four buttons depicting groups of St. Paul Winter Carnival revelers were unveiled Wednesday — an early kickoff for the carnival, which runs Jan. 28 to Feb. 6.
For the first time, the annual buttons' basic design theme was selected by the public, which got to choose from six nominees in a mail-in and online voting process sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com.
Individual vote totals were not released, but more than 3,000 entries were received, Winter Carnival officials said.
The winning design showed a trio of treasure hunters dressed in winter gear heading out with shovels to search for the hidden medallion.
The Winter Carnival's design group then turned that image into four Winter Carnival vignettes: the treasure hunters, the Royal Family, the Vulcans and snow enthusiasts with skis and sleds.
Carnival officials said the popularity of the winning design reflects the strong following of the 54-year-old Treasure Hunt, which is sponsored by the Pioneer Press.
"The Treasure Hunt, like the ice palace, has become an icon for the St. Paul Winter Carnival," said Robert Viking, president and chief executive officer of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which runs the carnival.
"The strong mail-in voting reflects an identification with the many public family-affordable events that the people of St. Paul have grown to enjoy,'' he said.
The carnival organization has considered for several years some sort of button design contest, either among local artists or schools, Viking said at a noon skyway event to show off the button designs. "It's allowing the people to pick the button.''
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly was on hand to buy the first button and to tout Saturday's opening of a downtown outdoor ice rink at Landmark Plaza. The rink will be open through Feb. 22, with special events during the Winter Carnival.
The buttons are available beginning today throughout the east metro area at Cub Foods, SuperAmerica, TCF Banks and many other merchants. A full list will be available at http://www.winter-carnival.com/.
The buttons are $5 each, or $17 for a package of four, with no tax.
Last year, the buttons were used for admission to the Winter Carnival Ice Palace and Minnesota dunned the association for an estimated $100,000 in sales tax.
Viking said the buttons will not be taxed this year because they are "a donation to the association to support our programs and not used for admission.''
Karl J. Karlson can be reached at kkarlson@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5260.
Copyright 2004 Pioneer Press.
