Dorothy Arneberg Furlong and Charlie Hall will once again hold court over the St. Paul Winter Carnival — if only for a few hours.
Furlong, Queen of the Snows in 1955, and Hall, King Boreas Rex in 1983, will be wed in a public ceremony today in Rice Park.
Are they nervous about tying the knot in front of an expected 1,000 revelers?
No, we’ve done this before, the White Bear Lake couple said recently. Both have been married — Furlong for 47 years, Hall for nearly 60.
“It’s just another day in the life of the carnival,” said Hall, 80.
“Part of the pageantry,” added Furlong, 75.
She should know. Furlong has been active in the carnival since her year as Queen of the Snows, including a stint as director of the carnival board.
Hall, former owner of the Mermaid in Mounds View, helped to build several ice castles, including the 1986 Lake Phalen castle and the 1992 castle at Harriet Island Regional Park.
“It was a labor of love,” he said of the process.
While the two ran in separate social circles, they would see each other once a year at the King’s Brunch — an invitation-only get-together for past Boreases and their friends and family. Furlong knew Hall’s wife, Ceil, through volunteering for the carnival, and Furlong became a regular at the Halls’ table for the annual meal.
When Ceil passed away in January 2010, Hall didn’t make the brunch. While he was able to notify most of his guests of his absence ahead of time, he said, he forgot to call Furlong.
Months later, Hall dug out his wife’s phone book to call Furlong and apologize.
“What do you do for excitement?” Hall asked.
Like Hall, Furlong, a widow, was an avid bridge player.
How about we play together? he suggested.
Then he went a step further — maybe we should get together for dinner to discuss our strategy.
The two decided to meet at Rudy’s Redeye Grill in White Bear Lake. The restaurant is owned by another carnival veteran, Bill Foussard — King Boreas in 2008.
When they sat down for dinner, Foussard walked over with a bouquet of roses.
“Why is Bill bringing flowers to our table?” Furlong thought.
There was a note attached for Furlong.
“Do not open this if the answer is no,” it read.
Inside, Hall had written, “Will you marry me? Charlie.”
The note included his Social Security number, bank account numbers and his driver’s license number.
“Every number I could think of,” Hall said.
“He didn’t want me to go off with the wrong Charlie,” Furlong said. Her answer: “I said, ‘Yeah, sure, you betcha.’ ”
Foussard encouraged the pair to get married in the heart of the carnival, Rice Park.
The couple will be joined by the current carnival cast, royal families of years past and their families. They plan a quick escape after the ceremony, they said in their wedding invitation, assuming they’ll be chased from the park by the Vulcans.
For Foussard, the matchup of this king and queen seems ideal.
“They got a second chance of happiness,” he said. “What a gift for anybody. They’re just beaming.”
John Brewer can be reached at 651-228-2093.
A ROYAL WEDDING
What: The wedding ceremony of Dorothy Arneberg Furlong and Charlie Hall.
When: 2 p.m. today
Where: Rice Park in downtown St. Paul
The public is invited to attend.
Copyright 2011 Pioneer Press.
