For Jennifer Tamburo, the St. Paul Winter Carnival doesn’t just run in her blood. She’s basically married to it.

Engaged, with her wedding already planned, she was named East Wind Princess in 2005. There was only one option.

“My dad told me, ‘Looks like your guest list just increased,’ ” Tamburo said. “I said, ‘Yep. It sure did.’ ”

The idea of not inviting fellow royals, volunteers and longtime festival organizers — family in all but name — never crossed her mind.

Searching for pure Winter Carnival extract? A few drops of Tamburo is all you need.

The Winter Carnival grabbed her while she was staring at walls slathered in carnival history at Lorraine Dance Studios on East Seventh Street. She had a single thought: “How cool is this?”

Tamburo was 7 years old.

Now 31, she grew up on the East Side, living and breathing the carnival, nearly year-round. With the help of her family and friends, she poured herself into the carnival, and the carnival pulled her into its world of volunteerism and service.

“It’s about so much more than the pageantry,” she said. “It’s about being able to make a difference and make someone’s day. Everyone has a carnival memory or story, and to help make that happen is just an incredible thing.”

Tamburo served as president of the Winter Carnival Ambassador Board from 2006 to 2008 before joining the board of directors of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation in 2009.

“When (she was) asked to be on the board of directors, she took this role on as she does everything in her life, with total commitment,” said fellow Winter Carnival volunteer Bernie Swafford, who has known Tamburo for 13 years. “She has always stepped up when asked and gone the extra mile.”

Tamburo is serving on the board as co-chair this year, digging into the carnival even deeper than in years before. Her drive is fueled by ranks of volunteers who want to grow the carnival and its message of service, she said. A Winter Carnival culture has been simmering now for 128 years — it’s a stew that keeps others coming back for more.

Her children are no exception. Dominick, 6, and Vincent, 3, are already being immersed in it. The parades, the lights, the people.

“They get it,” said Tamburo, who lives in Afton and works in the pharmaceutical industry.

And it’s a culture that knows almost no bounds.

Deployed in Afghanistan with the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing in 2012, Tamburo’s husband, Nick, was as far from the Winter Carnival as humanly possible. But not far enough.

Rich Krivanek, a former Vulcan, General Flameous of the 2008 Krewe, to be exact, was also deployed with the 133rd. And while he and Jennifer had met several times before, their only connection was the carnival.

Krivanek approached Nick one day in Afghanistan and quietly asked, “So I hear you might want to be a St. Paul Winter Carnival Vulcan?”

“He turned to look at me and was speechless,” Krivanek said.

Joseph Lindberg can be reached at 651-228-5513. Follow him at twitter.com/JosephLindberg.

IF YOU GO

The 128th St. Paul Winter Carnival begins its run Thursday and continues through Feb. 2.

Events Thursday include the Moon Glow Parade, which starts at 6 p.m. It’s an annual walking parade that’s open to everyone. Parade starts at the Securian Building, 401 Robert St., and proceeds to Rice Park, where there will be live music, beverages for purchase at the ice bar and hot air balloon baskets. For more Winter Carnival events, go to winter-carnival.com.

Copyright 2014 Pioneer Press.