The good people of the east metro like to think that this time of year is all about St. Paul, but it’s not out of the question to venture over the Cretin-Vandalia border into Minneapolis during Winter Carnival.
In fact, Winter Carnival is listed as part of the The Great Northern Festival, which started a couple of years ago when folks were planning for the 2018 Super Bowl. Great Northern celebrates this time of year by combining Winter Carnival with the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships and the Loppet cross-country ski festivities in Minneapolis.
There are also film and music events planned as part of the Great Northern, including a big concert on Nicollet Mall and a boot soccer tournament sponsored by Surly and Minnesota United.
For more information and updates, go to thegreatnorthernfestival.com.
The City of Lakes Loppet
The Loppet has a new home in 2019 at The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Regional Park. Events will be Jan. 31-Feb. 3.
The Loppet has ski races and events, but the signature and most dramatic is the Luminary Loppet on Feb. 2. Lake of the Isles glitters with glowing luminaria evenly spaced all around the lake. Participants walk around the lake with stops at the Ice Pyramid, Fire Dancers, Iceformance, the Enchanted Forest, Ice-Cropolis, Ice-Henge and Ice-ster Island. There is cocoa and treats along the way and a party at the end.
The Loppet has classic cross-country skiing, skate skiing, skiing with dogs, skiing for kids, games, snow sculpting, food and drink. For more information, go to loppet.org/events/cityoflakesloppet.
U.S. Pond Hockey Championships
The saying behind pond hockey is that this is how the game was meant to be played. Outdoors. And this annual event draws hockey enthusiasts from around the world to Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.
They play for the honor of their names etched into the Golden Shovel or Silver Scoop.
The story behind the event (Jan. 24-27) is that one of the founders of the tourney was late to work one day because there were guys on Lake of the Isles playing hockey and he had to join them.
Fred Haberman wondered if there was a pond hockey tourney in Minnesota. There wasn’t, so he and other organizers changed that. It’s continued for 13 years.
For more information, go to uspondhockey.com.
Music and more
Nicollet Mall was a music hotspot during some of the coldest days of the Super Bowl festivities in Minneapolis last year. The tradition continues on a stage between Ninth and 11th streets with an outdoor concert Jan. 31 featuring electronic indie-pop duo and Rock the Garden vets Matt and Kim. The free concert is preceded by a taste of summer as some Nicollet Mall restaurants will open their patios for the night. There will be games and activities on the mall from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Great Northern Festival includes “Frogfest,” a curling competition and exhibition at Frogtown Curling Club in St. Paul from 3 to 5 p.m. Jan. 26. If you’re among the many newly fascinated by curling in the Olympics, this free event is the place to check it out.
Soccer can be a kick in the winter, if you’ve got warm boots. Surly Brewing and Minnesota United are hosting the “Scarves Up, Boots On” Boot Soccer Tournament at Surly Brewing Festival Field from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 27. No cleats allowed. Only snow boots. Competition is five-on-five, all teams are coed, 16 teams will play, and every team is guaranteed two matches. Registration is required to play at surlybrewing.com/events/scarves-up-boots-on-boot-soccer-tournament.
Copyright 2019 Pioneer Press.
