DLR is SO excited to be part of the rich heritage of the St. Paul Winter Carnival this year! It’s the oldest winter festival in the United States (predating the Tournament of Roses Festival by two years) and takes place January 23-February 2, 2020, next to Landmark Center at 75 W. 5th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102.
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Only one day during the festival is designated as dog friendly – Hops & Hounds day – January 26, 10 am-5 pm. DLR will be selling our artisan-made wares AND founder of DLR and certified yoga instructor, Kristin Trudeau, will be teaching a FREE OUTDOOR doga session (yoga with your dog) 1:30-2:15 pm! Dress like the hearty Minnesotans you are, bring those winter loving pups (that means mine are staying home!) and a mat, for a zen experience like no other!
There are plenty of other activities to keep you entertained…check out the dogs from the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of the Greater Twin Cities embrace the winter scene; meet celebrity therapy dog, Sgt. Fuzz; learn some training tips from Big Leap of Faith Dog Training and Services and so much more! A large heated tent will be situated on Market Street. A great gathering place for Carnival goers, the Bailey’s Warming House, will not only provide a cozy respite from the outdoors, but guests may enjoy assorted tasty signature cocktails, craft beers, games (trivia, bingo, pull tabs), snacks as well as live entertainment from local musicians.
Fun history fact: Several Eastern newspaper correspondents kindled the start of the Winter Carnival by visiting Saint Paul in the fall of 1885 and returning home to report that Minnesota, in general, was another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.
A group of local Twin Cities business owners decided to retaliate by creating a wintertime festival which would showcase all the beauty of Minnesota winters. They worked with the City of Montreal, which already had a winter carnival in place, and lured Alexander Hutchinson, the designer of Montreal’s ice palaces 1883-1885, to blueprint Saint Paul’s first ice castle. The castle was constructed on February 1, 1886 at a cost of $5,210 with a height of 106 feet. Compare that to 2018’s ice palace (below) that was 70 feet tall and cost $100,000 to construct.
Perhaps the most iconic annual event is the ice carving contest. The 2020 Multi-Block Ice Carving Competition starts Thursday, January 23 and ends Saturday, January 25.
Each team will be given 48 suspenseful hours and several blocks of ice to bring their frozen masterpieces to life. The Multi-Block Ice Carving Competition is guided by a strict set of rules, requiring artists to utilize their best creative thinking and remain incredibly attentive to all details. Judging immediately follows the completion of the contest.
Be sure to check out the live ice carving and the completed designs, which will be on display in Rice Park for the duration of Winter Carnival! Hope to see you and your pups on January 26th!
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