2014 St. Paul Winter Carnival Queen's Weekend

 During the weekend of January 23rd-26th, I spent some time celebrating the coolest celebration on earth with over 80 other queens and ambassadors from across Minnesota and Wisconsin! Thursday night when we arrived, we got a little bit of down time before the crazy weekend ahead of us, beginning with the Moonglow Parade. It was a lot of fun packing inside with the 2013 Winter Carnival royal family and watching them get bounced into the air with the bounce team. It was a cold night, but it was amazing to walk down the streets of St. Paul and see all of the lights in the city and in Rice Park where the parade ended. It is truly a beautiful sight to see St. Paul all lit up for Carnival. Music and mingling were a great end to this parade and the perfect kick-off to the Carnival events to come. When we returned to the royal hotel, we ate pizza together and were visited by some special guests- past Carnival royalty! They helped us learn about the fascinating legend of Carnival and how to get involved in the future. The next day, we started off by painting our very own ceramic tiles as a keepsake to remember this time.  I am an artsy person, so I thoroughly enjoyed this activity! It was a great way to make a memory and to get to know the other girls! From there, we went to the History Center and observed all the awesome exhibits. You can really learn a lot there! A highlight from here was the one about the 35W bridge collapse, and the door from the back of the school bus that survived the tragedy. I thought that was so interesting! After that we went to Rice Park to take in all the fun it has to offer. I went ice skating and went into the Landmark Center- what a cool building! After this we returned to the hotel to get ready for the royal coronation. I was so excited I couldn't even contain myself! It brightened my night to see my royal family waiting by the doors for me. It made me so happy to see and give hugs to my royal sisters. I remember being really nervous to introduce myself in front of so many people, but I did it! I was almost more nervous for all of the wonderful Queen of the Snows Candidates. The coronation was so much fun and it made me look forward to someday possibly being a part of the Winter Carnival royal family myself. After the family was crowned, I was instantly excited to meet them on Saturday! We began that day by traveling to watch the coming out of Vulcanus Rex and his crew. It sure was a chilly morning but the heat from the flaming building that the Vulcans came out of felt very nice! This was a fun event to learn about the Vulcans’ role in “the legend.”  When we got to McDonald's for lunch, we were surprised by a visit from the crew! I made sure to get a picture with one of them. After this we went to the State Fair Grounds to see the snow sculptures. I was scared to go down the snow slide but I did! Even without losing my crown! The Grand Day Parade followed. It was so much fun to get to walk with so many other ambassadors and see people's reaction to such a large group of ladies wearing sparkly crowns and smiles. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget! Our last adventure ended back at the hotel with dinner and a variety show. I loved watching the variety show -- one girl belly-danced and another group made a game show typed skit with games that were a blast to watch. I even got up and sang for everyone! We had some unique talents for sure. When the Family arrived we all got to meet them and get pictures with them. By this time, I am pumped for the coming events that we get to participate in with them! They are such a pleasure to be around and a fun bunch that can light up the room wherever they go. Then came Sunday.  I packed up and headed home with a heart full of memories and a camera full of pictures. This weekend was a blast, one of the best weekends of my life, and certainly one I will never forget.

Kelsey Stout

Miss Inver Grove Heights 2014