Cold Cancels Classes, But Not St. Paul's Winter Carnival

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Across the state dozens of school districts canceled class Thursday to protect children from the cold. One Twin Cities hospital reported that there's at least double the normal amount of frostbite and hypothermia cases this winter.

The state says demand for home heating help also has climbed 10 percent as families struggle to pay their bills. But despite these problems, some Minnesotans are handling this frigid winter with ease. Several of them were at St. Paul's Winter Carnival festivities Thursday evening.

Jean Kelly and her twin sister Joan Lungren grew up in St. Paul. They marched in the Moonglow Parade to mark their 62rd Winter Carnival.

"My friends in Florida say, 'What are you doing staying up north? You can come down here and be warm,'" said Jean.

But she says she's doing exactly what she wants to do.

Her sister says: "We love the carnival. It's part of our life, [it'll] always be part of our life."

And the carnival is part of other people's lives, too. It started in the 1800s after a New York writer compared St. Paul to Siberia, and people came together to prove cold is cool.

Beth Homa marched in the parade, too.

"St. Paul winter carnival, best time of the year in Minnesota," she said.

Aside from the parade, there's also ice sculpting. Tim Moore is one of the artists involved, and he says carving ice keeps you warm.

"You'd be surprised, doing this kind of work," he said. "I'm hot actually."