ST. PAUL, Minn.– SPIRE President & CEO Dan Stoltz led a press conference here with St. Paul Winter Carnival officials to announce an ice palace will be built for the 2018 Winter Carnival.
The seven-story structure will feature six ice spires representing each of the members of the Winter Carnival Royal Family. It will be built by local union contractors with 4,000 blocks weighing 500 pounds each, which will be trucked in from a lake in the Spicer/New London area. Due to their size and weight, each semi-trailer can transport just 80 blocks per trip.
The palace, family-friendly and free of charge, will be part of an ice sculpture gallery in Rice Park starting the last weekend in January through February 10, 2018.
This announcement “shows us all what happens when people with great ideas and dedicated spirit work together,” said Stolz, who is a member of the ICE Board of Governors. “A great deal of work, energy, enthusiasm, and support came together to help us bring this back to life in a way that really works."
At right, from left, Jennifer Tamburo, St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation Board Chair; and Dan Stoltz, SPIRE CEO and Member of ICE Board of Governors