MINNESOTA, USA — It finally feels like winter in the Twin Cities! Cold temperatures have been the norm for the past few weeks, but in just a few days, things are going to change.
"Mother Nature didn't cooperate with us, with the weather-wise," John Maslowski, snow park manager for the St. Paul Winter Carnival, said. "So, it was so warm we couldn't even make snow."
Temperatures are expected to rise next week, and our winter hasn't been the friendliest to those working on winter entertainment.
"It took us until Sunday to start making snow," Maslowski said, standing in the state fairgrounds where massive blocks of snow for sculpting are being made. "Hundreds, if not thousands of hours out here, preparing for this and creating this wonderful destination for people."
They're not the only ones who are preparing for a change in temperatures.
"It really feels like a battle between fire and ice, you can say, a battle of hot and cold," Britton Youngstrom, director of operations for the Ice Palace in Delano, said.
The Ice Palace needs cold temperatures to keep their constructions cold – some warmth isn't a bad thing, though it's all about reacting, Youngstrom says.
"It's been too warm this entire season, until a few weeks here where it's been almost too cold," he said. "That fluctuates greatly, depending on the weather."
Our weird weather has already affected them. Youngstrom says they planned to open in mid-December but now will start on January 21.
It's all a part of working in the outdoors, changing and adapting to what Mother Nature brings. Even with next week's warmup, the only thing not changing is getting these events ready for you.
"You know, the pain in the posterior index, as they say, it hasn't been that cold, it hasn't been that snowy," Maslowski said, laughing. "But you know what, we create an event for everybody to come on out here. We encourage families to come on out here and have fun."
The Ice Palace in Delano will open on January 21. The snow blocks Maslowski's teams worked on will be sculpted by teams starting Friday, January 26 at 8 a.m.
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