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One interesting thing about procrastination is the sheer number of ways it can come back to bite you. Take, for example, the fact that we opted not to attend the St. Paul Winter Carnival early on. At the time it seemed cooler to wait until closing weekend – which the Carnival has deemed “Family Days”. That was before the temperature dropped 20 degrees.

When you live in Minnesota, part of your job as a parent is to convince your kids that Winter weather is really no big deal. But our kids never thought it was a big deal to begin with. It’s their parents who hate the cold! So I guess its more of a case of proving to our kids that we are undeterred by a little chill in the air. I just try and put on a good smiley, happy face long enough for it to freeze in place that way. Then we’re good to go for the rest of the day.

Saturday is going to be the perfect day to achieve this. Earlier in the day are some outdoor events at Lake Phalen, then the closing ceremonies of the Carnival downtown.

At Lake Phalen, the theme appears to be “stuff you’d normally do in the summer, but are crazy enough to try now”

Frosty Fingers Kite Fly. Yes, the Minnesota Kite Society is going to be out on ice at Lake Phalen flying kites. You can watch the enthusiasts flying the big stuff, or bring your own and join in.

Ice Boat Racing. On the other end of the lake, they’ll be racing ice boats. These things look cool and go fast.

Bikes on Ice. Like most kids, ours find slapstick humor hilarious, especially if its unintentional. And this annual bike ride on the ice promises more than a few thrills and spills so it’s probably even more fun to watch than participate in.

Then back downtown, its all about the end of the Carnival, and the conclusion of the mythological story that inspires it. For those who have never read the legend of the Carnival, the story ends like this:

“On the 10th day of celebration, Vulcanus Rex and his Krewe stormed the magnificent ice castle and confronted the King’s Guard. Upon the good counsel of the Queen, Boreas bade farewell to the people of his winter capitol in the interest of peace and goodwill, and returned to dwell among the gods of Olympus. Boreas and his court looked forward to the time when summer’s warmth would once again relinquish its hold on the realm and the frosty atmosphere of winter would prevail.”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulad/ / CC BY 2.0

Pretty good bedtime story, yes? This epic tale plays itself out in 3 ways on Saturday evening.

The Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade starts at 5:30 on 5th and Wacouta.

Following that is the Overthrow of Boreas on the steps of the public library right after the parade. Not 100% what this entails, but it involves the Vulcans booting out the Carnival’s royal family, and my kids always enjoy a good coup d’etat.

Finally, the night ends with Fireworks down by the river at 8:00.

Yes, its going to be cold, but this is why we have snowpants.