St. Paul Winter Carnival Will Have An Ice Palace After All

ST. PAUL (AP) -- The St. Paul Winter Carnival will have an ice palace after all, but the plans have been shaved down to cut costs.

Organizers had hoped to build a record-breaking, 170-foot-tall ice palace on the State Capitol ground for about $5 million. The hope was to draw Super Bowl visitors, but fundraising fell short. They unveiled a new plan Thursday for a 70-foot, $800,000 ice castle in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul.

The Winter Carnival runs Jan. 25-Feb. 10. It's been extended a week to coincide with the Super Bowl festivities in Minneapolis.

The last time the Winter Carnival built an ice palace was in 2004 to coincide with the NHL All-Star Game. Palace committee chairman Dan Stoltz says they haven't built one since because it's such a difficult task.