Saint Paul is currently in the midst of celebrating its annual Winter Carnival.  But did you know that St. Thomas used to host its own version of the this celebration of winter?

The Midwinter Frolic got its start in February 1938, sponsored by the Inter-Club Council. Miss Marion O’Hara, the reigning St. Paul Winter Carnival Queen, oversaw the event, which included an ice cream eating contest and an all-college dance.

In 1956, it was expanded it to a week long celebration, co-sponsored by St. Thomas’s All College Council and the student government at the College of St. Catherine.  The annual celebration included a variety of activities each year including a broomball tournaments, snow sculpture contests, treasure hunts, beard growing contests, and tanning contests. The festival was discontinued in 1991.

To find out more about this and other St. Thomas traditions, search the Historic University Publications database.