Being Boreas Rex—Mendota Heights Area 'Royalty' Recall Past Reigns

When Chris Schneeman of Mendota Heights became Boreas Rex LXXIII in 2009, he and his wife Cathy suddenly found themselves immersed in St. Paul Winter Carnival life.

"I didn't have past experience with the Carnival, but we leaped right into it," said Schneeman, president of SevenHills Benefit Partners in St. Paul. "We sure had a great time and we sure learned a lot."

Once the royal sceptor is passed to the next Boreas Rex (Art Blakey, Jr., Schneeman's successor, will relinquish his crown Jan. 27 to the 2011 Boreas), the former king automatically assumes a new role with the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

This year, the Schneemans are chairs of the International Visiting Royalty Group and will be hosting close to 120 guests from other festival cities around the globe including Neuss, Germany; Nagasaki, Japan; Winnipeg, Canada; Bradenton, Florida and San Antonio, Texas.

"It is particularly exciting because this is the 125th anniversary of the Winter Carnival and there will be 125 separate events taking place," said Schneeman. "We will be attending a lot of the events with our guests and making sure they have a good time. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Another local man, Greg Kuntz, a ReMax realtor with Kraus & Kuntz in Lilydale, is marking the 10th anniversary this year of his reign as Boreas Rex LVI in 2001.

Kuntz remains very actively involved with the Winter Carnival organization.  For the past five years, he has served as a mentor to the newly selected Boreas Rex (including Schneeman, who said his advice was "invaluable") and he is also part of the  group of former royal family members that launched ASPIRE.

"ASPIRE comes together every year about two months before Carnival starts," said Kuntz, who was a Prince of the South Wind prior to being selected as Boreas Rex. "This group helps facilitate awareness about the Carnival  and helps new members learn how to play the regal role.  We help them learn about the legend of the Carnival and fully prepare them to serve as royalty."

Kuntz has many fond memories of his reign as Boreas Rex, which include existing friendships with many people he  met through the Winter Carnival organization.

"The Winter Carnival is a celebration. We don't cure cancer, but we bring joy, fun and celebration to the community," he said. "We get to make people laugh, so hopefully that helps cure the woes of life."

When Schneeman served as Boreas Rex, he and the rest of the royal family participated in 47 parades and made approximately 300 appearances at festivals, schools, nursing homes and community events, where everyone from youngsters to senior citizens were "excited to see us, which really made it such a great experience."

Both Schneeman and Kuntz will be participating in the Grande Day Parade on Saturday, Jan. 29 and the Torchlight Parade on Saturday, Feb. 5.

The theme of this year's Winter Carnival, which runs from Jan. 27 through Feb. 6, is "Seven Stories from the Seven Hills," a reference to St. Paul, the legend of Boreas Rex and his battle with Vulcanus Rex.

The coronation of this year's Boreas Rex and Queen of Snows will take place at the St. Paul River Center Jan. 27, officially launching the 10-day festival.

There is something for everyone at this year's Carnival including the Medallion Hunt, boot hockey tournaments at the Landmark Ice Rink, the Securian Winter Run, geocaching at St. Paul parks, a Nordic Ski Race at Lake Phalen, the Ice Carving Competition in Rice Park and much more.  Many of the events are free; there are both indoor and outdoor events planned.

A complete schedule of events can be found at www.winter-carnival.com