Winter Carnival needn't be snow white

So it's 20 below zero and I'm outside, patiently waiting for a float to come by. Do you wonder why the heck I am doing this? It is to support a man -- my father -- who has supported me all my life. This is the least I could do.

Here is the story of how I went to the land of cold and adults dressed in funny ways, and came to know the St. Paul Winter Carnival as the Coolest Celebration on Earth.

My father is Art Blakey, Jr. Our family lives in the Summit-University community of St. Paul. Art -- King Boreas of 2010, the first African-American to reign over the celebration -- was a quietly involved community person, drawn to activities with kids like coaching youth football and basketball, and a go-to guy for a variety of questions due to his 30-plus years as a Ramsey County sheriff's deputy.

An example of his civic involvement is his service as police chief for the Minnesota State Fair. One day he was asked by a coworker at the State Fair to serve as a judge for the 2004 St. Paul Winter Carnival Queen of Snows. Later he was recruited to be one of the Winter Carnival legend characters.

You may ask, What are legend characters? They are grown men who dress as Mythical Winds to represent the North, South, East and West sides of town.

Being a family guy, and because some of this was new to us, he began dragging us to Winter Carnival events. I needed to be reeducated about the Winter Carnival so I could teach my kids what this was all about, and why these people dressed in costumes and were very religious (somehow the word "cult" comes to mind) about their roles.

So that was our introduction, and away we ran.

Who would have thought an opportunity for my dad to do a bit of community volunteerism would lead my mom, my children and siblings to what we are doing today? How else would we have wound up attending the parades, coronations and balls?

We have met famous people, political people and everyday people. Hundreds have had their pictures taken with us. We have gone as ambassadors to other communities and across the United States and Canada.

Being part of the St. Paul Winter Carnival has been an amazing experience that you can't even begin to imagine. Where else could we:

Dress up in outrageous costumes as legend characters, and have a chance to discover that other festivals have similar pageantry, history and pride?

Go to communities that we didn't even know existed, including some with limited experience of minorities, and get to enjoy their hospitality and become the center of their attention?

Make more than 300 appearances at schools, nursing homes and parades as legend characters, meeting people who wished we could stay longer?

Witness a Vulcan Krewe giving donations to Bridgeview School, with its population of physically and mentally challenged students, even though the Vulcans have typically gotten bad press?

Who would have ever thought that volunteerism would lead to this? After some uncertainty, we too, have decided to continue on this mission. We want to remain associated with Winter Carnival folks, and as others have done in the past, we plan to stay connected even after my father's reign ends.

As we traveled to festivals, it was easy to notice that in many parade audiences there was limited minority participation. At other places, diversity was evident in many aspects of volunteerism and education. The St. Paul Winter Carnival is earnestly trying to expand to our multicultural and varied communities. It understands that to be sustainable, it needs to be inclusive.

Winter Carnival is not just a white thing. It is looking for diversity, involvement and acceptance by many cultures. Our family, and less than a half dozen others, do not want to be the only "chocolate chip cookie in the milk factory."

Collectively we need to strive to help recruit others so that our festival truly represents the makeup of our city. Those interested in joining us should check out our website at www.winter-carnival.com.

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Brooke Blakey is a mother and a criminal defense investigator for the Ramsey County Public Defender Office.

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