First Phalen Freeze Fest a Community-wide Success

Youth Interns from Urban Roots’ Conservation Program were among the many attendees who had a great time at the first ever Phalen Freeze Fest. As event partners, our interns acted out the Ojibwe legend of Shingebiss, a merganser duck who confronts the winter maker spirit using large, detailed puppets. Youth Interns have spent the past four weeks creating and perfecting the puppets for this performance.

Over 150 community members attended the performance, and afterwards there were many activities to participate in including geocaching, ice fishing, campfire cooking and more. The event was put on by St. Paul Parks and Recreation’s Natural Resources Department and partnerships with Urban Roots, Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources FiN program and Saint Paul Public Library. The event was supported in part by funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

We are pleased with the event’s success. In case you weren’t able to join, check out some scenes from the Freeze Fest.