Organizers: More than 300,000 people took part in 134th St. Paul Winter Carnival

Organizers of the 134th St. Paul Winter Carnival estimate more than 300,000 people took part in the 10 days of fun.

Deb Schaber, President and CEO of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, credits the mild weather for bringing big crowds out for the coolest celebration on earth!

According to Schaber, there have been no big challenges with cleanup.

"The warmer weather has actually made it a little easier," said Schaber.

Rice Park in downtown St. Paul should be back to normal by Wednesday. The tents started coming down Monday. What is left of the ice sculptures will be removed Tuesday.

Schaber also said all the pine trees that lined the entrances of Rice Park were leftover Christmas trees donated by Boy Scouts, churches and Home Depot stores. The trees are being recycled and turned into pellets, which are burned and used to heat downtown buildings like the Landmark Center and St. Paul City Hall.

At the Vulcan Snow Park on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, they've already done a lot of cleanup work. The giant snow sculptures are gone and the sliding hill has been removed. The 3,000 tons of snow they made for the Vulcan Snow Park will be cleared out by end of the week.

The Vulcans estimate they've collected about 2 tons of food via the Giant Snow slide, where they gave free rides in exchange for a non-perishable food item. They will donate the food to Second Harvest Heartland.

The Vulcans also raised nearly $25,000 for Special Olympics via the Polar Plunges held during the Winter Carnival.

Schaber said the St. Paul Winter Carnival wouldn't be possible without a lot of help.

"We are fortunate to have the support of our community, sponsors, members and hundreds of volunteers to make this event happen every year. We thank everyone who attended to celebrate winter with us. And, we look forward to seeing everyone at the 135th annual Winter Carnival, Jan. 28 through Feb., 7, 2021."