The St. Paul Winter Carnival kicked off its 2020 event Friday night by announcing its royal family.
Darrin Johnson, 52, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., will reign as King Boreas LXXXIV, the King of the Winds. He's sponsored by the Splat Tag Paintball Park of Hudson.
Kirstin Knutson, 25, of New Richmond, Wis., is this year's Aurora, Queen of the Snows. She's sponsored by Bob and Cheryl Flood.
Knutson, who was chosen from among 10 candidates, grew up in Isanti, Minn., and is a counselor at a Woodbury charter school. According to her online biography, she earned a degree in psychology from St. Catherine University in St. Paul and a master's degree in education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Other royalty named Friday:
• Prime Minister Joseph Johnston, sponsored by SPIRE Credit Union.
• Titan, Prince of the North Wind Michael Sawyer, sponsored by Hamernick's Interior Solutions.
• North Wind Princes Tiara Gowen, sponsored by Long's Auto.