A frosty royal family, its fiery foe and a saloon-song-belting Klondike Kate were on hand at St. Paul's Union Depot Saturday to raise the curtain on the first act of the 2022 St. Paul Winter Carnival: the unveiling of the buttons.

Snow-covered drumroll, please.

Presented in conjunction with the Union Depot's lighting of its 60-foot-tall holiday tree, the four official buttons of the 136th Winter Carnival were designed by local cartoonist and illustrator Kevin Cannon. He most recently designed the 2021 Minnesota State Fair poster.

Each button design focuses on a different popular element of the carnival: the first shows how Minnesotans embrace the cold; the second shows carnival medallion-hunters in search of their treasure; the third features the Winter Carnival royal family as well as their foils, the Vulcans; and the last shows the carnival's ice-carvers hard at work in Rice Park.

The 2022 Winter Carnival buttons cost $5 each, with the set of four available for $19. Button sales make up the largest fundraiser for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit organization that runs the Winter Carnival.

Button-buyers will be eligible for prizes, including $1,000 cash. For more information on where to buy them, go to wintercarnival.com/buttons/.

Kevin Cannon, Star Tribune

This year's carnival is scheduled to run Jan. 28 through Feb. 6 and will feature events at Rice Park, the Landmark Center, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and the RiverCentre. Most events are free.

The coronation of King Boreas and Aurora, Queen of the Snows, will be Friday, Jan. 28, at the RiverCentre. The King Boreas Grande Day Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 29, and the Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade is set for Saturday, Feb. 5.