The votes are in: State capitals for a day are named

Minnesota will have a new capital - actually several - come May.

As part of the state's sesquicentennial marking 150 years of statehood, Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday named Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, New Ulm, Winona and Thief River Falls state "Capitals for a Day."

Those cities, each representing unique, geological regions of the state, will be spotlighted during the sesquicentennial year and will serve as honorary capitals during a weeklong celebration in mid-May.

Jane Leonard, executive director of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission, said that the festivities will highlight the state's geological diversity, with Bemidji representing the state's coniferous forests, Detroit Lakes the deciduous forest zone, New Ulm the state's prairie grasslands, Thief River Falls the tallgrass aspen parklands. Winona represents the driftless region -- the only part of the state never covered by glaciers.

Pawlenty said the Capital for a Day designation is largely ceremonial -- the communities won't get to pass their own laws, nor will the mayors get to stand in as governors -- but will highlight the state's history, culture, natural resources and stories.

The winning cities were the result of online votes cast in October and November and actually required what Leonard delicately referred to as a "do-over" after voting irregularities were discovered. After being swamped with computer users who cast multiple votes for their favorites, commission officials changed the system so that each user could cast only one set of votes for their five cities.

Second time still no charm for St. Peter

St. Peter, which lost out to New Ulm in its bid to represent the prairie grasslands region, was licking its wounds for the second time on Wednesday.

St. Peter was all set to become the state's capital back in 1857, but for the doings of the wily Sen. Joe Rollete. As lore has it, Rollette took possession of the actual bill that would have moved the capital to St. Peter and hid out in a St. Paul hotel for the remainder of the legislative session, drinking and playing cards with friends.

When the time for signing the bill had passed, Rollette emerged. St. Paul went on to prosper, becoming the state's second largest city, while St. Peter had to content itself with being the Nicollet County seat.

But there may be yet another chapter to the state capital saga. St. Peter City Administrator Todd Prafke said city officials were greatly disappointed at the vote tally.

So disappointed that "we might plan on stealing it back from someone else," he said. "We've got a few months, so we can do some planning."

One of those might include naming a street Joe Rollete Drive, Prafke said.

"It's the road that happens to run near our wastewater treatment plant," Prafke said.