2023 Vulcan Krewe’s identities revealed: Ivan Weiss Jr. is a second-generation fire king

Jared Kaufman, Pioneer Press
·5 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Vulcanus Rex has once again defeated King Boreas for control of the seasons, according to the St. Paul Winter Carnival legend, and the identities of the fire king and his Krewe have been revealed.

They are: Vulcanus Rex LXXXV, Ivan Weiss, Jr.; Baron Hot Sparkus, Andy Tubman of North St. Paul; Prince of Soot, Ken Lehman of Somerset, Wis.; Count of Ashes, Will Cammack of St. Paul; Grand Duke Fertilious, John Deleon of Stillwater; General Flameous, Scott Keister of Woodbury; Duke of Klinker, Josh Knudsen of Hudson, Wis.; and Count of Embers, Nick Leach of Woodbury.

As announced earlier in the carnival, King Boreas is former Viking Leo Lewis, and Aurora, Queen of the Snows, is Liv Swenson.

This annual victory makes the score 137-0 in favor of the Vulcans, fire king Weiss joked a few days earlier. When the Vulcan Krewe crashed one of Boreas’s events earlier in this year’s carnival, the ice king teased he had the upper hand. Vulcanus Rex was quick to fire back.

“I said, ‘You can keep your few days — I’ll take 137 years!’ ” Weiss said.

On the way out of events like this, the two monarchs might exchange furtive fist bumps or secretive smiles. For Weiss, whose father was Vulcanus Rex four decades ago, this joy and camaraderie that can be found in Minnesota winters are what the Winter Carnival and its theatrical, fantastical legend are all about.

After a council of previous fire kings chooses the new Vulcanus Rex during the summer in an intensive interview process, the Imperial Order of Fire & Brimstone, the Vulcans’ independent alumni network, selects new Krewe members in late fall. They don’t know their king’s identity — nor one another’s — until “pickup night,” the evening before Winter Carnival officially kicks off.

On that night, these eight men suddenly find themselves not only fellow Vulcans but also roommates. For the duration of the carnival, they live together in the Vulcan “den,” often a hotel, but this year a Summit Avenue mansion they rented. A couple of last year’s Vulcans also live on-site, in what’s affectionately called the “mother hen Krewe,” to coordinate the transition.

In this year’s den, a large, backlit red V proclaims, “Where 8 Become 1.” The art was created by Mark Fox, who served on the 2013 Vulcan Krewe with Weiss.

“Watching (them) evolve from not knowing each other the first night to, a day later, they’re laughing with each other,” Weiss said. “It’s just the coolest thing to see that grow and turn into something tight.”

And the Vulcans’ days are jam-packed. The Krewe wakes up around 5 or 6 a.m., Weiss said, either for breakfast or TV interviews. Then they hop onto Luverne, the Krewe’s trademark 1930s fire truck, and ride to school visits, nursing homes, knighting ceremonies and other appearance requests all over St. Paul and the east metro with a quick lunch break. Around 4 p.m., they come back to the den to rest and change — and then it’s right into evening activities. More public appearances, dinners and havoc for the Royal Family before calling it a night and doing it all over again in the morning.

There’s a pervasive myth that Vulcans just drink all day, Weiss said, and they do — if we’re talking about water.

“The guys are so tired out,” he said. Decades ago, Vulcans had far fewer formal appearances, he said, and more time to get into trouble. But now, there’s no time to be drunk when the Krewe is in and out of schools and nursing homes all day. And keeping his Krewe hydrated and healthy during the 10 days of Winter Carnival is one of the king’s most important, if least glamorous, duties.

Being a Vulcan is all about bringing a smile to people’s faces and spreading joy, especially to kids, Weiss said. And from his viewpoint, the Krewe’s anonymity both helps Vulcans realize they’re serving a legend larger than themselves and also creates a superhero-like mystique for the public.

Weiss’ Vulcanus Rex knighting medal symbolizes what being a Vulcan means to him: A cross for God; a U.S. flag for country; a W for family, as it’s his last initial; the words “Still H20” since he grew up in Stillwater; a heart for love. In the middle, the phrase “Veritas Aequitas” represents the Latin translation, truth and justice, and also references the man’s honor code from the vigilante film “Boondock Saints.”

Weiss’ blood runs Vulcan-red. His dad, Ivan Weiss Sr., served as Vulcanus Rex in 1982. A few years earlier, in ’75, Ivan Sr. ran with a Vulcan Krewe as the character Baron Hot Sparks — the same role granted to Ivan Weiss Jr. in 2013 and then to his brother, Richard, in 2016. Weiss is not married and does not have kids of his own.

Ivan Sr. ran Northwestern Tire Co., then located on West 7th Street, and he died in 2000. Weiss still has his dad’s Vulcan running suit and gloves — not thick enough for this year’s cold, unfortunately. But on the inside of Weiss’ Vulcanus Rex cape, an image of his dad is visible in the liner, “like he’s kind of watching my back,” Weiss said.

As Vulcanus Rex in ’82, Ivan Sr. did battle with that year’s King Boreas, Commercial State Bank chairman Vic Reim — but behind the scenes, the two men were business associates and friends, Weiss said. After carnival events and parades, Weiss remembers Vulcans and Royal Family members alike attending barbecues and pool parties at one another’s homes.

In addition to seeing that spirit of camaraderie develop among his own Krewe, Weiss hopes to see it among this year’s legend characters, too: Embodying their roles in public, and celebrating together when the day is done.

“You work together — and then have fun,” he said. “That’s the thing I like the most, is developing that second family.”

Related Articles