Winter lovers frosted over name change

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Debate is heating up the coldest U.S. city outside of Alaska over dropping the word "Icebox" from the winter festival name in International Falls, Minn.

Traditionally held in mid-January, the Icebox Days festival has been plagued by problems in recent years, including low attendance, no snow or warm weather in the city of 6,300 people on the Canadian border.

International Falls announced it was moving the event to mid-February and renaming it Blast on the Border, USA Today reported.

Not everyone is happy with the decision, as the city claims to be "the icebox of the nation."

"I've lived here all my life, and it's cold in wintertime," said announcer Jerry Franzen of radio station KSDM. "Why not celebrate that?"

However, some staples will remain in next month's blast, including the 10-kilometer Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run, frozen-turkey bowling and snow sculpting, the newspaper said.