Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

Lead musher in the documentary 'Sun Dogs' Devon Anderson (right), of Chukka Caribbean Adventures and colleague Tyrone Baker (left), have a good time with sled dog trainer Annette Johnson of Ah-Regah Kennel during a cocktail reception hosted by Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville at the Winter Carnival Park in St. Paul, Minnesota. – Photo by Janet Silvera

MINNESOTA, United States:

Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville margaritas, a Sandals Resorts International banner and 200 Americans garbed in Jamaican dogsled bandanas, created enough heat to melt the minus 15 degree temperature outside the Winter Carnival Park in St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday night.

The temperature within the United States' oldest and largest winter festival and the coolest celebration on Earth, was about to be changed for good by the Jamaicans who are poised to enter the history books with their winter sporting dogsled team.

Under freezing climatic conditions, Chukka Caribbean Adventure's Danny Melville and his hot blooded Jamaican musher Devon Anderson had a select group of specially invited guests repeating the words to the catchy phrase 'mush mon' at the 2007 St. Paul Winter Festival.

'Mush mon' was the precursor to the screening of the Palm Pictures documentary Sun Dogs, which features the island's first dogsled team. The story chronicles the struggle and adventure of the founding of the Jamaica dogsled team.

A collaboration of Palm Pictures' Chris Blackwell, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and Chukka Caribbean Adventures, the five-minute screening which showed tropical 'dogs' flipping the coin on the renown winter sport, had the people in attendance in awe.

To top it off, the Margaritaville team took the 121-year-old carnival theme 'Ice in Paradise' and honoured it with an extremely innovative life-sized snow replica of Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, 'The Hemisphere Dancer', along with tiki hut and authentic Adirondack tables and chairs.

Evening of immense warmth

Climaxing what could only be dubbed an evening of immense warmth, waitresses dressed in Margaritaville tropical shirts served pink cadillac, margaritas and tequila, while a band rocked the room with the best of Jimmy Cliff, giving a sneak preview of the sunny isle Jamaica, famous for its rich cultural heritage.

Titillating the appetites with jerked chicken, coconut shrimp, beef patties, crab cakes and mango cheese cake, the islanders showcased their talent and creativity.

A fun-filled weekend of activities, the winter festival which attracts an average of 100,000 people annually, saw the Jamaican dogsled team joining four others in the carnival's first ever Nestlé Purina Petcare Dosgled Rally, an exhibition race on Harriett Island on Saturday.

After the race, lead musher, Devon Anderson was expected to share his 'mush mon' handling tips with the audience.