The Winter Carnival Council will announce a poster contest today based on the theme of this year's Winter Carnival: "When Hanover Freezes Over... All Carnival Breaks Loose."
"It was really a long process," said Timothy Chow '96, the chair of the council. "We thought it was just a nice twist to take these old phrases and change them."
The council, made up of about 30 students advised by Coordinator of Student Programs Linda Kennedy, has held meetings to create the theme of this year's Carnival since the Spring term of 1993.
Although the theme for the carnival stems from expressions that include the word "hell," Chow said the council wants the emphasis of the posters to be on breaking free of mid-term blues.
"Originally, we had devil-like thoughts," said Artie Zwiel '94, the snow sculpture chair. But Kennedy "warned us against it."
"Carnival is meant to be a positive experience," Kennedy said. "When we pick a theme, a lot of things have to be taken into consideration. We wanted to avoid religiously ambiguous terms.
The deadline for the poster contest is Jan. 4. Students interested in entering should check the Winter Carnival Bulletin on BlitzMail for details.
Once all the entries for the poster contest are in, the council will decide on the winning entry so posters can be printed in time for Feb. 10, the opening of Carnival.
The opening ceremonies will include fireworks, a torchlight parade of athletes, the unveiling of the ice sculpture and a speech by President James Freedman, Chow said.
The council has planned events for each day of the weekend, culminating in the Winter Carnival Formal, which will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the newly-renovated Collis Center Feb. 12.
The formal, which is a new event, will showcase the Boston band Uptown Revival, Kennedy said.
"The Programming Board was listening to demo tapes, and when this band came up, they could barely stay in their seats," Kennedy said.
In anticipation of Valentine's Day, the formal will feature a raffle, with prizes having to do with romance, she said.
In addition to the formal, the Programming Board has planned a billiards tournament and performances by a jazz ensemble and a string quartet in the Collis Center. The board will encourage several organizations to host their own parties before and after the formal.
"With any luck, you could be having pina coladas beforehand or go to a dinner with your cluster," Kennedy said.
The Dartmouth Outing Club will also hold its third annual polar bear swim at Occom Pond on Feb. 12.
"There's tons and tons of work left," Kennedy said. "And there's plenty of time for people to get involved. Anyone who wants to can blitz the Winter Carnival Council."
