The Hanover Winter Games, originally set for Jan. 28, have been postponed one week due to a lack of snow and ice.
All events of the games will take place on Occom Pond and at the Hanover Country Club from 10 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, as long as the ice on Occom Pond is thick enough to skate on.
The Winter Games are "basically a 'noncompetitive competition'" designed to foster community spirit and "friendly competition between teams." said Chris Vitale, Assistant Recreation Director for Hanover Parks and Recreation.
The events scheduled include a human bobsled race, in which competitors pull a weighted sled, and a couch potato race, which requires competitors to push a couch across Occom Pond while eating potato chips.
Traditional events, including a speed skating competition and a hockey shoot-out, are also part of the games, Vitale said.
Vitale said 10 inches of ice are necessary on Occom Pond for the games to take place.
She said there were six inches of ice when she last measured and that she would measure again this Wednesday.
If the ice is thick enough but there is insufficient snow, the events will go on without the snow-related section of the events, Vitale said.
Teams from businesses and open divisions will compete for a champion's plaque.
She said a team from Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority and Zeta Psi fraternity, Native Americans at Dartmouth and the Topliff-New Hampshire cluster.
Admission to the games is free.
The Winter Games started in 1979, to foster a sense of community among Hanover residents, Vitale said.
Hanover Parks and Recreation is also sponsoring a Penny Sale and Dinner in Richmond Gym on Jan. 28.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Proceeds will pay for youth recreation programs.
