A 22-foot inflatable slide, a foam dance and a multathalon will be just a few of the activities at this weekend's Summer Carnival -- an annual event organized by the Programming Board.
Organizers expect a turnout of over 500 at the weekend's various events, according to Celine Arsac '02, coordinator of the carnival.
The festivities will begin today at 3 p.m., with the multathalon, a five-legged race with over 70 participants in six-member teams. Starting at Ledyard Canoe Club, two canoers from each team will circle the island, then tag the team's runner, who will run up Oak Hill. This runner will tag the mountain biker, who will bike down the hill and over to Storr's Pond, then tag the team's swimmer, who will swim across the pond to the shore and tag the team's second runner, who will run to the Green, completing the race.
The 'carnival' of the Summer Carnival will then kick off at 4:30 p.m. on the Green, complete with free food at a barbecue and the music of "Funk Barnacle."
Various Greek and cultural organizations will sponsor games and booths, from mini-golf coordinated by Sigma Nu fraternity to a dunk tank ran by Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
The African American House, Chi Heorot fraternity and Alpha Xi Delta sorority will also be helping with the festivities, Arsac said.
A foam dance will held in an inflatable, foam-filled structure to the beat of a DJ's music. The foam will reach between waist-to neck-high, Arsac said, and with a little wind will cause the foam to fly all about.
An inflatable 22-foot slide will be another carnival item serving "to get the pressures of schoolwork off of everyone's mind and act like little kids," Arsac said.
Carnival activities will continue tomorrow afternoon, with Psi Upsilon fraternity hosting the band "Fighting Gravity."
Scott Brown '02 who organized the event described the band as "rock-ska-funk." The same band played at Psi U during last spring's Green Key weekend, drawing a large crowd, Brown said, adding that he hopes to repeat that this weekend.
"If they don't come, they'll hear it all across campus," Brown said.
According to Arsac, the carnival will "bring everyone together, bring lots of organizations together and have a good time on the Green."