On only one weekend each year can Dartmouth students dunk themselves in a frozen pond and race across the Green on all fours in a human dog sled race, but this year's Winter Carnival went far beyond the usual antics.
On Friday night, students dusted off their gowns and suits and made their way down to Occom Pond for the "Frozen Elegance" semiformal sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. And on Saturday night students crowded into an at-capacity Collis Commonground to see the band Virginia Coalition.
The Virginia Coalition show was the largest campus concert since The Roots performed in Leede Arena last term. The concert, which was free for Dartmouth students, brought a crowd of over 300 students to Collis Commonground for the 90-minute performance. Student response was good, despite the relative obscurity of the band, according to Coordinator of the 2K2 Concert Series Sam Lederer '05.
"Everyone I spoke to really liked the band's sound and thought the members of Virginia Coalition were very friendly and enthusiastic," Lederer said. "The fact that the tickets were free helped to draw a lot of people to the show because many people would have found alternatives on Winter Carnival if we had charged for tickets."
Lederer is also a member of The Dartmouth staff.
The "Frozen Elegance" semi-formal was held at the Dartmouth Outing Club House on Occom Pond and had nearly 140 attendees, according to Aleron Kong '03, Alpha Phi Alpha social chair. All night shuttles were operating to regularly pick up and drop off attendees at various locations around campus.
"The event went absolutely wonderfully," Kong said. "The crowd was diverse, it was a beautiful space, and the shuttles ran smoothly all night."
Kong described the event as "full, but not so much as to be overcrowded." He said people spread between the room for pictures, another room for dancing, and a room with couches for lounging.
Traditional Winter Carnival activities also saw a good turnout this year. The human dog sled race featured nearly 15 teams of four human dogs and a sled rider. This year's race was markedly different from last year's, as the teams had to wade through knee-deep snow. Last year the Green was covered with no more than three inches of snow.
As teams reached the finish line, they appeared completely winded from marching through the snow. Those that had raced with bare legs found blood dripping down their legs because of the layer of ice on top of the snow pack.
With painted faces, wild clothing, and no blood on their legs, the team of "Beauty and the Beasts," comprised of Justine Cormier '06, Jeff Wagner '06, Jim Throckmorton '06, Brian Foley '06 and Chris Leach '06, pulled out first place and the prize of various Hanover gift certificates.
Another one of the traditional Winter Carnival events, the Polar Bear Swim, in which students volunteer to jump into the frigid waters of Occom Pond, saw its turnout fall somewhat from usual levels due to inclement weather conditions. About 150 students -- and one Psi Upsilon dog -- took the plunge, according to Paul Pope '05
