Winter Carnival is undoubtedly a time of tradition for the Dartmouth community, but walking down Hanover's Main Street, it is clear that local residents are seemingly devoid of any enthusiasm for the College holiday.
As students scrambled to finish midterm papers in anticipation of the big weekend, downtown Hanover seemed as calm as ever. Not many locals seemed to know that Winter Carnival was fast approaching, and those who knew it were more than willing to shrug it off.
"I don't know about it," Maddie Preble, a junior at Hanover High School, said. After thinking for a moment she added, "What is it?"
Preble, who lives in Hanover and works at Bella on Main Street, had reactions similar to everyone around town. Besides the allure of the annual snow sculpture, residents seemed indifferent to the Carnival.
"I don't think people who don't go to Dartmouth participate. Although, I like the snow sculpture -- it's fun to see what it is every year," Preble said.
Her Bella co-worker, Madi Arnold, agreed.
"I love the snow sculpture, and I love watching people build it," Arnold said. Arnold, a resident of Thetford, Vt., and a senior at Thetford Academy, also felt that people outside of the Dartmouth community are disengaged from the Carnival holiday. Indeed, the only connection between the College and community this weekend appears to be a snow pirate ship on the Green.
Jacob Crumbine '07, who grew up in Norwich, Vt., seemed to confirm local sentiment. Crumbine said that he and his friends did not participate in Carnival activities before matriculating at Dartmouth and that locals are indifferent about the weekend.
"It wasn't really on the radar screen," Crumbine said. Except, of course, there was always that annual slice of magic found on the Green. "The only thing we would ever notice or talk about would be the ice sculpture," he said.
Gus Niles '07, who also grew up in Norwich, has slightly different memories. Niles, who skied competitively during high school, knew people in the Dartmouth ski community.
"I knew people here, so my mom and I used to go watch the Carnival races a lot," Niles said. She acknowledged, however, that this kind of participation was rare.
"I might have been a special case. It was only people in the skiing community -- I didn't know other random people who went to watch. Besides watching the races, only the snow sculpture sticks out," Niles said. "You drive by, everyone loves it."
Niles added that the locals don't seem to have the same animosity towards Winter Carnival that they exhibit during Homecoming weekend. Homecoming is crowded, and the traffic is impossible for local residents, Niles said, but Winter Carnival is "generally looked at as a really good thing."
"There isn't a negative side to Winter Carnival. It's always been kind of a good-hearted thing, very benevolent," Niles said.
