Here at Dartmouth, the words "Winter Carnival" bring to mind memories of snow sculptures on the Green, rowdy frat parties to beat the winter blues and huge crowds of alumni and friends. But elsewhere, the term brings its own images and memories, as schools like Bates College, Williams College and Middlebury College celebrate their own winter carnivals.
Bates was forced to cancel many of the festivities of their carnival, which they held from January 17-21, because of unseasonably warm weather and a lack of snow. Bates canceled their planned sledding with hot chocolate and chai tea, ice skating on the pond, snow-shoe softball and ice sculpture competition.
In spite of the warm weather, however, Bates was still able to hold many of the events at their pirate-themed carnival. Students were most excited about the inflatable obstacle courses at the themed dinner dessert, according to Bates Assistant Dean of Students and Coordinator of Student Activities Keith Tannenbaum. Another big event was the puddle jump, where students submerged their bodies in the frigid water of Bates' pond, Lake Andrew, and then ran to a bonfire to warm up.
"There shouldn't be any reason for enjoying the puddle jump because you just jump in freezing water and experience a lot of pain. But it is an adrenaline rush and it is a lot of fun," explained Scott Pierce, a Bates sophomore who participated in the puddle jump.
Although the traditions of Bates' winter carnival are quite different from those of Dartmouth, their carnival was actually inspired by Dartmouth's 87 years ago, Tannenbaum said.
He said that enthusiasm for the carnival has declined since its creation, but that students seemed eager once again for the celebration.
"[The Carnival] went through a phase a few years ago when people didn't know it was happening, and I don't believe that's the case anymore. I think people really like having it," Tannenbaum said.
Pierce explained that Bates hosts events similar to their winter carnival every weekend, so winter carnival does not stand out as much as Dartmouth's.
"Compared to Dartmouth, where the winter carnival is very large, I don't necessarily feel that students are saying, 'Oh, you know, it's winter carnival weekend, I'm so excited.' But people have a good time regardless," Pierce said.
At Williams College, where winter carnival was once a big celebration, enthusiasm has declined over recent years, observed Scott Lewis, director of the Williams Outing Club.
"The event has lost its excitement in some ways. It's not part of the culture," Lewis said.
Lewis explained that the people in charge of the carnival, which is scheduled to take place from February 17-18, are struggling to rally the campus, where the students are mostly just excited about getting a day off from classes. Lewis attributes this apathy partly to the unpredictable weather, which may not allow Williams to have snow sculptures and other wintry activities during their carnival.
The theme of Williams' carnival this year is "Mooccatorino 2006." According to Lewis, Moocca means "people of the cows," a reference to Williams' bovine mascot. Torino refers to the location of this year's Winter Olympics. "We're as corny as can be," Lewis said, referring to the Olympic reference in the theme.
Weather permitting, Williams will have a bonfire, a snow sculpture contest and a cross country race. On Friday, there will be figure skating lessons and open skating on the hockey rink, as well as three hours of snow games in the afternoon to go with the Olympic theme, including crazy sledding, relay races and a polar bear swim in the local Green River. Later that evening, the Williams winter carnival ceremonies commence, which include skits and a capella performances. Lewis said that he hoped the winter carnival ceremonies will engage and entertain skiers from other schools who have come to participate in the weekend's ski races.
"We really try to make it a hosting event. Teams just come and they just ski and they leave, but we really are trying to make it an event that other schools look forward to," Lewis said.
Unlike at some schools, excitement for winter carnival has not wavered at Middlebury College, which boasts the oldest student-run carnival in the nation, according to student organizer senior Laura Wakim. Middlebury will hold their 83rd annual Winter Carnival on the weekend from February 23-25.
"I'm pretty excited for Carnival. Here at Middlebury, where skiing is such a big deal, Carnival gets talked up a lot. As a freshman, my friends and I see all the upperclassmen wearing their T-shirts from previous Carnivals and I think there's something intriguing about the whole event," freshman Annie Onishi said.
The theme of Middlebury's carnival this year is "Iced Out" and will include a cultural gala of Poi fire spinning, belly dancing, flamenco, juggling and break dancing. There will also be an ice show and ski competitions, all open to the public.
According to Wakim, students are most excited about the carnival's First Night Party featuring a cover band, Orange Crush, that plays mostly '80s music. The next night, Dan Ahdoot, a popular comedian who performed at Dartmouth last term, will do a stand up routine, replacing the past annual student talent show.
Dartmouth's Winter Carnival is unique in the Ivy League, where no similar event is held at any of the other seven Ivy colleges and universities.
