Kathryn Jastrzembski's most vivid memory of Winter Carnival is from the winter of 1988. Jastrzembski, a Hanover resident, said that winter members of one of Dartmouth's fraternities built a luge running from the fraternity house's upper story window down to the ground. The members of the fraternity helped Jastrzembski and other community members and their children take rides down the luge.
While old memories of Carnival like this one are common among some long-time Hanover residents, in recent years some say that excitement for the weekend among community members has dwindled.
"To be honest, I think that was the Carnival I enjoyed most." Jastrzembski said. "In subsequent years there wasn't much snow and students naturally seemed to lose interest in the snow sculpture and other things."
Kathryn Jastrzembski's son, Ben Jastrzembski '08, remembers watching Winter Carnival events like the ski jump on the golf course when he was in elementary school.
"I remember walking over there and watching Dartmouth skiers fly," he said. "The ski jump was this huge metal frame that stuck into the sky at least two hundred feet. I remember being so amazed that anyone would even consider going off of it."
With lower snowfall totals in recent years and the elimination of events like the ski jump, Winter Carnival has lost some of its previous appeal, said some local residents.
Mysti Wolfe, a front desk receptionist at The Hanover Inn, said that The Inn will be busy over Carnival weekend, but that this is not necessarily due to the College's festivities.
"Over the past few years it's been less and less of a big deal," Wolfe said. "We are totally booked for that weekend but that may be because it's also Class Officers Weekend."
Wolfe attributed the fading community status of Winter Carnival to the disappearance of certain attractions like the smaller snow sculptures on Webster Avenue.
"I remember walking on campus during Winter Carnival when I was little," said Cia Rising, an employee of the Dartmouth Bookstore from Norwich, Vt. "Each fraternity and sorority, and even some of the dorms, used to have their own little ice sculptures. That was great."
Other locals even said that the overall tone of the weekend has changed over the past decade.
"It used to be a spectacle," Tony Morales, a Hanover resident, said. "You used to drive by and see students dressed up, building and doing crazy things all over campus. It's not the same spirit with less snow."
Thomas Klein, a Norwich resident who used to attend Carnival with his family in the 1980s, agreed.
"With less the wintry events it isn't really the same anymore," he said.
For Hanover businesses, however, Carnival remains important because of its tendency to attract a significant influx of alumni and visitors. The weekend often proves especially important for businesses with connections to the College.
John Cusick, manager of the Dartmouth Bookstore, said that since most stores on Hanover's Main Street close early, the bookstore, which stays open until 10 p.m. tends to attract a lot of customers wandering around Hanover during the Carnival weekend.
