As with other big weekends, Winter Carnival has long attracted returning alumni seeking winter fun and Dartmouth nostalgia, and this year will likely be no different, according to alumni interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"In previous years, there hasn't been a lot of snow, but we're pretty excited to see what you guys have done," Linda Swenberg '89 said.
The Hanover Inn's 93 rooms are all booked for Winter Carnival weekend, signaling that there will be a large alumni contingent in attendance, according to the Inn's general manager Tom List.
"It's probably going to be 90 percent alumni," he said.
Though the Office of Alumni Relations does not track how many alumni return to campus for Carnival, it is a very popular weekend according to Director of Communications Diana Lawrence.
While there are no specific Winter Carnival events planned for alumni, the Office of Alumni Relations holds its Club and Affiliated Group Officers Weekend during Carnival, Lawrence said.
The weekend is designed to help officers of alumni clubs and affiliated groups strengthen their organizations and network with other volunteer officers, according to the Office of Alumni Relations website.
This event was not always held during Carnival, but officials from the Office of Alumni Relations moved the event to Winter term from the Spring five years ago because of the alumni clubs' fiscal calendars, according to Lawrence,
"We thought Winter Carnival would be a nice draw for the volunteers." Lawrence said. "Their families can participate in Winter Carnival activities."
Swenberg said she will attend the Club and Affiliated Group Officers meetings. She added that she will bring her family to Hanover for Carnival festivities, and Sunday's Occom Pond party is a big draw for her children.
"There's ice skating on an actual natural pond." Swenberg said. "We don't have many natural ponds in California so, for my kids, that's really something."
Julie Cillo '92 said she also sees the chance to expose her children to winter as a reason to return to Hanover.
"Our daughter goes sledding and skating on Occom Pond," she said. "We live in the South now, so we don't see a lot of snow."
Recent graduates will also visit campus during Winter Carnival.
"We've observed the classes immediately ahead of us doing it, and we're just sort of following in their footsteps," Michael Adelman '10 said. "It's really nice that my year is making such an effort to come back for this and that I will get to see a lot of them."
In addition to the chance to revisit traditional events like the Polar Bear Swim and the Dartmouth Skiway races, Carnival is a welcome distraction for those newly adjusting to their post-Dartmouth lives.
"It's fun," Lesher said. It's a break from the real world."
