This year's "Candyland"-themed Winter Carnival, being held from Thursday, Feb. 9 to Sunday, Feb. 12, promises to maintain timeless traditions, bring back old Carnival classics and introduce new theme-specific activities.
The Carnival will commence with traditional opening ceremony celebrations on Thursday, Feb. 9. The ceremony, which is among the "most popular" Carnival activities, will take place on the Green and was supposed to feature a firework show, Collis Center Director and advisor to the Winter Carnival Council Eric Ramsey said.
The firework show was cancelled because the fireworks were supposed to launch from the Dewey Parking Lot, but cars were not removed from the lot in time, Mandy Bowers '14, co-chair of the Winter Carnival, said.
"We had asked a month ago for them to move," she said. "We couldn't tow fifty cars."
The state fire marshall determined it was "not permissible," to launch the fireworks, she said.
Following the opening ceremony, the Winter Carnival Council will provide "Carnival tea" and show the celebration's classic silent, film "Winter Carnival" (1939), at the Top of the Hop, Winter Carnival Council co-chair Mandy Bowers '14 said.
As long as Occom Pond remains frozen during Winter Carnival, the traditional Polar Bear Swim which involves students jumping into the freezing pond water through a hole drilled into the ice is expected to take place on Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Ramsey said.
"It definitely seems crazy to jump into the freezing water, but it's a rush you can't replace, so I definitely recommend that one," Winter Carnival Council co-chair Rob Brett '14 said.
Other annual activities that will take place this year are the 99-cent ski day at the Dartmouth Skiway on Friday and the Occom Pond Party thrown by the Town of Hanover on Saturday, Bowers said.
Although the Winter Carnival Council hoped to bring back a snow sculpture contest that all groups Greek organizations, dormitory clusters and even administrative groups would be expected to participate in, it has been canceled due to the lack of snow on the Green, Bowers said.
The Council planned to award $1,000 in prizes to the winners of the sculpture contest.
Bowers said prizes intended for canceled events will be awarded to winners of other Carnival events, such as the gingerbread house building event. Gingerbread house building, open to anyone interested, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday in Collis Common Ground.
In accordance with this year's "Candyland" theme, the Carnival will incorporate baked goods and sweets into many of its activities.
Additionally, an arts and crafts event at this year's Carnival will be tailored to "reflect the theme of Candyland," Brett said. Winter Carnival will also include the Winter Carnival Ball, which was brought back last year for the Carnival's 100th anniversary, Bowers said.
A chili cook-off will be held for the first time on Saturday. The event, organized by Benjamin Magnus '12 and Jacob Wijnberg '12, will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. on Webster Avenue, according to Wijnberg.
Tables will be set up down the entire street during this time, and restaurants, campus organizations and individuals are invited to participate in the competition, Wijnberg said.
The event will fundraise for Fisher House, an organization "dedicated to providing low-cost housing to veterans and their families," Wijnberg said.
The chili cook-off will be sponsored by Phi Delta Alpha fraternity, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Greek Leadership Council, Greek Letter Organizations and Societies, the Dartmouth Undergraduate Veterans Association and the Order of Omega.
