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The Dartmouth
August 14, 2026
The Dartmouth
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Carnival's influence declines

By Andrew Allport | February 13, 1998

For the town of Hanover, big weekends such as Winter Carnival are always good for local businesses, but business owners say the Carnival weekend will not reach the proportions that it did in the days of yore. Some merchants remembered past Carnivals with nostalgia, not only for the greater volume of customers it brought, but for the traditions and town participation that have since disappeared. Clint Bean, executive director of commerce for the Hanover area, reminisced about the bygone inter-fraternity ice sculpture contest, which, he said, "was intense." "It should be more of a community event," said Jim Harrison general manager of Murphy's On The Green. Another factor affecting the decline of community attendance was the loss of the ski jump on the golf course, which was a big attraction to people from the surrounding towns, Harrison said. Harrison suggested combatting this loss with a "more authentic" Carnival, where attractions such as real sled dogs would draw people from surrounding communities to the College for the weekend. However, this is not to say the weekend will pass through the town without impact. "Both [Homecoming and Winter Carnival] weekends have a positive effect for us," Harrison said.

News

Men's hockey reaches crossroads of its season

By Jeffrey Beyer | February 13, 1998

While most Dartmouth students will be in the midst of admiring the snow sculpture, dancing at the Swing Ball and partying hard all over campus, the Big Green men's hockey team will continue their quest for the playoffs with two tough road tilts this weekend. The Green (9-9-3 overall, 5-8-1 ECAC, 9th place) are enjoying their best season since the 1979-80 campaign, but if they are to make the postseason or get home-ice advantage in the first round, they will need to make the most of their last eight games, starting with tonight's game against Colgate and tomorrow night's matchup versus Cornell. With these two games being the fifth and sixth straight contests for the Green away from home, Head Coach Bob Gaudet recognizes that the squad might be a bit road-weary: "We've been in the midst of a brutally tough schedule I think, and it's not going to lighten up for us ... Colgate and Cornell are tough places to play, and they will be very physical contests.

News

Swinging back into style: formals return

By Michelle Chui | February 13, 1998

This Saturday, Feb. 14, marks a first in the history of Dartmouth's Winter Carnival. As a change-of-pace from other weekend festivities, this year the Programming Board begins a new Carnival tradition with a Winter Swing Ball. The tradition of a Winter Carnival formal was born less than a year after the first Winter Carnival in 1910.

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Retro '20s artwork inspires winners

By Michelle Comeau | February 13, 1998

This year's theme, "The Roaring -20s," is recorded for posterity by the annual poster and t-shirt, designed this year by poster winner Rachel Rothbaum '00 and t-shirt winner Scott Snyder '00. The designs are chosen every year from student submissions to a competition held by the Winter Carnival committee. Winter Carnival Committe co-Chair Andy Louis '00 said choosing the designs involves a variety of criteria, from consulting a graphic designer to a committee consensus.

News

Debauchery Dartmouth Style

By Roy Lee | February 13, 1998

Ah, Winter Carnival, another glorious excuse to party. As if we need an excuse to party. I am reminded at this moment of something my friend back home used to say whenever we ignored our school work and went partying.

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Green hope to be more than sideshow at home Carnival

By Lou Scerra | February 13, 1998

The Carnival circuit pulls into town this weekend, and there are plenty of thrills and spills for everyone, as the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association makes its annual February stop at Dartmouth. The Big Green have taken second place at each of the three Winter Carnival ski competitions already held this year, and all three times, the Catamounts of UVM have taken first place in the team standings.

News

What to do during Carnival weekend

By Allison Robbins | February 13, 1998

From professional comedians to bone-chilling plunges, the next few days of Winter Carnival offer something for everyone. Freezing waters await the approximately 150 polar bear swimmers who will jump into a frozen Occum Pond today at noon.

News

Sculpture burns midnight oil

By Sarah Rubenstein | February 13, 1998

Sleep was not an option for Todd Garfield '00 and Matt Dickman '00, who abandoned rest until 3 am Wednesday night to complete a 1920s-style car in the center of the Green. Due to lack of student interest, the sculpture is not quite as majestic as the two sculpture committee co-chairs had hoped it would be. Garfield -- who was the sole sculpture chair until he asked Dickman to help him with the work -- decided on a car because it seemed like "the best and the most do-able" option.

News

Carnival history narrated through sculptures

By Jacot T. Elberg | February 13, 1998

Just as Winter Carnival represents the center of Dartmouth's winter social scene, the giant snow sculpture sits in the center of the Green every year--for the past 73 years-- as one of the most important traditions of this winter celebration. Since the first snow sculpture was built in 1925, Dartmouth students have engaged in the yearly tradition of sculpting the snows of winter into a monument to Carnival. Campus politics, changing times and the always unpredictable New England weather have all played a role in shaping the frozen works of art over the years. For the past 72 years of the snow sculpture, students of every era have constructed a number of memorable sculptures. Many older sculptures often depicted the pagan gods of winter, or attempted to evoke the College's traditional relationship with Native Americans. In 1941 there was Hyderdahl, a mythical Norse skier, and in 1956 students constructed Urrl, the Norse god of skiing, a sculpture which towered 45 feet above the Green. During this period, a number of sculptures also depicted Dartmouth's mascot at the time, the Indian. A record-setting 40-foot tall statue of a Native American shooting an arrow at the skies, called "Starshooter," was constructed in 1940. This creation was equaled in height by a "Fire and Ice" sculpture in 1957, which depicted a Native American emerging from a pillar of flames, and was named after a Robert Frost poem. In 1955, students built a sculpture of an Eskimo riding a whale.

News

Opening ceremonies dazzle

By Eun Lee Koh | February 13, 1998

Even amidst rain and sleet, the Model T snow sculpture proudly shone its headlights onto the Green for the opening ceremonies of Dartmouth's 88th Winter Carnival last night. This year's ceremony -- traditionally held on the center of the Green -- was moved to the front steps of Collis Center due to the rainy weather. Winter Carnival Chair Andy Louis '00 welcomed the sizable crowd as he kicked off the celebrations for this year's Carnival weekend. In addition to speeches from Louis, several members of the ski team also gave inspiring speeches about the competitions scheduled for this weekend. During the ceremonies, members of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity were awarded for finishing first during the first ever Human-Sled race held in the afternoon last night. The Human-Sled race closely resembled a chariot race, with one person riding the sled and five people pulling it. Participants were provided a wooden base with skis for the event. The brothers of Psi Upsilon fraternity received an award for the most creative sled design. The Aires, Rockapellas, Dodecaphonics and Decibelles provided music throughout the event.

News

Winter recollections through the decades

By Edward Thomas | February 13, 1998

Though Winter Carnival is still one of the most celebrated weekends on campus, it now exists only as a pale version of its former self. When Winter Carnival hit its peakin the 1950s and 1960s, CBS reported the festivities from the Green, Pepsi made commercials in front of Wheeler Residence Hall and the selection of the Queen of the Snow captured the attention of the entire campus. The Queen of the Snow competition has since disappeared, the hype of the fraternity snow sculpture competition is a thing of the past and the ski jump at the Freshman Hill is now obsolete, but certain traditions of Winter Carnival such as the central snow sculpture and ski races at the Dartmouth Skiway, still continue to this day. Since its inception in 1910, people from all over the country have journeyed to Hanover to partake in the tradition of Winter Carnival. The idea for Winter Carnival originated 88 years ago when The Dartmouth published a letter from Fred Harris '11 in a December issue.

News

Before coeducation, winter was women's weekend

By Eun Lee Koh | February 13, 1998

Little time was left until the opening ceremonies of the 1948 Winter Carnival, but some of Dartmouth's men were still scrambling for dates to accompany them during the winter festivities. Just one week before the Carnival, an article in The Dartmouth offered two possible solutions to the prospect of a womanless Carnival. "No date yet?" the article asked these dateless men, and the proceeded to profile "two lush lovelies" who were "panting" to see some Dartmouth men. "Anne weighs in at 128, with a 26-inch waist and 34-inch bust," the article reported.

News

Other Colleges celebrate cold weather

By Kathrin Weston | February 13, 1998

Dartmouth's Winter Carnival, although one of the most famous college winter carnivals, is not the only collegiate winter celebration in the northeast. There are many other colleges -- particularly those with a focus on winter athletics and outdoor activities -- that also have festivals similar to Dartmouth's Carnival in honor of their school's snowy home. Like Dartmouth, Middlebury College's celebration is strongly community-oriented withboth social and athletic events during the weekend open to all community members. For the students at Middlebury, "Winter Carnival is seen as a very special time on campus," said Middlebury Carnival Social Chair Melissa Pruessig.

News

Winter Carnival

By Katie Uhre | February 13, 1998

This year's Winter Carnival takes us back in time to the beginning years of this winter weekend with the theme "The Roaring -20s." The Dartmouth celebrates the 88th anniversary of Winter Carnival with this special issue. As a celebration of winter, from the polar bear swim to races at the Skiway, Winter Carnival gives Dartmouth students an opportunity to take advantage of the outdoors. Through its many traditions,Winter Carnival continues to be an integral part of the Dartmouth experience.

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