With fresh snow still carpeting the ground, students met yesterday to begin planning one of Dartmouth's most time-honored traditions: Winter Carnival.
With the theme of this year's Winter Carnival already chosen -- "There's Snow Place Like Home" -- festivities are scheduled for Feb. 7-10. Preparations are being made under the direction of Winter Carnival Council chairs Anne Cloudman '02, Amish Parashar '03 and Ryan Bennett '04.
"So far, we've thrown around a lot of ideas for the sculpture. Right now, we are tentatively thinking about doing the Emerald City, keeping with the Wizard of Oz theme, but it's really up to the members of the sculpture committee," Cloudman said. "This year's theme should definitely provide a wealth of ideas to erect a great snow sculpture."
A change in this year's Winter Carnival is the decision not to have the Snow Ball, the evening dinner and dance. Instead, the Council is throwing around alternative ideas for a nighttime activity. Those currently on top of the list include professional wrestling and hiring a band.
"I don't want to get anyone's hopes up or anything, but the wrestler known as Chyna doesn't live that far away from here," Bennett said. "Someone said that they thought they saw her at Wal-Mart."
Dartmouth's Winter Carnival is a tradition dating back to 1910, when Fred Harris, the founder of the Dartmouth Outing Club, decided to organize an array of sporting and social events that would get Dartmouth students outside in the winter. Harris believed that the New Hampshire outdoors provided fertile ground for enjoyment even in the dead of winter.
Ironically, Harris himself was unable to attend the first Winter Carnival because of a knee injury obtained escaping from a fire in the South Fayerweather dormitory, which burned to the ground within days of the first Winter Carnival.
Throughout the years, Winter Carnival gradually evolved and broadened in scope. It wasn't until 1925 that snow sculptures were erected. In 1939, the Carnival was depicted on the silver screen in a film called "Winter Carnival," written by Budd Schulberg '36, Maurice Rapf '35 and well-known author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
"The objective of the Carnival is to celebrate winter in Hanover and give students a break from their studies," Cloudman said.
"Winter Carnival is just really an incredible time," Bennett said. "It's a time of craziness, but it's also relaxing and provides a good diversion from schoolwork, and it's very refreshing."
