Although well-established in Dartmouth history, each year's Winter Carnival provides a chance for its organizing students to leave their mark on one of the College's most storied traditions.
This year, the Winter Carnival Council decided to expand the indoor options available during the weekend, said Elizabeth Teague '09, one of three co-chairs of the Council.
"If people aren't interested in the outdoor component, then this gives them something else to do," Teague said. "Generally, though, the outdoor events are the most popular, so we stick with them."
Some of these new events will align with the theme for this year's Carnival, "20,000 Leagues under the Snow," which was chosen by the members of last year's Council. These students hoped the theme would lend itself to a snow sculpture and creative Carnival T-shirt and poster design, Teague said.
On Friday night, the Disney version of the movie "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" will be screened at the Top of the Hop, where students will also be invited to construct snow globes out of materials provided by the Council. Additionally, the animated movie "Finding Nemo" will be played in Thayer dining hall on Saturday morning to accompany brunch, Teague said.
Dartmouth Dining Services will hold a "Captain's Dinner" on Friday evening, said Assistant Director of Student Activities Amy Newcomb, who has served as the Winter Carnival advisor for the past three years.
This year, Student Assembly's Mr. and Ms. Big Green competition will replace the Drag Ball, traditionally hosted during Carnival weekend by the Gay Straight Alliance, which changed its name to Gender, Sexuality, XYZ this fall, Newcomb said. The event, which will showcase 10 students in events such as a flair walk-off, was held on Thursday night in Collis Commonground.
Rauner Special Collections Library will hold a special exhibit, "Fitzgerald's Lost Weekend: Winter Carnival 1939," over the weekend. The exhibit harkens back to the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1939 trip to Hanover. Fitzgerald visited the College after he was hired to write the screenplay for "Winter Carnival," a movie based on the Dartmouth event, but was eventually fired from the project after a drunken argument at The Hanover Inn.
The placement of a hot tub on the Gold Coast lawn, an event that debuted at last year's Carnival, will be absent this weekend.
"It had a lot of logistical problems, and turnout was disappointing in the end," Newcomb said. "It didn't seem like it was worth the effort that could be spent on other events."
Certain Carnival staples, such as the Human Dog-Sled Race and the Carni Classic ski events, will return this year. The Polar Bear Swim, an event in which students jump into Occom Pond, will also reappear. The activity was instituted by Rachel Gilliar '98 and has since become firmly entrenched as one of Winter Carnival's key traditions, Newcomb said.
"Even though these events aren't ones that used to happen traditionally, they are now rooted in Carnival tradition for current students," Newcomb said.
Linda Kennedy, senior associate director of Student Activities, said that events like the Polar Bear Swim are geared towards the entire Dartmouth community.
"His first year at the College, the rabbi did the polar bear swim, which proves that he really is Dartmouth's rabbi," Kennedy said. "Every year, Professor Skinner of the Economics Department brings his entire seminar."
Carnival weekend should allow students to branch out from their normal interests, said Kennedy, who has formerly served as Carnival advisor.
"I hope that students will seize the weekend and realize that there is no better time to try something new," Kennedy said.
This year's Winter Carnival Council was co-chaired by Teague, Grace Dowd '11 and Alina Politzer '11, who were chosen this fall to direct the weekend's events. The co-chairs were assisted in their preparation by a group of approximately 15 students.
