Winter carnival deemed success Winter carnival numbers up from previous years

Author: Caroline S. Stauffer

Both event organizers and the Department of Public Safety have proclaimed Winter Carnival 2005 a resounding success. Winter Carnival Head Susan Harnett '05 and Amber Rydberg '06, assistant head, confessed to feeling slightly apprehensive going into the weekend, as they had instigated a number of changes in the event and were unsure how students would respond. "So far, though, we've only gotten positive feedback, something we're very excited about," Harnett said.

One of the first changes Harnett and Rydberg made involved the sale of Winter Carnival packages. In past years, parents chose between two types of packages - this year parents could create their own packages by selecting a shirt and choosing tickets for individual events. Approximately 250 packages were sold this year, most of which included tickets for all events.

The opening night of Carnival featured a Cultural Gala in the Center for the Arts and a First Night Dance in McCullough Social Space featuring '80s cover band Orange Crush.

Although attendance at the Cultural Gala was equal to that of last year, the audience included more Middlebury College students, according to Harnett.

At one point, at least 600 people filled McCullough Social Space during Orange Crush's performance. "It was the biggest crowd I'd ever seen at the First Night Dance," Harnett said. "Orange Crush has played that event all four years, but this year was by far the best-attended performance."

The band had requested that the audience remain off stage to respect their equipment, and organizers had their hands full when attendees attempted to climb on stage during a break in the performance.

In past years, Friday afternoon has been reserved for commons-based activities. The board decided that the events had not been popular enough in past years to justify the additional cost. Instead, a series of dance-themed movies were shown in Dana Auditorium. "The attendance at these films was higher than we expected," Harnett said.

Another event that boasted significantly higher attendance this year was Friday night's Ice Show. Only one show took place this year, and attendance was the highest in recent history.

Also held on Friday evening was an early showing of the Island Calypso Jam-boree Night Club and Battle of the Bands in McCullough Social Space. Harnett noted that attendance was far lower than in previous years, probably due to the scheduling overlap with the Ice Show. Attendance at the second show was about the same as last year. "Over the past couple of years, we have noticed that attendance at the Night Club, which usually takes the form of a talent show, has declined," Harnett said. "At both shows last year there were empty seats, as there were at both shows this year."

The Winter Carnival board also decided to run extra shuttles to the Snow Bowl to support the ski teams in their races Friday and Saturday.

Harnett and Rydberg estimate that at least 1000 students attended the Winter Carnival Ball Saturday night - a number higher than in years past - and 550 tickets were sold in advance, either included in packages or purchased in the dining halls. Harnett remarked that the arrangement of Nelson arena made the ball appear more crowded than it actually was. "Several people had told me that it seemed so much more crowded than last year, even though this year's attendance was only slightly higher," she said.

Public Safety emphasized that Winter Carnival 2005 was an especially smooth weekend. "We had a great carnival," Assistant Director of Public Safety Melody Perkins said. "There were very few incidents and the ones we had were taken care of quite quickly." She described the often alcohol-laden and incident report-wrought weekend as "low key and quiet."

Two students, however, were removed from the ball as a result of over-intoxication. One was taken to the Porter Hospital emergency room and the other to Parton Health Center.