Winter Carnival plans crystallize

Author: Adam Schaffer

A handful of students gathered in the Crest Room on Nov. 20 to begin planning the 2009 Middlebury College Winter Carnival. The event, which will carry the theme of "Fire and Ice," will take place from Feb. 19 to Feb. 21.

The meeting was led by committee co-chair Derek Sakamoto '10 and past organizer Nick Sohl '10 to build a base of support for the planning and execution of next year's Carnival.

"Right now we're looking to get people interested and to join the committee," Sakamoto said.

The committee, which differs from the Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB) in that it is responsible for the outdoor and daytime events rather than the nighttime parties, is planning a number of activities that embrace the bitter cold of the Vermont winter.

"I want to enjoy winter more, that's why I want to get out there and get involved," said Jaehee Yoon '11, who intends to help plan this year's Carnival.

Ellen Dahlberg '12 feels the same, explaining in an e-mail that she wants to help with next year's Carnival because "it seems only natural that we should celebrate [the snow] and make winter fun instead of just complaining about how bone-chillingly cold the walk down to class is."

Thanks to an extensive appeal effort undertaken by a number of students last year, the administration decided to keep the traditional schedule, with no class on the Friday of Carnival, allowing the weekend to kick off Thursday night with a fireworks show and bonfire on the lawn in front of Hadley.

The group has been looking at microfilm from old issues of The Middlebury Campus to try to "bring back a sense of tradition to the event," said Sohl. Nevertheless, organizers are still looking to get some new ideas from the student body.

With the schedule still tentative, the weekend will most likely include a variety of outdoor activities.

The "Northern Lights relay race" will happen again this year, consisting of snowshoeing, human dog sledding, regular sledding and a tug of war.

There will also be another snow sculpting contest. Reigning champion Alex Benepe '09 is expecting stiff competition this year for himself and his team, as "it is very hard to come up with a good, catchy idea that is actually doable," he said.

Other possible activities include a game of broomball, as well as a rail jam at the Snow Bowl.

In order to plan the most successful weekend possible, the committee is coordinating the weekend with MCAB and various social houses to maximize the number of events available, as well as to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts.

The committee is also trying to increase student attendance to the ski events at the Snow Bowl. This year, they hope a stronger advertising campaign, as well as coordinated bus service via the Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) and a costume contest will draw larger crowds to the Bowl for the races.

While the weekend does have more funding than last year, the group is still emphasizing fundraising as the key to the success of the weekend. Fundraising efforts will include various forms of advertising with the hopes of raising a few thousand dollars.

Next year's Carnival will also try to include the Middlebury community more than in past years, both in terms of attendance and local business involvement.