If on a winter's day...

Author: Liz Scarinci

The town of Middlebury holds a distinct identity as a place of tight-knit community and quirks. And at the First Annual Middlebury Winter Carnival and Chili Contest on Feb. 21, students and townspeople held out their bowls to welcome heaping servings of chili and renowned small-town charm.

Students and community members alike gathered to participate in the event, organized by the Better Middlebury Partnership (BMP). The chili contest proved to be the main event of the day, with 28 chili vendors serving 50 different kinds of chili, ranging from venison to vegetarian. Public skating, snowshoe races, a bonfire and dogsled demos rounded out the day's activities, with the events culminating in a Winter Ball held at Two Brothers Tavern.

The Partnership consciously planned the town carnival for the same weekend as the College's own annual Winter Carnival as a way to connect the two communities. Coordinator Megan Brady, owner of Two Brothers Tavern and an organizer of the event, emphasized the unity of the two communities.

"In the spirit of 51 Main, [the BMP was] thinking that if we held an event that spotlighted the [College's] Winter Carnival, it would make people realize that we were all here together as one community," Brady said.

Brady hoped the town carnival would bring even more attention to the College carnival. According to Brady, the College carnival has diminished in significance over the years, and the town carnival marked an effort to revive it.

"It wasn't meant to compete in any way with the College carnival," she said. "We were hoping to compliment it."

Leaders of the BMP were pleased to have so many people on Main Street in one day. According to Gail Freidin, executive director of the BMP, more than 1,000 crowded the streets of Middlebury on Saturday afternoon.

"Having that many people on the sidewalks in the winter was great," Freidin said.

President of the Better Middlebury Partnership BMP bounced around the event in a chili pepper costume, talking and waving to passersby. "The event went beyond our expectations," said Stahl with a smile. "We also lucked out with the weather."

The business on Main Street surged on Saturday, with stores reporting a noticeable increase in foot traffic on that afternoon.