Amid the Syracuse winter’s mountains of snow and blizzard winds, the campus will soon come alive with a flurry of entertaining activities. In the coming days, students will have the opportunity to get involved in all the Winter Carnival has to offer. They can enjoy shows and events, compete in thrilling outdoor activities and gorge on piles of free food.

‘It’s a break in the gloomy weather to bring some fun to the campus,’ said Winter Carnival Chair Beth Ann Kieft, a senior public relations and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major.

The 2011 Syracuse University Winter Carnival will take place from Wednesday, Feb. 23, to Sunday, Feb. 27, and will offer a variety of events throughout the entire campus. There are time-tested favorites, such as the annual chili cook-off, and new ones, such as the Moonlight Snowshoe Hike around South Campus.

‘This tradition includes a lot of fun events for students to participate in over the week, just to enjoy the snowy weather and everything that it has to offer,’ Kieft said.

Kieft is one of three student chairs, 20 committee members and two staff members from the Office of Student Activities and countless event staffers who have made this year’s carnival a reality.

The festivities kick off with free food and hot chocolate in the Schine Student Center on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Some of the activities include arts and crafts, trivia and karaoke. Its complement: Winter Carnival Nights, which will take place Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus.

A bigger attraction for the Winter Carnival is University Union’s Big Sean and Donnis concert in Schine Underground on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Other Schine Underground shows include the Pride Union Drag Show Preliminaries with special guest Samantha Vega on Thursday at 8 p.m. and the Groovestand A Cappella Invitational on Friday at 8 p.m.

‘It’s fun to be around lots of people and enjoy the atmosphere,’ Kieft said.

SU’s Best Dance Crew competition takes place Friday at 7 p.m. in Schine’s Goldstein Auditorium. In this event, dance groups will be given props to incorporate into their routines. Similar to America’s Best Dance Crew, the audience will choose the top three finalists via a texting poll.

Otto’s Army will host a pep rally and viewing party for the SU vs. Georgetown University men’s basketball game Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Snacks, including wings and nachos, will be provided in Schine Room 304.

‘It’s a great way to enjoy the game and act like we’re in the student section since we can’t actually be at the game,’ Kieft said.

Several free events on Thursday include the chili cook-off in front of Huntington Beard Crouse Hall at 11 a.m. and the Moonlight Snowshoe Hike in front of Goldstein at 7 p.m. Another free event is the Human Dog Sled Relay in Walnut Park on Friday at 3 p.m. The Human Bowling event will take place at the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion, followed by late-night skating until midnight.

‘There are a lot of great events that cost little or nothing at all,’ said Sarah Ross Cappella, an Office of Student Activities staff member involved in the carnival’s planning.

Cappella is excited for students to get out and embrace the winter weather.

‘The goal for Winter Carnival is to provide a way for students to get out and beat the winter blues and do something fun in the Syracuse weather,’ she said.

The carnival planning staff is expecting a large student showing this year and hope people are informed and excited about the diverse array of events.

‘Overall it seems that more people know about Winter Carnival than have in years past,’ Cappella said. ‘We hope to see a big student turnout.’

 

rjmarvin@syr.edu

Published on February 21, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rob: rjmarvin@syr.edu