February 2001

78th annual Middlebury College

Winter Carnival on Feb. 22-24 adopts “A Winter Odyssey”

theme

Public invited to attend fireworks,

cultural gala, ice show, and ski events

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.-With “A Winter

Odyssey” as its theme, the 78th annual Middlebury College Winter

Carnival, the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the country,

will take place on Thursday, Feb. 22-Saturday, Feb. 24. The public is

invited to attend fireworks, a cultural gala, an ice show, and ski

competitions.

At 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, a

fireworks display will burst into the skies over the College’s Center

for the Arts (CFA). Observers may view the fireworks from the CFA’s

parking lot or terrace, which is accessible via Porter Field Road,

off Route 30.

Just after the fireworks, from

7:30-10 p.m., a cultural gala with the theme “Chinese New Year: Year

of the Panther” will take place in the CFA. A three-person ensemble,

New York City-based Music From China, will perform in the Concert

Hall. Other entertainment includes Ying Lei Zhang, who will conduct

Chinese tea demonstrations. Zhang has taught at the Middlebury

Chinese Language School, Green Mountain College, Shelburne Craft

School, and Frog Hollow Craft Center. She not only lectures on the

art of making tea, but also teaches Chinese language, literature, and

art. Daniel Leahy, a martial arts expert, will also offer

demonstrations. Arts and crafts activities will be available for

children. Visitors will enjoy a variety of foods from egg rolls and

fortune cookies to sesame chicken.

From 2-5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, for

the third year, an event called “Commons Afternoon” will take place

outdoors behind Battell Dormitory on College Street (Route 125) and

on the quad in front of McCullough Student Center on Old Chapel Road

off South Main Street (Route 30). Refreshments and outdoor activities

from around the globe, including sumo wrestling, snow sculpting,

Jamaican bobsledding, and jousting, will reflect the theme “Cultures

‘n Commons.” Commons refer to the Middlebury College commons system,

which divides the campus into five groups of dorms housing

approximately 400 students each.

The Winter Carnival Ice Show will

take place on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1

p.m. in Kenyon Arena on Route 30. Inspired by New York City’s

Rockefeller Center, this year’s show is titled “A Midd-Winter’s

Night” and will feature special guest skaters, the Middlebury Figure

Skating Club, and Middlebury College’s talented student, staff, and

faculty skaters as they perform to music of the night, such as songs

from “The Lullaby of Broadway” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

Two of the guest skaters are Bethany

Forss, a 13-year-old from Sturbridge, Mass., and Drew Meekins, a

15-year-old from Wellesley, Mass., who have been skating together for

almost two years. They were the juvenile pairs gold medallists at the

2000 New England Championships, where they won again at the

intermediate level in 2001. They were also finalists in the 2000 and

2001 Junior National Championships.

Solo guest skater Josh Figurido is a

six-time United States National Championship competitor-two years at

the novice level, three years at the junior level, and one year at

the championship level. He placed first in the men’s division of the

2000 New England Championship. Figurido is based at the Skating Club

of Boston.

Some of the finest collegiate skiers

will compete at the carnival, which is a regional qualifying event

for the NCAA. Competitions will take place on Friday, Feb. 23 and

Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock and

the Rikert Touring Center in Ripton. The visiting teams include those

from Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Dartmouth, Harvard, St. Lawrence, St.

Michael’s, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, and

Williams. Athletes from Boston College, Plymouth, Northern Michigan

University, Smith, St. Anselm, and the University of Massachusetts

who qualify for this competition will also participate. There will be

an outdoor barbecue at the Snow Bowl on Saturday at 12

p.m.

Admission to the fireworks, cultural

gala, the “Commons Afternoon,” and ski events are free. Tickets for

the ice show are $5 for adults, and $3 for students and children.

Tickets will be available at the Middlebury College Center for the

Arts box office at 802-443-6433 beginning Feb. 13, and at the door.

The outdoor barbecue at the Snow Bowl is $5.50 per person. For more

information, contact student organizer Kristen Sylva at

802-443-7202.

To follow is a listing of events:

Middlebury College Winter Carnival

Events Calendar Listings:

Cultural and Entertainment

Events:

Thursday, Feb. 22

7:15 p.m. Middlebury College Center

for the Arts parking lot and terrace, Route 30

Fireworks

Free admission

7:30-10 p.m., Middlebury College

Center for the Arts, Route 30

“Chinese New Year: Year of the Panther” Cultural Gala: Performance by

Music From China. Chinese tea and martial arts demonstrations. Arts

and crafts projects for kids. Egg rolls, fortune cookies, and other

refreshments.

Free admission

Friday, Feb. 23

2-5 p.m., outdoors behind Battell

Dormitory, Middlebury College, College Street (Route 125)

“Commons Afternoon:” Refreshments and outdoor activities from around

the globe, including sumo wrestling, snow sculpting, Jamaican

bobsledding, and jousting.

Free admission

7 p.m., Kenyon Arena, Middlebury

College, Route 30

“A Midd-Winter’s Night” Ice Show

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students and children. Tickets are

available at the Middlebury College Center for the Arts at

802-443-6433 starting Feb. 13, and at the door. Doors will open one

hour before the show.

Saturday, Feb. 24

1 p.m., Kenyon Arena, Middlebury

College, Route 30

“A Midd-Winter’s Night” Ice Show

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students and children. Tickets are

available at the Middlebury College Center for the Arts at

802-443-6433 starting Feb. 13, and at the door. Doors will open one

hour before the show.

Ski Events:

Free admission to ski events. Outdoor barbecue is $5.50 per person.

Friday, Feb. 23

Alpine Events, Middlebury College

Snow Bowl, Hancock, Route 125

9:30 a.m. Men’s Giant Slalom - First Run

Followed by Women’s Giant Slalom - First Run

12:30 p.m. Men’s Giant Slalom - Second Run

Followed by Women’s Giant Slalom - Second Run

Nordic Events, Rikert Touring Center,

Ripton, Route 125

10 a.m. Women’s 5K Classic

11 a.m. Men’s 10K Classic

Saturday, Feb. 24

Alpine Events, Middlebury College

Snow Bowl, Hancock, Route 125

9:30 a.m. Men’s Slalom - First Run

Followed by Women’s Slalom - First Run

12:30 p.m. Men’s Slalom - Second Run

Followed by Women’s Slalom - Second Run

12 p.m. Outdoor barbecue on Snow Bowl deck, $5.50 per

person

Nordic Events, Rikert Touring Center,

Ripton, Route 125

10 a.m. Men’s 10K Mass Start Freestyle

11:30 a.m. Women’s 15K Mass Start Classic

For more information, contact student

organizer Kristen

Sylva at

802-443-7202.

— end —