Cortney Maslyn has been involved with Winter Carnival, a tradition dating back to 1930, for all four of her years at Syracuse University.

Almost immediately after Homecoming banners are taken down, the committee gets to work. Setting up the budget as early as October, the committee works with staff members in the Office of Student Life to set up competitions, work with student organizations and school departments, and determine what souvenirs will be handed out.

This year’s events begin today. Woo Hoo Comedy, a student comedy group, and Phi Beta Sigma sorority will host Comedy Club Night on Winter Carnival’s kickoff tonight, featuring Michelle Buteau of Comedy Central. The DanceWorks dance team is putting on its annual showcase for three days, beginning Thursday. Starving Artists will perform ‘Smokey Joe’s Café’ on Sunday night, after the ‘Biggest Fan’ competition before the SU men’s basketball game against Cincinnati at the Carrier Dome.

There are giveaways, arts and crafts exhibits, and the popular Chili Cook-Off where students and faculty sample their best chili recipes. Head football coach Doug Marrone will judge the competition.

Some events, like the Chili Cook-Off, are mainstays. Newer events are also slowly becoming traditions.

‘Human Dogsled has always been something I enjoy, that has been around for a while,’ Maslyn said. ‘That’s always funny to watch.’

The event started only a few years ago and draws a crowd to Walnut Park, where teams of four pull people around on a sled.

Serving the first three years as a committee member, Maslyn moved up to the position of co-chair this past year alongside Beth Kieft, a sophomore entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and public relations major. One new event Maslyn said she’s looking forward to is handing out free hot chocolate on the corner of Comstock and Euclid avenues today.

Courtney Jones, program coordinator for the Office of Student Life, said she thinks the longstanding, 80-year tradition is important, especially in the winter months.

‘The spirit of it is for students to come together and to celebrate the winter season,’ Jones said, ‘as opposed to getting depressed that the winter takes so long and that it’s a hard winter, being in Syracuse.’

Jones’ office is filled with promotional items and decorations, like boxes of ChapStick and small foam balls emblazoned with the Winter Carnival logo.

‘A lot of people don’t know about it, but it’s certainly starting to make the way,’ Maslyn said. ‘We do Facebook, ads, just so people can get to know what Winter Carnival’s all about.’

But not all these efforts have met their goal in promoting Winter Carnival.

‘Never heard of it,’ said Linton Borden, a senior philosophy major. ‘I think maybe, but I’ve never been to one. I don’t know what it is. You see a lot of stuff like DanceWorks and they’re all over the place. You can’t avoid it.’

Kieft said she still feels that this year has been more successful than previous years’ efforts to raise awareness of the event, especially with the help of student organizations like DanceWorks.

‘Everybody I talked to doesn’t know about Winter Carnival,’ Kieft said. ‘But these student organizations will help more people understand what it is.’

Whether or not the Winter Carnival tradition gets a large turnout, Jones said, it was ultimately about making the long Syracuse winters brighter.

‘It’s a way to enjoy it and give people things to do and reasons to go out, as opposed to staying cooped up all winter long,’ Jones said. ‘And that spirit has been there since the beginning.’

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Published on February 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm