Michigan Technological University's Winter Carnival

Statue inspired by Calvin & Hobbes, 2006 (one nighter)

Michigan Technological University's Winter Carnival is an annual celebration that takes place every winter in Houghton, Michigan. It is a time to celebrate the large amounts of snowfall Michigan's Upper Peninsula receives each winter. Winter Carnival is characterized by snow statues, outdoor games, and many student activities.

History

Snow Statues

Month-long statue from 2010 with a Mario theme

The largest tourist attractions of Winter Carnival are the monumental snow statues. Every year Blue Key National Honor Society chooses a theme and students compete to build the best statue at Michigan Tech. There are many categories in which to compete, but the two main categories are the month-long competition and the one-nighter competition. The statues that are part of the month-long competition are typically much larger and much more detailed. Most of the statues in the month-long competition are built by fraternities and sororities, with a few residence halls and student organizations joining in on the fun. The one nighter statues are built during the first night of Winter Carnival, Wednesday. This night is referred to as the "All-Nighter". All students participating in the statue competition must be done with their statues by 8:00 AM on Thursday morning. That means that students who participated in the one night competition have only had sixteen hours to work on their statues since their construction began at 4:00 PM on Wednesday. Statues must be pristine white and structurally sound; they must be self-supporting with no external scaffolding or hidden beams inside.

Winter Carnival Queen

One of Michigan Tech Winter Carnival's oldest traditions is the crowning of a Winter Carnival queen. This tradition began in 1928, six years after the first Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech, and has seen many different candidates through the years.[1] The competition begins with around 30 candidates in early December and makes it way down to the final eight competitors for Winter Carnival. The queen receives her crown of copper and a bouquet after she wins the competition of being judged on a talent like singing or acting, interview questions, academics, and involvement around campus the weekend before Winter Carnival.[2] Then it is said that the queen is to "reign of her land" and make appearances at hockey games, stage revues, and around the campus. This includes awarding the MVP of the hockey games a trophy, riding the Zamboni, judging snow sculptures, and being in the town parade.

Greek Involvement

During Winter Carnival Michigan Technological Universities’Greek community plays a large role. Winter Carnival is a huge tourist attraction, mostly because of the enormous snow statues. There are two different types of statues, month-long statues and one nighter statues. While this is a large part of Greek involvement in Winter Carnival, that is not the extent of it. Greeks also participate in a number of other activities in order to gain points to be the overall winner of Winter Carnival. Some of these activities include the statue competition, the Queen's competition, The Winter Carnival Stage Revue, Beards competition, and some athletic competitions. Being the overall winner of winter carnival is a very prestigious award and gives one fraternity and one sorority bragging rights until the next Winter Carnival. Link label

Blue Key National Honor Society

Special Events

See also

References

  1. "Winter Carnival Queen Finalist Selected" The Lode, Dec. 5, 2001. CCVF: Winter Carnival 2001. MTU Archives & CCHC.
  2. "Hancock Girl to Reign Over Carnival" Daily Mining Gazette, Jan. 17, 1936. CCVF: Winter Carnival 1936. MTU Archives & CCHC.

http://www.mtu.edu/carnival/

External links

  1. "History". Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
  2. "Schedule". Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
  3. "Blue Key". Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
  4. "Greek Life". Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
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