For a lot of students, part of NMU’s allure is its seasonal identity as a snow-lover’s paradise.
Starting Friday, Feb. 15, student groups, residence hall houses and other university-affiliated organizations will be competing against each other in the 2013 NMU WinterFest, an event that special events committee adviser Lizzie Corser said is a reminder of the place students hold dear.
“From a student perspective, WinterFest is an opportunity to celebrate the winter wonderland we all fell in love with at Northern,” Corser said. “From an organizations perspective, it’s a great way to create community for the group and reach out to new members.”
From the notorious human sled dog races to the airband competition, the week-long event is a celebration of school spirit, said special events coordinator Jordan Paquet.
“It starts with the U.P. 200, and all week long we’ll have competitions for students to win some free stuff, as well as cash prizes,” Paquet said.
The U.P. 200, an annual sled dog race which runs through downtown Marquette, starts at 7 p.m. on Washington Street. The next WinterFest event, the kick-off for a campus-wide game of Clue, begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17 in Pioneer Room B of the UC.
“For Clue, we’ll have a medallion hid on campus and release clues about where it’s hidden,” Paquet said.
Clues will be distributed every night, until Friday, Feb. 22, or until the medallion is found.
From 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, the Marketplace will be holding a WinterFest dinner to match this years theme — “Winter Nights and Carnival Lights.”
“The Marketplace will be serving food that goes along with the theme, in this case it’ll be carnival food,” Paquet said.
A banner competition will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at the Berry Events Center, followed by an open skate from 6 to 9 p.m. Groups are encouraged to decorate banners that support WinterFest and the men and women’s basketball teams, and will be displayed throughout the week at the basketball games versus Lake Superior State University.
An airband competition will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20 in Jamrich 102. Groups will compete by choosing a song to lip sync and choreograph dances to. The Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center will be hosting a euchre tournament at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 in the Great Lakes Rooms of the UC.
The human sled dog races will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 on the Payne/Halverson fields.
“The groups get to make their own sled out of whatever materials, some choose a shopping cart,” Paquet said. “Then they race around the course on the Payne/Halverson fields.”
Saturday’s events will end with the broomball championship game at 3 p.m. behind the Superior Dome.
At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, the Beaumier Heritage Center will be sponsoring a Great Yooper Folk Dance in the Great Lakes Rooms, and there will be a Women’s Hair Drive from noon to 5 p.m. on the Payne/Halverson Lobby.
“Winners for each event will get a lot of free stuff, and the overall winner will get bragging rights and a $200 cash prize,” Paquet said.
Paquet also said students interested in helping to plan activities like WinterFest are encouraged to attend meetings. The special events committee meets on Mondays at 7 p.m. in the Back Room of the University Center.
The deadline to submit entries for the airband competition, human sled dog races, Clue and the banner competition is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Completed entry forms, which can be found at www.nmu.edu/winterfest, should be turned in to Room 1205 of the UC.
For more information about NMU WinterFest, call the special events committee at (906) 227-1622.
