In 1925, Hamilton hosted its first winter carnival, which the College hoped would become a seasonal tradition. Past carnival events included: ice sculpture contests, dance parties, figure skating exhibitions, a queen of the carnival contest and a final formal event which featured the likes of Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller. The annual event waned in the late 1990s and was revived as FebFest in 2000. With a chocolate tasting, a chili cook-off, and comedy show, FebFest encourages students and staff members to reconnect with one another and this beautiful snow-filled campus. With fellow A&E editor Emma Mae Regan ’22, we decided to document our experiences at six of the 28 FebFest events.
On Day 1 (Tuesday, Feb. 11), the Febfest Kickoff took place at the Sadove Terrace from 12 to 1 p.m. with a live ice sculpting of a polar bear, accompanied by a hot chocolate and baked goods table. Posing beside the ice sculpture is my good friend Gigi de Hechavarria ’21. It was the perfect introduction to a week-long program of festivities.
From 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Events Barn, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted “Animals of the Arctic”, a Build-A-Bear style event where students could make their own stuffed arctic animal toy. However, there were only 100 animals available and so animals had already run out by the time we arrived. Emily Fienco ’23 shared her thoughts on the event: “My favorite part of the event was when people were going crazy over the stuffing and tiny t-sirts. I enjoyed seeing everyone turn on their maternal instincts and begin to take care of the stuffed animal they have chosen. In addition, my other favorite part was about how I was the last person to receive a stuffed animal! The Universe’s timing is always right. Sorry Mariam (my friend who was right behind me and got cut off).”
On Day 2 (Wednesday, Feb. 12), the Little Pub hosted “Beer Tasting with Ommegang Brewery” from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Although Emma Mae and I are both under 21 and could not participate, we were still able to interview some students who attended. Fiona Duckworth ’21 commented, “I went to the event because I love the atmosphere of the pub and I was interested in trying something new (and it helped that it was free). My favorite beer was probably (and surprisingly) the third one (I can’t remember the name, sorry), which was an IPA with a citrus taste to it. I’d definitely go again next year if FebFest decides to do it again. It was a great way to spend a Wednesday afternoon.”
At 8 p.m., CAB hosted a comedy show that featured Hamilton’s improv group, Yodapez, opening for law-student-turned-comedian, Guy Branum. Along with poking fun at how the Events Barn looked like it was “made by elves” and why students decided to attend a college with such cold winters, Branum also singled out audience members and playfully commented on their appearances.
On Day 3 (Thursday, Feb. 12), Emma Mae and I attended the Food Truck Rodeo at 4:30 p.m. on the Sadove Terrace. The four food trucks present were from Mangia Macrina, Ting’s Twist on Thai, Holy Smoques and Jefe’s Taco Truck. Emma Mae and I opted for Mangia Macrina and acquired two delicious margherita pizzas.
At 8 p.m., CAB hosted an acoustic concert with Myles Cameron as opener and bülow as the main singer. Myles Cameron is a 21-year-old senior at Yale University originally from Westchester, New York. His recently released single, “Yellow”, was one of my favorite song that he performed. The ballad-like melody, mixed with the artist’s falsettos and angelic lyricism, transported me to a warm dream day with my crush that I never want to wake up from. In contrast, bülow (real name Megan Bülow) is a 20-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter originally from the Netherlands. I was actually familiar with bülow’s music before the concert and I am a big fan of her albums “Damaged Vol. 2” and “Crystalline”. bülow started her set with “You and Jennifer”, which was inspired by a real-life cheating situation. My other song favorites are “SAD AND BORED”, “Get Stüpid”, “FINE” and “Euphoria”. The concert was a fun oportunity for students to discover new music and just vibe on a Thursday night.
On Day 4 (Friday, Feb. 13), students celebrated Valentine’s Day with a chocolate tasting in Sadove Student Center living room on at 4:30 p.m. Students piled their plates with chocolate mousse, chocolate cheesecake and other decadent desserts. They also had the opportunity to decorate Valentine’s Day cards for their significant others.
We finished off the FebFest festivities with the College’s 27th Annual Chili Cook-Off, which took place in the Little Pub on Saturday, February 15 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The event brought students, professors and staff together to compete, eat and share the result of their cooking abilities with one another. We submitted our own chili dish, called “Clown Confection”, which we cooked Friday afternoon in the fourth floor Root Dorm common room. All participants, cookers and tasters were allowed to vote among the chili samples made by members of the Hamilton community. Participants were given a sheet with a list of the different chili names to make their vote. While tasters tried different chili samples, the cookers - — draped with navy blue aprons — did what they could to promote their own chili. Even though we did not win the competition, Emma Mae and I had a lot of fun attending each of the events. We gained a deeper appreciation of the campus through this experience and look forward to participating in next year’s FebFest.
