Michigan Tech University Kicks Off Winter Carnival On Wednesday

Michigan Technological University serves up “Tasty Foods for Wintry Moods” at its 101st Winter Carnival this Feb. 8-11.

The region’s largest seasonal festival fires up Wednesday, Feb. 8, as students construct one-night snow statues and complete monthlong builds during the legendary All-Nighter. From cheers at the broomball rinks to dance jams thumping from a wall of snow-embedded speakers, campus will be alive with sound and motion throughout the evening. Other events during the fun-filled week include human ice bowling, snow soccer, snow volleyball, sleigh rides and more.

Like pickled eggs, braving the cold all night to build statues from snow and ice is an acquired taste. Thousands of Huskies over the years have acclimated to both Tech traditions. They, and the crowds taking in the spectacle, will be nourished during the slush-packing, ice-axing, sculpture-ironing marathon by additional food options this year, said MTU Blue Key National Honor Society President Joe Dlugos. (Blue Key is the student organization responsible for staging Winter Carnival.)

“With this year’s food theme, we took on a new adventure of accepting external vendors,” said Dlugos. The preliminary list of participating eateries includes The Forge, Chicago Beefs and Jim’s Pizza. “We will still have the favorites everyone loves, including pasties, chili, the Huskies Pep Band’s fried foods and Guardians of the North (Air Force ROTC)’s pancake breakfast,” Dlugos said.

Also this year, in conjunction with local volunteers, the City of Houghton will be creating a snow lounge on the new waterfront pier downtown. Houghton City Manager Eric Waara said the city’s original idea was a snow maze, but the endeavor lost steam due to the January thaw, so they shifted plans. “We’ll try our hand at building couches, loveseats and coffee (or the beverage of your choice) tables,” he said. “If anyone wants to help, dress warm and bring a shovel. We’ll shuttle water for slushing. It won’t be as elaborate as the student pros, but it should be fun.”

Students have until 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, to complete snow statues; judging follows at 9:30 a.m., with results announced late Thursday afternoon. Statue sites are also located along College Avenue in Houghton and at the Phi Kappa Tau House in Hancock.

Get the full menu of events on the Winter Carnival website and stay tuned to Michigan Tech News for updates throughout the week.