With a month left until Spring Break, this weekend’s 75th annual Winter Carnival hopes to add some spice to the winter doldrums and break a Guinness world record.

Winter Carnival kicks off Thursday and continues all weekend with events such as moonlight snowshoeing, horse-drawn carriage rides, a chili cook-off and an attempt to break the Guinness world record for the world’s largest snowball.

‘There is a lot of things going on you will never be able to do again,’ said Dennis Jacobs, a coordinator for the carnival. ‘How many people can say they helped with the world’s biggest snowball?’

An attempt to break the Guinness world record for the largest snowball is set to take place Saturday starting at noon on the quad in front of Hendrick’s Chapel. The current record was set in the United Kingdom in January of 2003 by 13-year-old Nicole Pharo at 5 feet 3 inches in diameter.

Jacob’s said this record isn’t that large and is very feasible to break.

‘Not only do we want to break this record, we want to really break it,’ Jacobs said. ‘This is an event for everybody.’

Jacobs said when he heard about the idea for this event as part of the Winter Carnival he was all for it.

‘I said, ‘Oh yes, let’s go,” he said. ‘Why not make a statement about the snow? We want to embrace the snow and break the record at the same time.’

Jacobs said he is not concerned about the current lack of snow for the event because in case there is no snowfall between now and Saturday morning, snow will be delivered from the snow depot at Skytop.

‘I would have never thought I would have to bring snow to Syracuse,’ Jacobs said.

The snow depot is an accumulation of all of the snow that has been removed on campus so far this year and three truck loads will be delivered Saturday morning if necessary.

‘We need everybody’s help,’ Jacobs said. ‘Let’s show that Syracuse can do something with the snow except cry about it.’

Amanda Truglio, co-director of the carnival, said trying to break the record fits into Winter Carnival perfectly.

‘We realized we live on a campus that gets pounded with snow,’ she said. ‘We might as well take advantage of it.’

Another major event is a chili cook-off on Thursday which will bring new head football coach Greg Robinson in to judge the recipes. Truglio said Robinson will be accompanied by several members of the football team and the prize for the winning recipe is a snowboard.

Other events on Thursday include the Totally Fabulous III Drag Show, a showing of ‘Cool Runnings’ by University Union Cinemas in Watson Theater and a plethora of give-a-ways.

Eric Crites, a coordinator for the carnival, said the Syracuse Orange bracelets will help to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network, an organization which is working to build a new children’s hospital in the Syracuse area.

Another event is an improvisational comedy show Friday by four members of the Upright Citizens Brigade and Zamboni Revolution.

‘It’s going to be amazing,’ Jacobs said. ‘We’re really happy to bring UCB.’

Also Friday will be an ice sculptor display and a men’s ice-hockey game.

Saturday will include horse-drawn carriage rides throughout campus, a women’s ice hockey game versus Cornell and a performance by Campus Cabaret.

Sunday has been deemed ‘Snow day’ and will be a day of snow shoeing and igloo building on the quad.

‘We wanted to make this year something special’ Truglio said. ‘We wanted to kind of appreciate the snow.’

Published on February 15, 2005 at 12:00 pm