CAB brings students into ‘winter wonderland’ at annual festival

Students keep warm with s'mores.

Snow globes hold Winter Fest memories.

Stopping in the igloo for hot chocolate

Food and drink tasting

Eastern Connecticut State University’s annual Winter Fest brightened the campus on Feb. 7. This event, a collaboration of Eastern’s Campus Activity Board (CAB), the Student Government Association and Eastern Eats, brought students together for food, music and seasonal festivities.

This year’s Winter Fest included both day and evening events. The daytime activities, which took place in the Student Center, allowed students to make stuffed penguins and polar bears, take festive photographs, decorate cookies and taste samples from Pepsi, Starbucks and chicken wings.

The evening events took place in Hurley Hall and in an inflatable igloo outside. A special dinner menu was served in Hurley, and a hot chocolate bar was available inside the igloo along with a photo booth. DJ Fire spun tunes inside Hurley, and students enjoyed s’mores outside.

While more than 325 students attended the daytime events, more than 750 attended in the evening. “Each year, we look to expand or change some of the activities to meet the needs and interests of our students,” said Alyssa Duffy, associate director of student activities.

Students were drawn in by the event’s sparkling appearance. “The decorations throughout the day set the tone and people really appreciated how it reinforced the theme and brought them into a winter wonderland,” said Sadie Blackwell, special events coordinator for CAB.

Ashley Kichar, daytime events assistant for CAB, was inspired to create an atmosphere that “felt like Bryant Park,” a public park in Manhattan. Kichar’s favorite portion of the festival was the wing-tasting contest. “Students had the opportunity to vote for their favorite flavor, and the winner will be served at the Student Center Food Court,” she said.

For Blackwell, the highlight of the festival was watching students’ reactions to the igloo. “It was rewarding watching their reactions to how big it was,” said Blackwell. “They were able to go inside to take a photo in the photo booth and get hot chocolate.”

Written by Noel Teter

Categories: Student Activities