NMH Magazine : Winter 2008

The Winter of Our Content

to pass the long new england winters, NMH students have relied on tried-and-true traditions such as Winter Carnival and Founder’s Day, while adding improvisations of their own. The following pages capture the spirit of winter fun over the decades.

tray sledding, 1980s
The emergence of cafeteria-style dining in the late 1960s led to the ubiquitous sight of students using trays as sliding apparatus. The practice continued for decades until the switch to a textured tray with a higher drag coefficient took both the speed and the fun out of the practice. This past fall, in an effort to cut food waste, even the textured trays disappeared from general use, so this form of sliding is sure to become a lost art at NMH.

northfield students, 1894
Dressed warmly if not comfortably, these sledders from the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies pose in the snow. Rising from the hill behind them are Stone Hall and Talcott Library.

a barrel of fun, 1950s
Winter Carnival featured all manner of activities, including this obstacle course where participants made their way downhill on skis, passed through barrels with skis still firmly attached to their feet, then raced back up the hill. Film footage from the archives has recently been digitized and brings this activity to life in full color.

winter carnival king and queen, 1948
From the Northfield Star, February 4, 1948: “The highlight of the day will be the coronation of the King and Queen of Carnival whose identities will remain secret until they are actually seen in the royal procession, coming down to the athletic field from some previously unknown direction. Winter sports enthusiasm, good posture, and dignity were the chief characteristics in nominating each candidate, who will be part of the royal court if not elected to reign over the Carnival festivities. Joan Donnally (king) and Joan Marsland (queen) took the honors.”

founder’s day dinner, 1923
Founder’s Day has been celebrated variously over the years, from a somber memorial service less than two months after D. L. Moody’s death in 1899 to the festive. By the time of the first Northfield and Mount Hermon joint celebration in 1923, shown here, the day had taken on much of the latter spirit. West Hall is decorated with crepe ribbons, and the male hosts are decked with amusing headgear.

down the chute, 1969
Winter carnival spilled off the Northfield campus and down to the far end of Highland Avenue, where the toboggan run at the Northfield Inn awaited. The joy of the downhill run was slightly tempered by the lack of a fancy hydraulic lift to raise toboggans to the top of the slide, though the child lying on the sled at center seems to have found a free ride up as well as down.

ski joring, 1950s
The sport of ski joring leapt across the Atlantic from Norway in the 1950s. Still and moving photography suggest that it was quickly taken up at the schools. Races were held on athletic fields, and even the more genteel Northfield Inn provided equipment for the Johnny- come-lately enthusiast.

sleigh bells ringing, 1940s
During the 1930s and ’40s, a staple of Northfield’s Founder’s Day activities was a sleigh ride for all students.

winter carnival, 1964
The winter of 1964 marked the first joint Northfield/Mount Hermon winter carnival. As the yearbook put it, “Bells ringing across campus announced our first day of fun in the snow with Mt. Hermon. Flying saucers, crackling bonfires, schussing skiers, fantastic snow statues, soon-overturned toboggans, laughing king and queen, a Beatle-infested sock-hop—all around a world of wintry fun.”

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