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GreaterUpperValley.com

Don’t Miss the Annual Occom Pond Party In Hanover This Weekend

Feb 06, 2015 01:09PM ● By Victoria Pipas
Get out your skates, boots, hockey sticks, sleds, or whatever other equipment you deem practical for sliding around on ice and snow. The 17th Annual Occom Pond Party, a full-on family event, will take place this year on Saturday, February 7. From noon to 3pm, Occom Pond will be loaded with locals and others enjoying winter’s most entertaining gift—ice!

The frozen pond itself will be brimming with activities. Participants are encouraged to join in festivities that include speed skating, couch potato races, human dogsled races, and Banathalon races (you’ll have to show up to find out what the this race entails). With a family-friendly competitive spirit on the pond, both children and adults can participate safely. Everyone is a winner here just for getting out on the ice. Besides the reward of a break from winter’s woes, treats include sugar-on-snow made with boiled maple syrup and marshmallows toasted by an outdoor fire. When your appetite really kicks in, head inside the Dartmouth Outing Club House to purchase a cup of hot chocolate and a broiled hot dog on a bun. You’ll need provisions after skating and playing for hours!

Kids should come prepared with snow gear, hats, gloves, boots, and skates (and it’s a good idea to have some extras on hand when mittens or socks get damp). They will want to go from skating around the pond to sledding down the golf course’s hills. Best of all, they will enjoy sliding down the Polar Bear Butt Ice Slide and the Ice Luge, as well as exploring all the Winter Carnival ice sculptures that grace the pond’s perimeter.

Each year, the Occom Pond Party attracts a few thousand hardy participants to play, skate, and revel in winter. Whether you’re a Dartmouth student or a resident of the Upper Valley, you’ll enjoy the opportunity to skate around Hanover’s most pristine and glassy winter landmark, Occom Pond.

The party team can use as many extra hands as it can get! To volunteer, call Bill or Liz at (603) 643-5315. Help make history by supporting the 18th Annual Occom Pond Party!

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