“Springfest definitely is a plus for Harvard, although I am a huge fan of Duke basketball...I haven’t yet made up my mind,” she said.

An ambulance waited in front of the MAC in case any Pedestal Jousts went too far. But nurses at the University Health Services (UHS) first aid booth said only one minor injury occurred during Springfest.

“This was nothing like last year, when a tent blew over. Several students received minor scrapes. One 12-year-old girl even broke her leg while jumping on one of the rides in a way she wasn’t supposed to and had to go to Mount Auburn [Hospital],” said Kathleen L. Tracy, chief of nursing at UHS.

Tracy said her two sons—ages 10 and 13—attended Springfest, along with her husband and 90-year-old mother.

A SOBER AF-FAIR

Although students praised this year’s Springfest, they bemoaned the lack of delicious snacks or “perishable food” forbidden by the city’s health code.

“Last year was better because there was ethnic food and ice cream,” Cece Keefe ’07 said. “But the event is totally worth attending. We need something like this once in awhile.”

Amanda M. Grosvenor ’04 said Harvard’s Springfest relied on stricter rules than most colleges’ spring festivals.

“I’m a transfer, and my old school definitely centered its event around drinking,” she said, declining to name her original college. “But this is still fun.”

Council representative Sean N. Karamchandani ’05, who is also a member of Quincy House Committee, said he had worked with other council members to arrange an “Alternative Springfest” in Quincy Courtyard, complete with 15 kegs.

“Despite our best efforts we couldn’t make alternative springfest happen. Our courtyard was booked, and so were the others,” Karamchandani wrote in an e-mail. “We’ll come back strong next year though, don’t you worry.”

McDaniel said he was not “too bummed” that alcohol was not served at Springfest.

“It would be terrible to have all the families here and the seniors getting trashed,” McDaniel said. “It would be a gong show if there was booze.”

“Frankly, it’s just not my choice,” McCambridge said of the dry atmosphere, though not referring to the weather. “I’d love to have alcohol [at Springfest], but we have to accommodate the people attending the event.”

FAIRLY REPRESENTATIVE