SARANAC LAKE — A list of 85 suggestions was whittled down to five themes, which are now in the running to be the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival theme next year — “Music Legends,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Fire and Ice,” “Once Upon a Carnival” and “Steampunk.” The public will be able to put their support behind on their favorite in an Enterprise poll next week.
The results of this poll will help inform the decision next month, when Carnival Committee members and the public will officially vote on a 2025 theme.
The committee was presented with a list of 85 theme suggestions on Tuesday, even more than last year, when there were 50 suggestions.
In the first round of voting, each committee member got to vote for three of the themes to whittle them down to the top 11. Out of those 11, they then got two votes to pick the top five.
Those top five were Music Legends, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fire and Ice, Once Upon a Carnival and Steampunk.
On April 16, there will be a meeting to decide which of these themes will be the 2025 theme. This meeting is open to the public. Anyone who shows up gets a vote. It will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Elk’s Lodge in Saranac Lake.
The Enterprise poll will open up on Monday and close the following Sunday night. The results of this poll will be published in the Enterprise on Tuesday and shared with the Carnival Committee. Enterprise polls can be found at the bottom of the home page at adirondackdailyenterprise.com and the results are posted in the “Editorials” section.
The themes
Music Legends has been in the running for Carnival theme for several years now. Music is always a big part of Carnival, from the fireworks shows, to the parade, the concerts and playlists all over town.
This theme would specifically highlight the stars whose music made major impacts through the decades — from pop stars to rock icons.
Cheeseburger in Paradise would be a tropical, beach party theme heavily inspired by the musician Jimmy Buffett. The person who pitched this theme said next year’s Carnival is the first to be eligible after Buffett’s passing in September 2023.
“The Chief Parrothead has always preached to be kind to your neighbors, take things slow and make time for a little wandering,” they wrote in their pitch to the Carnival Committee.
The trademark for the term “Cheeseburger in Paradise” has expired, the submitter explained, including links and research to back up their argument.
Official Carnival photographer Meachele Manchester pitched the Fire and Ice theme. She said as she photographs Carnival events she sees all the cool ways people have of illuminating the ice — chiefly the Ice Palace — as well as the fires for warmth and entertainment like at the Mount Pisgah torchlight skiing.
She said this could be expanded to things that glow, too, as glow sticks are common with the festivities. Plenty of things glow, she said, giving the example of bioluminescent deep-sea fish.
Once Upon a Carnival is a fairy tale theme with a rich catalogue of folklore, cautionary tales, whimsical lands and magical creatures to pull inspiration from.
These could be ancient stories like those of the Brothers Grimm, more modern ones like the works of J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis or 21st century renditions like “Shrek.” Fairy tales are often stories traditionally written for children which have survived the ages because of their moral, emotional and philosophical impact on adults.
These tales come with a host of talking animals, winged creatures, giants and magicians and come from all corners of the globe.
Steampunk is a sci-fi aesthetic combining the dress, tools and ideas of the 19th century Victorian era with speculative fiction about a divergent path of technological progression. It imagines what the world would look like if steam became the main method of machine power instead of electricity. Think dirigibles and zeppelins powered by steam as the main mode of transportation, people wearing top hats with cogs on them, mechanical arms and plenty of welding goggles.
This form of retrofuturism has inspired countless works of art in literature, fashion, film and the visual arts.
This year, committee members developed a written policy for theme selection. Theme ideas must be family-friendly, not trademarked and not used within the last 20 years. They must be submitted through email, not social media, no later than March selection meeting, which was held on Tuesday. There are to be no last-minute suggestions at the April meeting.