HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

David Smith '04 learns that it's lonely at the top of 'Rocky Mountain,' one of Springfest's more popular attractions.

After a tenacious winter that kept its grip on New England even as April wound to a close, Sunday's balmy temperatures and sunny skies upstaged Springfest's burgers and ice cream, the climbing mountain and human foosball, even the impressive lineup of student bands. The celebration, open to the entire University community and in its second year of sponsorship by the Office of the President along with the Undergraduate Council, saw a record 10,000 revelers.

At the Earth Day festivities in Kirkland House quad, Alejandro Fernandez '04 (left), Lexi Tuddenham '05, and Esther Tian '05 mix fun with facts in a game of Eco-Resource Twister. Each circle represents food, biodiversity, water, and energy.

While main stage bands catered to youthful eardrums, the Lowell House quad was a playground for the truly young, with kiddie rides, a face-painting tent, and friendly appearances by Scooby Doo, Winnie the Pooh, and Minnie Mouse.

The grass - or at least the attitude - was greener in the Kirkland quad, where student environmental groups hosted an Earth Day celebration. Among the games and giveaways, one of Earth Day's more popular attractions was free bicycle tune-ups.

"I've tuned more bikes than I can count at this point," said a greasy-handed Keith Berkoben '04, president of the Harvard University Mountain Biking Association.

Spring fever elevated the tone of the festivities, as the promise of warmer days prompted many to shed layers and play hard after a long winter indoors.

"I just climbed the rock wall. I'm feeling very manly," boasted Lee McIntyre, associate director of the Center for Basic Research in the Social Sciences, who attended Springfest with his wife, Josephine Hernandez, and children Louisa and James.

Sarah Eno '03 and Lily Fink '03, both Californians, relaxed in the hard-won sunshine on a bench in the Lowell House quad, drying out after the previous night's soggy Senior Soirée.

"The weather and the watermelon have been the highlights," said Eno.

- Beth Potier