For the past decade, an average of 2,230 tickets were sold for the annual Winter Employee Celebration.

This year, an all-time high was reached – 3,560 employees, retirees and family members enjoyed the chicken parmesan and pasta dinner Feb. 16 in the Ramin Room of Bartels Hall. Lines moved quickly as more than 90 volunteer staff and students helped things run smoothly.

On-campus athletic events were additional draws for attendees. The Marc Deneault Invitational track and field competition was held throughout the day in Barton Hall, while women’s ice hockey preceded the dinner and men’s basketball followed. For their last home game of the season, the Big Red women skated past Yale, 4-0; Cornell’s men fell to Yale in a high-scoring basketball contest, 98-92.

Crossroads the Clown, Cornell University Police, the Cornell Astronomical Society and the Big Red Pep Band provided entertainment. And information on services such as Cornell Cooperative Extension’s energy programs, Fingerlakes Rideshare and the Campus-to-Campus bus service was on display.

“My thanks to Cornell Catering and to the employee and student volunteers –including those from the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity – who assisted with dinner and the children’s activities,” said Ashley Pellegrino, interim events manager for human resources. “Their efforts in setting up, welcoming attendees, taking tickets, serving dinner and beverages, and cleaning up afterward were critical to the success of the celebration.”

The 2019 Winter Employee Celebration was sponsored by CFCU Community Credit Union, Cornell Catering, the Department of Athletics and Physical Education, the Division of Facilities and Campus Services, the Division of Human Resources, Guthrie, Pepsico and Utz Quality Foods.