For the past three years, the Light in Winter festival has provided a much-needed break from the lull of activity in cold and snowy Ithaca. The city offers the perfect venue for the festival’s recurring themes: education, natural beauty and art.

This weekend’s festival was once again a success. Events included art shows, musical performances and symposiums. This year’s festival, “Forces and Nature,” brought NASA’s first artist-in- residence, Laurie Anderson; Simon Shaheen and his Middle-Eastern jazz fusion ensemble Quantara; Brooklyn-based musician and artist Ken Butler; and astrophysicist Mario Livio, among others.

Last year’s event drew more than 5,000 people. Barbara Mink, producing artistic director, does not have this year’s final count, but she said more people attended this year and they came from even farther away.

Light in Winter is quickly becoming as much a part of Ithaca’s culture as Ithaca Festival and Apple Harvest Festival. Several dedicated individuals work hard all year to pull the festival together, and Ithaca College has participated from the beginning by providing venues, talent and monetary support.

Students should take advantage of the intellectual and artistic events to explore new ideas through music, art and science. Light in Winter provides local campuses a chance to mingle and share their work with Ithaca’s downtown community and vice versa.

Students should also take part in the festival to share their diverse talents. Volunteer opportunities for stage work, ushering and publicizing exist. Anyone interested in becoming involved with next year’s festival should contact Mink at bem5@cornell.edu.

Light in Winter offers an opportunity to bring the spirit of higher education into the city of Ithaca and the spirit of the city back up the hill.