I like this idea. I'm not quite ready to move on from Bonfire yet, but I like this. Instead of "Cut" we'd have "Dig". That's kinda cool... But instead of symbolizing the 12 (we're building a memorial already) the 12 Bonfires could be for the 12th Man. WHOOP!

Robin '03

I'm loving this idea fellas. I also liked the idea of having a giant cookout--you can't say no too food!!! Im me--I'm in.

Boogie on...man.
Whoop!03

Fantastic idea,

The fact of the matter is the THOSE 12 PEOPLE deserve to be remebered, forever, and each of them DESERVES a fire of their own.

If we did it like that, we would all be there.

OK, guys!

Sounds good!

I am an "old Ag" class of 1991. I gave you guys the foundation of an idea. Now it time for the STUDENTS to take the ball and run with it. Anything that happens with this idea will have to be STUDENT-LED. So LEAD! I'll lend my support in anyway I can, but you current A&M students will have to be the people that take action!

I hear that there is a Bonfire Rally at Rudder at 4pm Tuesday. Bring the idea up. Maybe it will catch on.

I like the idea of 12 smaller bonfires. With a coordinated effort, this could be pulled off. Private funds could be raised to provide safety training for students wishing to participate. There are enough Ags in the construction business that "supervision" at the stacks and the cutting areas could be arranged. If necessary, participating students and their parents or legal guardian could sign a release holding the University harmless in case of any accident. Just a thought.

I have an idea for a fund raiser for the above. During the week of the tu game, a BEVO (13-0) BBQ/FAJITA FEAST could be held. There are numerous longhorn breeders throughout the State. Purchase a number of longhorn steers and if necessary, finish feed them for a period of time before they are slaughtered. Longhorns are not quality beef cattle but for this purpose, they will suffice.

The menu would have several choices of meat. There would be longhorn pit bbq, longhorn hamburgers, longhorn beef sausage (mild and hot link), and longhorn fajitas. Serve various side dishes and maroon velvet cake for desert. Make it an all-you-can-eat affair and charge $20 or so per person.

A non-profit organization would need to be established. It would be known as AETL (Aggies Eating Tasty Longhorns). This organization could handle the funds as needed for the 12 smaller bonfires listed above.

Burning Bevos?

I thought that the bonfire had nothing to do with the University of Texas?

I like the idea of the 12 smaller bonfires to remember the fallen, but come on burning Bevos?

I know that aggies don't care what outsiders think of them, but my God this really looks like some kind of pagan ritual.

This is a great Idea.... now organize the effort... I think you could get the administration behind this... as far as the bevo idea.. maybe over every pit you could roast a whole cow... like they do with pigs (I think its possible) you need to organize a petition and send it to Dr. Bowen, also put your idea in the mailcall for the Batt.. if you don't know where the batt is its across from Heaton Hall in the Read building basement... if I can help e-mail me at derrick_farrell@hotmail.com

I edited my initial post to reflect some changes.

And the regular Bonfire WASN'T like some kind of pagan ritual????


Actually I kinda like the burning of the Bevos, BUT getting them into the pit while it's burning seems a safety issue (Forget that dropping them in from a tower above it business), and walking up and dumping them in is asking for trouble, especially with the alcohol consumption on Bonfire night. Designated Dumper, anyone?

HOWEVER, launching them in from catapults on the perimeter might be cool. That would take engineering and artillery practice.

OR, if a weight limit could be used they could be dropped from a clothesline type apparatus with remote control release over the pit.

Why restrict the paper machie to bevos? build the entire tu campus in papre macchi and burn that! You could build all the buildings and put them close enought together so that they would catch fire spontaneously when you lit just one of them or just pile'em up. Have that darel roaly mimmorial stadum and that tower and that drum thing, and all them buildings built many times and piled up.

Pile 'em all up load a bunch of paper bevos on 'em put the tu outhouse on top, and light it up! Burn the entire tu campus!!

Of course we would need to start saving newspapers right now. Saving newspapers for the new Bonfire would be something all Aggies everywhere could do. All the Former Students could save their newspapers and in the spring and summer Aggies could go around the state picking up the saved newspapers and bringing them back to A&M to store for use as soon as school started in the fall.

I'll start saving my newspapers for this effort.
It would save lots of wood and trees and keep students from getting chainsaw cuts. We would have to get insurance against paper cuts though. UhOh, that might keep Bowdey from allowing it. Dang!!

The "Bevo delivery silde" would be like the ramp that you see used in the long jump competition in the winter olympics.

The students could contruct the Bevo around a shopping cart (its got wheels!!)

Now the dorms would "launch" their Bevo down the "Bevo delivery slide" (i.e. ramp)

Picture the Bevos flipping in the air as they fall to their firery doom. Plus, the body of the Bevo would be hollow--like a pinata--and could be filled with gasoline--or firecrackers--lol!

BOOM!

Yall are kidding right?



[This message has been edited by ken0860 (edited 2/5/2002).]

I agree totally! We need to get out of these ideas of renegade Bonfires, because we all know, they would not be too impressive anyways. We need to forget about those that say Bowen is not a true aggie, See my forum, "Was Bowen Right Or Wrong". I agree that Bonfire will continue as long as we want it too. We just have to keep strong and keep it moving. We cannot let those who do not want Bonfire to win.

I like the idea that was mentioned about the smaller Bonfire or Bonfires. Very creative, and good idea, but lets see what we can do with this. Lets not go trying to jump in and do exactly what has been put in front of us. We are all aggies, we are very clever and could think of some wonderful things that we could do with Bonfire. This is just one EXAMPLE.

But good idea, i like it.

Count me in on all examples because we will have Bonfire one day. Lets just put our heads together and imagine some ideas.

I'm sorry, and this is nothing personal, but I think this idea is lame. I think it's amazingly corny, but perhaps the positive reception it's received on this thread is just an indication of how desperate we are for something that has the unifying effect of Bonfire.

And, no, I don't have any alternatives to suggest. Just please, step back and think about this one. IMO, it's sad.

Yeah, if the Pit of Fire doesn't work out, I've got no problem with burning some trash on the Polo Fields until UPD shows up next year.

Yeah, if the Pit of Fire doesn't work out, I've got no problem with burning some trash on the Polo Fields until UPD shows up next year.

Please back away from the crack pipe...

Slowly...

Gunner-- Im with you on this one. This could be the dumbest thing i've ever read on the boards. "Paper Bevos" "Bevo delivery slides" "Students can only use shovels"

This is pure comedy.

I think i agree with Keegan too. What part of "there will be no bonfire" do these people not understand?

Ok Joey, just keep being negative, but when we do have bonfire again one year, dont show your face.

It would be more entertaining if you would just line up old Aggie alumni that work for the governor's office and take turns sucker punching them.

y'all that are being negative-- many of you have seen a bonfire, and I, as a member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2003 (whoop!) am lucky enough to have seen Bonfire '98 burn before i arrived, but a large number of my class and newer has never seen one. this is in the concept stage right now. so, to all you who say the pit is a stupid idea, you come up with an idea. I like the fact that a member of '91 would write in with an idea. That is the type of alumni input we need. y'all have seen one, have experienced Bonfire. I've experienced only a small part of what it was. This campus needs something to unify it. there. that's my rant. and thank you, BQbassdrum91, for a hell of a good idea.

I definately commend the creative thinking of everyone on here. I think these are all great ideas. Just a tidbit of advice from someone whose intended business is selling ideas: the way you frame and phrase your idea will make its appeal either attractive or unattractive. I do not knock your idea, as I think that it has some potential (and if anything may spur more ideas), but some thing to think about: Why are we not having bonfire this year? liability and media. Labelling something the "pit of fire" is neither attractive nor sellable outside of those students that would have supported it to begin with. Something like the "Unity Fire" or something would be more appropriate. Just something to think about. Keep up the great work Ags!

OK, I like the start of this. Here's my additions.

I can understand why everyone wants to do 12 separate mini bonfires in remembrance of the 12 fallen Ags and in support of the 12th man. However, I think the main event would be the pit. I know everyone wants to come up with a way to put a lot of hard work into this, but I don't think anything we will be able to do in this legal environment will be very time consuming. Digging the pit would be partially that, though. As far as the 12 bonfires, why don't we make something more permanent for those 12 fires, instead. Something similar to the olympic torch which burns on oil (I think). It would be very cool to light all of those first in a bit of a quiet ceremony before the pit gets lit in a very loud ceremony. Of course a yell practice is involved here. This whole idea basically takes the need for engineering design and safety contractor almost totally out of it. Thus, we don't have to pay for the frigging liability insurance every year.

I definitely think that each dorm throwing something into the pit is a great idea. Maybe put limits on the weight or something so it stays safe.

As far as the BBQ idea, I see a cookoff similar to the chili cookoff held for Houston Livestock show and rodeo. For those not familiar, there are lots of separate booths set up that are either public or private. Most have big corporate sponsorship. This is basically the biggest tailgate party every invented. The booths would be set up all over the polo grounds and are designed by each group. I could see huge former student involvement here. That plus, selling of BBQ or money raising events for charities could also be involved here. Well that's enough for now. Ya'll add on.

Gig'em

If we don't want to do a cow pit why don't we hire some Amish to help build Bonfire? They have been building huge timber structures for years and are well versed in doing it safely.

The twelve fires is a good idea (a natural perimeter). The pit, isn't bad, but if you had 40,000 people on the polo fields, the pit would be an anticlimactic center piece.

What if you create a massive ATM out of something slow burning and light that as the center-piece. (I'm thinking about a wood super structure with a flammable, slow burning, covering). You could build it all on the ground and erect it a couple of days before t+1.

If you could get about 30 minutes of burn time out of it, you could run yell practice with it burning in the background. Very cool, unique, higly visible and would look great in pictures (on tv?).

It would be unique, engineered, massive, and flammable. That meets my requirements. The 12 fires create a perimiter around the fall zone for safety.

Students should cut the wood for the 12 fires.

-Pooh-Ah! Whoop!
"Those things we achieve too easily, we esteem too lightly" -some drunk yellow pot

How about a giant longhorn latrine? 500,000 people could assemble to crap on tu.

Georgi - good idea - maybe we could set the TP on fire afterwards in the pit.

Taft alienated many liberal Republicans who later formed the Progressive Party, by defending the Payne-Aldrich Act which unexpectedly continued high tariff rates. A trade agreement with Canada, which Taft pushed through Congress, would have pleased eastern advocates of a low tariff, but the Canadians rejected it. He further antagonized Progressives by upholding his Secretary of the Interior, accused of failing to carry out Roosevelt's conservation policies.

I don't know about the 12 mini-bonfires, but the "pit" idea with the homemade BEVOs is fantastic. Teamwork and creativity with the BEVOs would probably be incredible. The digging would be along the same lines as the blister-inducing cut and stack.

Kudos to anyone that attempts to get this thing going. Even if it never gets going, I think it's a great idea.

It is sad to see the state of affairs in Aggieland has fallen to honestly discussing a pit of fire.

Maybe building X number of Houses for Habitat for Humanity would be just as uplifting (not a large single project, but definately worthwhile) and would garner even more support - not only from within, but outside the confines of Agggieland.

I have mourned for the 12, the injured and the greater Aggie Family, and now i mourn for Bonfire and future Ags who can't participate in a defining moment in Aggie life.

NO FLAMES INTENDED

That's alot of dirt being dug out of the ground. What could we do with it so it could be used to fill in the pit again in December? Maybe make one big pile positioned back away from the hot spots for the Yell Leaders, Band, football team, etc. Or use one big pile closer to the pit to help roll your Bevos to their demise.

I think parts of this idea and some of the later suggestions are pretty clever. The BBQ/tailgate aspect of it that some have added, a la the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, is pretty cool and it fits A&M. Wouldn't an all-night BBQ/tailgate be phenomenal? The SEC has the world's biggest cocktail party, why couldn't A&M have the world's biggest BBQ? The party atmosphere could be a real hoot, and you could probably get corporate sponsorships for tents and booths and the like that would create proceeds to donate to some charity, or perhaps an A&M-related cause.

The problem as many have said is that anything involving a significant fire and construction at A&M will be a tough sell, regardless of whether there are high schools that do the same thing (and did you ever think that high schools are probably going to start seeing their bonfires discontinued for the same reason?). A&M is marked right now for any kind of large "woodburning" event, and liability insurance may be cost prohibitive no matter how safe it is. That's just a result of the climate that ambulance chasing attorneys have created in the U.S. (I'm a lawyer, so maybe I can say that). And if the expected cost for future bonfires is over $1,000,000, I agree that there have to be better uses for that money.

Anyway, I like the creativity. Ideally, something like the world's largest BBQ could be intertwined with a huge public service project like the Big Event,or at least generate proceeds toward some good cause. I will miss bonfire, but it was always a shame to see all that work go toward a fire that left nothing tangible behind. Maybe we can come up with a new tradition that can replace bonfire and still offer much of the same comaraderie, while at the saem time doing some fund raising for a good cause (and it doesn't necessarily have to involve a huge conflagration).

I like the idea of keeping the outhouse. How about a large outhouse surrounded by 12 smaller bonfires that catch the outhouse on fire. The whole night can be an Aggie Family Reunion of sorts where specific classes can have their own gathering areas, with BBQ, entertainment, and the lighting of the 12 bonfires and yell. Maybe even have fireworks rigged inside the outhouse, but maybe I'm going a step too far.

OK, so maybe we're too stuck on the idea of a wood-built structure or structures that will later be burnt?? Perhaps we're too stuck on fire period??

I like the idea of the "World's Biggest BBQ". That'd be cool and a great reason to get the entire A&M family together. Perhaps afterwards we meet in the middle of the Polo Fields for Yell. Turn off all the lights around and have the yell leaders lit by 12 Olympic style torches?

Anything to celebrate the Spirit with the Aggie family is good for me. I just want to see some other ideas coming out of the woodwork as well (no offense to this one, but let's get creative, let's have several...think Ags, think!).

Go and see the new PIT of FIRE in a 3D computer generated picture!

www.buzzard-golf.com/pitoffire2002/index.htm

[This message has been edited by BQbassdrum91 (edited 2/5/2002).]