Posted on 11/19/2005 8:25:36 AM PST by urtax$@work
Burn night information
Burn will be held at Hot Rod Hill off of Hwy 21 northeast of Bryan/College Station, Tx on November 19, 2005. Gates open to the public at 4 pm. Bonfire is scheduled to burn at dark-thirty.
There will be on-site parking (weather permitting) before 6 p.m. and we strongly recommend parking on-site as parking is limited at the off-site locations. We urge you to carpool.
On-site parking directions: Exit Hwy 21, north of Bryan, and head east (right) on Hwy 21. Take a left at the flashing yellow light on to Marino Rd. Hot Rod Hill will be 1 mile down on the right.
more information can be found at- http://www.studentbonfire.com/
(Excerpt) Read more at studentbonfire.com ...
Make sure nobody gets fried this time. Also make it as big and as impressive as possible seeing as it will be the only highlight for A&M against Texas.
Speaking as the father of an Aggie currently attending the university, I reluctantly agree with your comment. The Longhorns are going to pound them like baby seals.
That bonfire reminds me of the Aggie's chances for a bowl game after this weekend.
They don't actually play until next Friday, so until then the Aggies can hope.
Glad to see the tradition continue. ESPN had a bunch of hand-wringers on this morning's pregame talking about goalpost 'incidents' - which are statistically similar to airline crashes - that is to say, 0.0000001% of the time. Still, they have their 'serious story' and an agenda.
IN LOVING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED BUILDING THE 1999 BONFIRE:
Nathan Scott West - Bellaire, Texas
Christopher Breen - Austin, Texas
Jamie Hand - Henderson, Texas
Jerry Self - Arlington, Texas
Lucas Kimmel - Corpus Christi, Texas
Jeremy Frampton - Turlock, California
Christopher Lee Heard - Houston, Texas
Bryan McClain - San Antonio, Texas
Chad Powell - Keller, Texas
Miranda Adams - Santa Fe, Texas
Michael Ebanks - Carrollton, Texas
Tim Kerlee, Jr. - Bartlett, Tennessee
doing what should be done?
got nothing better to do?
WOW...cool...like its on fire and stuff
I just heard it may not be allowed to happen due to drought conditions in the area and by order of local gov't.
Some of us spent many hours in our youth on bonfire.
Organizers say they'll risk fines to light bonfire
Organizers of an off-campus bonfire say they plan to light the log tower Saturday, despite warnings from law enforcement officials that anyone who helps set it ablaze could face a $500 fine.
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Eagle Photo/Butch Ireland
Organizers for the off-campus student bonfire gather with their lawyer, Kyle Davis (left), after learning about a commissions court meeting to be held concerning the burn ban.
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The decision followed a hectic series of meetings Friday involving Texas A&M University students, lawyers, county officials and a district judge. The fate of the event was in limbo for hours; discussion centered on whether it should be allowed while the county has a burn ban in effect because of drought conditions.
Brazos County officials kicked off the string of powwows when they secured a last-minute court order to prevent the burning, citing a need to enforce the law and ensure public safety. That was followed by a failed emergency effort in the commissioners court to consider lifting the burn ban.
By the end of the day, the court order had been lifted, though the burn ban remained in effect. And students organizing the bonfire said it would be worth violating the burn ban - and earning a Class C misdemeanor citation in the process - to see the structure go up in flames, as planned, about 30 minutes after sunset Saturday.
"You learn something every year," said Dion McGinnis, one of the leaders of Aggie Student Bonfire. "If you did not learn something, you're not doing your job.
"We're still gonna go and have a good time. We wouldn't let the Aggie family down."
The 11th-hour tribulations started when District Judge J.D. Langley issued an injunction Friday prohibiting the lighting of the bonfire, responding to a request by County Attorney Jim Kuboviak. But in doing so, Langley also agreed to allow the commissioners court to schedule an emergency meeting later in the day to consider rescinding the burn ban.
An emergency meeting was called, but only County Judge Randy Sims and Commissioner Duane Peters showed up - not enough for a quorum, so no action was taken. The students, frustrated and angry, then rushed upstairs to Langley's courtroom to appeal their case.
Following a meeting with the judge, Sheriff Chris Kirk and attorney Kyle Davis, who had agreed to represent the students earlier in the day, Langley decided to lift the injunction.
But he told the bonfire organizers they still could face citations and fines if they light the bonfire in defiance of the burn ban.
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Eagle Photo/Butch Ireland
County Judge Randy Sims says the burn ban is in place for the protection of residents.
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Violating the ban is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. By contrast, violating the injunction could have resulted in arrest for contempt of court, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Langley also told organizers to make the lighting as safe as possible if they go through with it.
"I am told that this is so important to the defendants in this case, they are willing to accept the consequences," Langley said, reading his decision. "If you're going to do this, do it orderly and peacefully so nobody gets hurt, and accept the consequences of your actions."
Langley went on to tell organizers "to do your homework" - meaning, be aware of burn ban restrictions - if they wanted to see the tradition of an off-campus bonfire continue in future years.
After the decision was read, the handful of bonfire leaders in attendance showed relief and said they were anxious to get back to putting the finishing touches on the stack before it burns at Hod Rod Hill, a racetrack north of Bryan.
Organizers learned at about 9 a.m. Friday that Kuboviak had requested an injunction and they might not be able to light the stack Saturday. Having little time to react, bonfire leaders went to the courthouse and brought Davis on board as their attorney after begging him for help, said Beth Weisinger, one of the organizers.
"We have put forth so much effort and have had a tremendous response," she said. "We're keeping preparations going, and that's all we can do."
About 800 students have given their time over the last two months to help build the four-tier structure, organizers said.
Outdoor burning in Brazos County has been against the law since early September, when the burn ban was enacted by the commissioners court because of severe drought conditions. But the students building the bonfire said this week that Sims had given them permission to light it anyway because the law made exceptions for "ceremonial acts."
Under state law, ceremonial fires can be exempted from a burn ban. But the county's ban is more restrictive - it doesn't allow ceremonial burns.
Sims said Friday that he never gave student organizers permission to light the bonfire despite the burn ban. Rather, he said, he hoped rains would come before the bonfire date, prompting county officials to end the ban.
"I thought even though [Hurricane] Rita didn't bring anything, we would get rain when the weather started changing," he said.
But the rains never came, and the ban remained in place.
This week, various officials - including Sims, Kirk and the County Attorney's Office - began discussing the upcoming bonfire. That's when Kuboviak decided to seek an injunction to prevent a violation of the burn ban.
"It all has to do with the law and the safety for citizens of Brazos County," said Rod Anderson, first assistant to the county attorney, explaining that the move was not an attempt to shut down the tradition. "We could not sit back and not take any action at all."
Numerous grass fires in the county in recent months have been blamed on illegal outdoor burning that got out of control. Bonfire organizers, though, said they have taken precautions to ensure a safe burn - including having firefighters and law enforcement on site.
The county was at about 700 out of 800 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index this week, Sims said. The index indicates fire hazard based on moisture amounts, with 800 indicating the maximum threat.
"As an Aggie, I would love for them to have a bonfire," Sims said. "But as a county judge, I'm not going to put my citizens in harm's way for a bonfire."
Kirk said he plans to have deputies at the site, and they will issue citations to those who light the bonfire. Organizers said they didn't know how many people would help torch it.
The sheriff said the event would be allowed to continue after citations are issued. Those who only helped build the bonfire and those who attend the event will not be issued tickets, he added.
"If they choose to light the fire tomorrow night, it will be my duty to issue citations," Kirk said. "We wouldn't have a burn ban in place if it was not concern for public safety."
Friday was the sixth anniversary of the Bonfire collapse on campus that killed 12 Aggies and injured 27 others. A&M officials banned the 90-year-old tradition from campus after the stack toppled, prompting students to build and burn bonfires off campus in the years since.
Posting that is really classless.
Student bonfire? That's hardcore. I assumed you guys used wood like everybody else. How do you work that, send some of the fellas over to Austin in a U-Haul truck, armed with blackjacks?
Did you read the final report?
http://www.tamu.edu/bonfire-commission/reports/Final.pdf
I've always admired the Aggies' bonfire. I love the tradition. Several of my cousins attended Texas A&M. And there were several of us who attended The University down the road in Austin. Good game and good luck on Friday (but not too good!)
Hook 'em Horns!
-Robert
p.s. I've worked on Stack... Dr. Gates and company need to get their act together, settle the suits, and have Bonfire (in some form) back on campus... preferably returning it to Duncan Field - where cricket... CRICKET... matches are played now.
Trajan88; TAMU Class of '88; Law Hall (may it R.I.P.) Ramp 9 Mule; f.u.p.!
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