University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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Parties Foster Tradition hen you get down to it, KU students love to relax and have fun. The Lawrence bars and private clubs reflect only one aspect of this. The frustration and fatigue that students have endured have generated parties that are now traditions. Some raise money for philanthropiesp others just raise a little hell. All are creative, unusual and even - macabre. Welcome to Macabre. A dainty southern belle wearing a hoop skirt dances with a male playgirl bunny clad in black tights and a white, fuzzy tail. Welcome to Macabre. A Richard Nixon look-alike makes his way through the crowd, while a colonial gentleman struts to a Rolling Stones tune. Welcome to Macabre. Macabre came to Lawrence Opera House on Oct. 26, 1981. This party was open to all students, but students in Psychology of Satisfaction 574 received a minimal amount of points for attending. Maynard Shelly, KU psychology professor, has been teaching the class for 15 years, but the party has had a five or six year tradition, he said. One of the things stressed Qin the coursej is to accept more opportunities, he said. Students are encouraged to meet or talk to people that they wouldn't usually talk to, he said. He thinks the party provides the atmosphere for this. There is a risk involved in acting strange, he said, but by taking the risk you learn more of what you're capable of. Shelly said that someone who dressed up as a general, for example, may find a confidence in himself that he didn't know existed, and he might be able to apply that to his life. Most of the parties are outside of classes and within the living organizations. Students who returned to Lawrence for Country Club Week before school began might have attended the annual block party held in front of the Scholarship Halls on Alumni Place. The street in front of the chancellor's driveway was blocked off - with permission, of course. Scholarship hall residents received free passes, and other students were charged 51. The band that played- was Jasper. Some residents of Hashinger Hall enjoy making their own music. Once a month on Friday afternoon, they set up a stage with lights, and the students have a jam session. Money collected during dinner usually goes for refreshments, but occasionally, as on November 14, money is donated to Women's Transitional Care Services, a local W' . '.l f' 0 I Marine Corps members and dates goof off before festivities begin. i i i i i i A Delta Gamma invites a sailor date for her springtime Pinafore party. Men dress as sailors because nautical symbols are part of the sarority's history, and the pinafores worn by DGS are patterned after the pinafore worn by their Raggedy Ann mascot they call Hannah. al

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XPJ- ff' W X il Eli K vi ,i 5 E o . t , 1 X 1 The Life ofthe Party History Distiinguishes Opera House ne of the oldest and most unique buildings in Lawrence is the Lawrence Opera House. The pre- sent structure, which is the third build- ing located on the site at the corner of Seventh and Massachusetts, was built in 1912 and has been a series of businesses before becoming the O era House. May- be it's part ofthe building's history that makes the Opera House such a popular place to visit: , The first of the three buildings was built in 1854 fthe same year Lawrence was foundedj but was burned to the ground' in 1863.,Later, in 1869, a brick 'uilding was built at the same location, and it servedas a meat market until early in the 1870's 'when it ac uired the name of Liberty Hall. This Cbuilding served as an entertainment center and was used for many social and political atherin s In 1885, the buildin was iought V JD. Bowersock, one ofgLawrence's most influential mayors, who converted the three floors into the Bowersock Opera House. The Opera House presented stu- dlents andtownspeople with shows of comedy, tra ed , and drama until fire claimed the iuillding in 1911. iBowersock promised to build a new, fireproof structure, which he did in 1912. This structure, then the Bowersock The- again sold and used as a warehouse. One of the Opera House's greatest eras was the late 1960s and early 1970s when the building was bought by Mike Murfin' and John Brown' and named The Red Do This new building be- gan featuring live acts with both nation- ally known and regional talent. Some of the more popular grou s that appeared at the Red Dog during this pe- riod inclYxdE:l'I'ke-Sr--Tinal'ner, Fleetwood Mac, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, while some of the local grou s in- cluded The Flippers, Spider ans the Crabs, and White Clover, which later wentt on to become Kansas. News of these great forms of enter- tainment quickly 'spread throughout the Midwest, making The Red Dog'? one of the most famous entertainment houses in the area. This great trend continued until the early 1970s when Murfin and Brown sold the building. Once again the Opera House was sold several times and iven new names such as Bugsy's, The great American Music Hall, and the Free State Opera House, but none of these businesses lasted for any length of time. , In 1977, the structure became the Law- rence Opera House and has remained so up to the' present. The building has un- dergone rnuch restoration an renova- The building is divided into 'three floors, with strictly 3.2 beer available on the main floor, a private bar serving li- quor on the balcony, and a private club with stereo music and games, known as the 7th Spirit Club, in the basement. Under the present mana ement of Curtis Reinhardt, the Opera Fiouse still tries to maintain a variety of music that attracts all factions of the public. Some of the shows that have appeared over the year include Doc Severenson, Maynard Ferguson, The Secrets, Jasper, Kelley Hunt and the Kenetics and many more. Reinhardt thinks the building's histo- ry and it's unique form of entertainment have made the Opera House what it is today. He says its greatest charm is the aesthetic feeling that vibrates through a person while sitting amidst a full crowd and listening to the music as it's playing. Although the Opera House has been put up for sale, and no one knows for sure what future lies ahead for it, Rein- hardt feels that the building could re- main a part of the Lawrence community. Its memories will definitely linger among the many people who have lived in Lawrence for any length of time or to anyone who has ever been touched by the.music that has eminated from the building known as the Lawrence Opera atre, is the same building that stands to- House. day as the Lawrence Opera House. tion to helprkeep it in it's historical state The Opera'l-louse changed hands -sev- and to keep it ooking much as it has Pam Seuferling eral more times, .becomin f the Dickin- since 1912. , ' S0nTheatre in 1928 and The Jayhawker The Opera House has attracted stu- . in 1939. Diiring- these times the estab- dent interest again, being one ofthe only lishmentspfeatured rimarily films. until entertainment houses inftown featuring I in the late 1950's.wgen the building was live music four to six nights a week. , . 1 if

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parties held each year. Members of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity play with pigs at their bi-annual Brew- Ha-Ha. The all-campus event is one of the many western Photos by University Photography Phi Gamma Deltas, or Filis, create their version of a South Pacific island for Fiji Islander. Savages spend hours in the front yard of their fraternity, constructing a sandbag sea bed, filling it with water, and building a swinging bridge for an island effect. '94 551535. '14, 1- ' . ,A .V W N , . A. is ai. Couples at the Beta Turkey Pull pose in front of greenery. shelter for battered women. Have you ever stayed up all night to guard greenery and vines? Some members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity have. Beginning two weeks before their Turkey Pull Party in December, frames on the first floor of their house were covered with greenery. According to Jim Liggett, past social chairman, fire codes prevented them from closing the front doors during that time. Fraternity members worked in shifts to guard the first floor area. The Turkey Pull began in the late 1800s, as the story goes, when the fraternity brothers ran out of food, stole a turkey, and had a party. Over the years, it has become a formal party, reportedly the oldest fraternity party west of the Mississippi. The weekend after finals, the members came dressed in black tuxedos, with their dates wearing formal dresses. Champagne was served at the pre-pull party that began at 4 p.m., followed by a sit- down dinner at the Beta house on Tennessee Street. Later in the evening, a band played. Turkey Pull is almost always celebrated in a fashion similar to this each year at KU. f Nov. 10, 1981 marked the 206th anniversary of the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Birthday Ball commemorated the anniversary with a ceremony, dress dinner, and dance at the TeePee. The ceremony began as the corps color guard marched into the room to the tune of the Marine Corps Hymn. Many evening practices enabled them to perfect the timing of the ceremony. Next, Maj. I im Hodges served the first two pieces of cake to the oldest and youngest members of the corps. This symbolized the continuation of the corps. Guest of honor Wes Santee, a KU grad and former Olympic miler, spoke to the group. The approximately 30 men and women who comprise the Marine Corps attended, along with some KU administrators and top Navy and Army officers. These parties represent only a few of those organized by groups and individuals who come up with a creative way to enjoy themselves. Somebody somewhere is combining a smorgasboard of ideas and having a feast to fit their moods. Barb Ehli 25