Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

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A Volga-German heritage, cooperation between students and community members made Oktoberfest Another T raditional Celebration With the flavor of a family get together, the Oktoberfest celebra- tion at Frontier Park brought out both community and university crowds, Oct. 15. “It was a great success,” Francis Schippers, Oktoberfest chairman, said. “I believe it was one of our best, because the community and students developed better cooperation.” After the first keg of beer was tapped at 9 a.m., getting a souvenir mug became one of the crowd’s main interests. Schippers felt the crowd was larger than usual. “Hav- ing Oktoberfest and the university together helped bring in larger crowds, Schippers said. Eating was also a top priority on the sunny morning, with most booths selling food with a Volga- German heritage. Foods, such as bierocks, bratwurst, apple dum- plings, noodles and funnel cakes were available to those who postponed diets for a day to take in the celebration. “The beer and the food are all part of Oktoberfest,” Schippers said. Polka man, Eddie Basgall, kept the crowd entertained throughout the day, with music that was piped across the Park. “We want to build a better dance platform to en- courage more dancers and better bands,” Schippers said. The Pro- With booth lining the Park, many par- taker of Oktoberfest took the oppor- tunity to talk with friends. fessor Jerusalem Webster Stiles Old Original Medicine Show also performed, giving away bottled elixers to its informal audience. As the day grew unseasonably warm, the dust that is always prevalent in the Park, became a factor to contend with. Schippers said the Oktoberfest committee was working on the dust problem. “We’re trying to get the Park reseeded,” he said. “We can ' t con- trol the dust but we’re hoping to fill the area in with more grass.” Beer cups, which caught the dust, gave the beer a somewhat gritty flavor. The dust, however, did not hamper most partakers. Most dumped coated cups of brew and got a refill. Busy with the Wiest Hall Oktoberfe t specialty shop, Jeff Rich takes orders from waiting buyers. While decorating a face with Indian lore, Judy Hinkhouse gives a customer temporary war paint.

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believe it was one of our best, because the community and students developed better cooperation. — Francis Schippers. Oktoberfest chairman Loaded down with aooveniie (tom Oktobetfeet. Kale Nelaon balance cope of beet, while protec- ting hie cache ,2 OKTOBtRFtSj Campus Lit

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The Best Beautiful weather, returning alumni a queen and a winning football team made Homecoming It Ever Was There was a wider representation from organizations in the elections. It was reflected by more people voting and participating in the elections. — Marilyn Foerschler MUAB Chairman Homecoming is sort of an old- fashioned, but well-worn tradition for any school. At Fort Hays State, the tradition has undergone a gradual facelift over the past eight years. The Homecoming weekend has been linked to the Oktoberfest celebration, since the festival’s for- mation in 1974. The Oktoberfest brought alumni “home” a day earlier which spurred more par- ticipation in Homecoming activities. In addition to planned activities, the game and getting re-acquainted with old friends. Scheduled later than usual. Homecoming was Oct. 15-16, but preparation started much earlier. Homecoming elections began Oct. 1, with Lydia Chou, Taiwan $r., Christi Hockersmith, Russell jr., Karen Horinek, Atwood fr. , Susan Karlin, Oakley sr., and Cheryl Knabe, Hiawatha sr., being chosen in final elections. Marilyn Foerschler, MAUB chair- man, felt there was an increase in student interest towards the elec- tions. “There was a wider representation from organizations in the elections,” she said. “The real negativity towards Homecom- ing royalty died down. It was reflected by more people voting and participating in the elections,” she said. Foerschler felt the royalty was important to Homecoming. “The tradition built around Homecoming includes the figure- head of the queen. She’s a part of Homecoming. It would be really noticeable if we didn’t have one,” she said. Besides selecting royalty, students involved in campus organizations and groups planned and built floats throughout the week to be prepared for the Homecoming parade. James Nugent, parade chairman, said To prove he was just a small-town guy, John Cougar invited Mary Beth Bechard on stage to sing with him. HOMECOMING there were more clubs and organizations involved in the parade than ever before. “There was more university participation than in previous years,” he said. “The community also felt as much a part of the parade as the students,” Nugent said. Nugent felt the parade was the best ever, with 107 separate entries including floats, bands, drill teams, and novelty entries such as clowns and antique cars. “I felt great about it and I think most people liked it,” Nugent said. The parade morning dawned with crisp, but sunny weather, which brought out the largest crowd Nugent had seen in 22 years. “It was a gorgeous day and we had a record crowd. The parade theme, “Commer- cials, Not quite ready for Prime Time,” featured floats which bor- rowed and adjusted the popular commercials to fit the Fort Hays State parade, lead by Jack Wilhelm, grand marshal. Marketing Club won the float competition, which had $1800 worth of cash prizes up for grabs. As the morning eased into after- noon, the crowd drifted from the Hays Main Street, to Lewis Field Stadium, for the Homecoming game against Wayne State. Wiest Hall candidate, Christi Hockersmith was crowned queen during the halftime of the game which Fort Hays won 17-6. The weekend closed with the sold-out John Cougar concert in Gross Memorial Coliseum. Weary alumni and students headed home after a full weekend, to rest up and wait for the next Homecoming. 14 Campus Life