Nicholls State University - La Pirogue Yearbook (Thibodaux, LA)

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Z1 1 S X Nun-gp X we-on X145 Q When they run out of victims, turning on each other is one way of keeping the fun going, as several stu- dents made it hazardous to walk alone near Bayou Lafourche. or the fountain, then rolled into the mud, he would stay covered with the mud longer. Many spectators were not amused. A As the mania of tossing people into the bayou continued, roaming groups selected their unwilling victims. The man from Miller, sporting a lvliller shirt and plugging his product, fell victim. Dr. Alfred Delahaye, professor of jour- nalism, was giving tips to a student in one of his news writing classes when he noticed an ominous trio standing around him. No plan of action was open as he went Qto the horror of several other fac- ulty memhersj off the pier and into the drink. g During most ot the afternoon faculty instructors and administrators ventured out to the bayou side to view the races, usually slipping away quietly when it gbelcame obvious what might happen to ,-them, 1.5. Q tpirogvueraces continued. ,number of persons walking if i'.. targets declined and the mud ilrv .. .y . ... 2: ' i as fi it Are iyinellPQir2oou.E RACES? il. w1jgl:g'if' th ,,:1A.- ' ri , ' i ' A J ',wl t-ita'M..L-swf..i2. u.r':.ii .fry :li .:,-, V ' , - , i- ,, nv 'l55tikqqig,gtQ-ig. l3,,,y5'vlf,3: yrr1ini. ,- .1 ,i r i' . ll in 1 fi'

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Bumping into another pirogue, or the sudden movement to avoid hitting a swimmer whose head popped up, result- ing in a swamped pirogue. End of pirogue, end of race. Still, many experienced or careful rac- ers managed to cross the finish line and glide to the pier to come ashore and pick up their trophy. As playful as people get, and the pres- sure of finals only a week away, more than a few people decided to take a dip in the water, taking along a few friends. Lacking a fire truck, ice chests used to keep beer cold were borrowed, along with water from fountain, and that mud- slide was there again. The first couple of victims were treated to more hard ground than mud, but as the water and free-for-all continued, a ACES? nice layer of sticky mud was created. Sometime between the first pirogue race and the first person thrown into the bayou, Kelly Lafont crowned Gayle Echols, a New Orleans junior, as the 1976 Pirogue Queen. Echols was presented with the tradi- tional bouquet of roses and was toasted, along with her court, with a bottle of Strawberry Hill. At least some tradition remained intact. Back at the mudslide, it was discovered if a person were dropped into the bayou lt had to come oll somewhere, and the University Fountain was available. Pranksters dropped people into the fountain to wet them, then rolled them inthe mud. ' When the curious ventured out onto the pier, they paid the price and ended up in the bayou. A four-at- one-time dunking was achieved with one push and a big splash. if 'le V 1- ,. ,. I , U - V . 'l 3 Q V, I- ,:m fEk.an:'-'- 55 Ng ' If ' ss. .nv 5' .. - . 7.. 1- . ' M . 2' Q ff . - V , . , ' -4 .. Y ' tw- ' KW ' K . ,-1' T' F3115 A' N, -4 ' . 'fi' ' I X, x X -...N Xa if Y 5. A 'J . I f . . ' . -7 . - ' A-7 X , 1 , ' . W- x w 4 Bi ' ' N l .. 4' Q x :I ' .: X ' e Q . . f. , . if if ' 57 1 V I 5 I L- . L f '..,4 A' '. .-,. ,.Qz+?ii1'-feet' rr- s. t ,sf J' H-45J?'.iA?Rv?.5?S?- '.,. hi QCZLZQ-+217- ' , ist' i 'f':'?f ev l - 1 if' 'dl' I e wav nn 'Oth-' '71 if 'nl itions, peopl A mud roll can release one's inhib- even to performing a ballet. The relief ol being free from the e throwing others into the ' mud was enough to break into a dance. v 4,19 .,,. i fill, Are These the PIROGUE A Inga. ' -,,.. -r ,ii I .rf .,,, 3. '.5.-wg Q, .uf .Fl . L ,M M6 :ff '-T f itz F fic

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lllloire people than plroduee Qlltll UWQQ WHS ED CJ Ugg? 71 f..1!T f! tml. vim. .Maze F. ...M N .,. . fx nr... . .S . . - fl . r . I :U- I 9.53 l Giving her roses and a kiss, Dr. Vernon'Galliano, university president, congratulates junior Gayle Efchols for her selection as the 1976 Pirogue Oueen, Rudy Thibodaux helps one of his handiworks get up after a dragging through the mud flats. The mud was achieved by dumping ice chests full of water on the ground. , T rollers followed the Darwin theory of evo- lution: eliminating the competition until they were at the top of the hill, or mud- slide. Several members of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity went to the mudslide with bright red jerseys. After several victims of the slide ganged up on them, their jerseys became a dark brown. A Other male students removed their shirts, having only to peel off the caked mud when it dried. Women students were the main object of the bayou-and mudslide, some getting both within the space of a few minutes. After their energy was spent upon one person, that person had the problem of getting the mud off. Bus drivers and the hostesses of the Student Union weren't too thrilled to see Four strong arms and a well-timed heave ho put another victim in the water as friends and bystand- ers were easy victims. Several of the tossers went in too, in retaliation. a brown blob walking in the building or bus. The University Fountain was used to clean off some of the mud and out of the hair, thanks to its concentrated jets of water. As for the races, the participants who swamped their pirogues managed to work them to shore, passing a photogra- pher standing chest deep inthe water snapping pictures of the students hapless enough to get caught standing on the pier and thrown in. With all the activity on the side of Bayou Lafourche, little attention was paid to a couple of streakers on skis pulled by a motor boat. Although this was the second time in three years it happened, scant attention was paid to the students andfor non-stu- dents who risked getting nipped in the bud forthe entertainment ofthose watch- ing. Gradually, with energy and vengeance at an ebb, people began sitting down in the grass and watching the peaceful bayou glisten as the afternoon drew to a close. Ice chests were emptied of both water and drinks and the banner marking the finish line had begun to sag. People sat around the fountain, soak- ing tired feet or trying to rinse some of the mud off before heading back across the highway to the campus. , Trophies, shining in the sunlight, had all been distributed to the winners, while the pirogue queen and her court had left the scene. Many miles down the road, in the small town of Lafitte in Jefferson Parish, a festi- . ' .Ar QQ, , sf t .51- EQXQLQHB E -Q 4:3 'vw e -...f ,. 1'-u ,A...,.3-124,-.51 .Av WS., fr A. 5 - , V-I 7.75, 1.1.55 ' ' 'iff-Vl,1'ff .. H . ., .. P, -ve 1 A , , . . f 3f'5'f ' -J 1 -5-i-'fi ' .- ' fl 1, . A' ' f'n2lf- 1 1.2 ' ' f ,A 9 it Aj.L,5.:y5. ,A -1.f Are These me PIROGUERACEQ , mggjg, . Tiff , .,