University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 31 text:

Fall Saturday in Ann Arbor Bandmaster and Drum Major relax be- tween performances to enjoy a few minutes of the game with the crowd. Gitcher Soovineers! cries the eager pennant hawker as crafty fans take a second look at the furry toy animals and chrysanthe- mums that loosen even the most miserly dimes and quarters. Michigan Band Day draws high school bands from all parts of the state. For the first time this year, drum majorettes and Marching Band members formed this huge human pageant as spectators rose for the national anthem. Oh, no! A bouncing cheerleader freezes to take in a doubtful play.

Page 30 text:

C 3 aO rdinarily a stately, unobtrusive midwestern city, Ann Arbor undergoes a sudden metamorphosis to become some- thing of a Texas boom town on football Saturdays in the fall. The change begins sometime late Friday afternoon as students begin letting their hair down at TGIF ' s in anticipa- tion of the big day. It gathers momentum rapidly at Saturday mid-morning, as the first few cars begin arriving from points unknown. By noon, the change is almost complete: hi-fi ' s blaring The Victors out Quad windows, proud mothers and dads touring the campus, traffic jams that test everyone ' s endurance, sunshine warming the crisp autumn air. By one o ' clock Ann Arbor, chameleon-like, has changed her identity. Shops close down as traffic dwindles and streets are all but deserted. Attention shifts to the Michigan Stadium, where yellow mums and raccoon coats have sprouted sud- denly from nowhere. A rash of little children are polishing big red apples and calling their prices in shrill voices. Other voices scream Park here! as enterprising homeowners sacri- fice their lawns in one-day business ventures. The familiar popcorn and peanut vendors compete with the souvenir sellers for the crowd ' s cash. Everywhere people are hurrying, con- verging toward the great game. Gazing across the crowd-filled Stadium one cannot help noticing how, even in the mass, each individual retains his identity, remains distinct from his neighbors. Yet one is equally aware of a certain totality which is independent of the many individuals gathered there. Suddenly there comes into focus a definite pattern which one recognizes with no effort. It is the familiar mosaic that is Michigan. V

Page 32 text:

Precision of movement and excellence of tone stimulate the thunderous roar from the stands as the Michigan Marching Band performs. All the color, all the excitement, and all the thrill of a Michigan football game are embodied in a scene of quick action, as Jimmy Pace breaks away in a spectacular run, against the mosaic background of the Stadium crowd. ft.