When Student Bonfire has the final date on when stack will be lit, will it be posted on the website?

If they open burn to the public it will most likely be posted. If it is primarily for the participants like it was last year they will probably just call around to get the word out.

I'm just going to hope that everyone knows this meme.

Build the Hell Outta Student Bonfire

Heddy.... I literally died.

LITERALLY.

Edit: If this was reddit, I would upvote this.

[This message has been edited by thesqueakyduck (edited 11/26/2011 8:55p).]

+1 for Hedley.

NCSASWHBSOD

Heddy +1

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Ok i have something to ask about. Since last year we did the burn only for the people involved because we didnt want to get porta-johns and cops and what not... and we lost a ton of money, and this year at nonfire it was the same deal, and this year when we are lighting it they are talking about doing it again... why dont we get the word out, get some shiters, cops, and firemen; charge the $20 and make some cash back? What is the difference It burning nov 22 and jan 22?

The difference is that almost none of the student body (the ones who didn't work on it at least) will care about a burning pile of wood unless the tradition is still attached to it. In November it's about Aggie Spirit and draws a crowd. In January it's about clearing the field. We would probably lose more money investing in the utilities/rentals and hiring the necessary supervision than just forgoing it completely.



[This message has been edited by Hellraiser13 (edited 11/28/2011 1:50a).]

Well that's wrong.

The plan as I've heard it is to have a full fledged burn with crowd control, charged admissions, portajohns, music and an actual FIRE. But to get the permits for such an event and to coordinate with the proper bodies takes time, in some instances up to two weeks. So it's got to rain enough to lift the burn ban for at least that long, and preferably longer, so that paperwork can be filed and the wheels set in motion. Burn is an expensive ordeal, not just because of equipment rentals, trust that it'll be approached caustiously.

So long as the date to light isn't during the Christmas holidays or in the first week of spring classes people will come out. Especially all those who wanted to last week and are still in school.

That's a very good question. Everyone wondering why Bonfire didn't advertise and charge last year are on the right track, but maybe missing a couple things. I'll try to keep it brief, so please hang with me.

First, announcing or advertising a public burn last year would have cost much, much more than privately "clearing the field." And Bonfire already spent all that money on a burn that didn't happen that November (2010). Bonfire didn't lose money on "clearing the field" precisely because that is all Bonfire did. Telling anyone would have signed Bonfire up for non-refundable upfront costs it was not prepared to pay twice.

Last year, that money was spent on the November event because it was announced to the world with every expectation of having the event and then charging per usual and making costs back plus some. When the event didn't happen, Bonfire couldn't (in good conscience) charge the $5-$20 per vehicle (see online) for a non-fire. By spending the money the first time and not being able to recoup, there wasn't the money available for a second go-around in the spring. Hence the private "clearing the field."

This year Bonfire took what was learned last year and put in place an outstanding plan. By opening Stack up to visitors, Bonfire made enough money to pay for four toilets, a couple generators and some extra electricity. And by setting a no-go date well in advance, Bonfire was spared all of the upfront, non-refundable event expenses.

All of this was meant to allow people to get at least a little Bonfire experience before the game while making it possible to still pursue a full-fledged event later, and hopefully take in enough gate to pay for it.

Before anyone gets carried away, keep the following in mind. In order to have the full event later (or at any time), some of the required permits, licenses and services have to be coordinated weeks in advance. So if the ban lifts after a 1.5-inch rain, taking into account that the county is 20 inches low right now, we can as thinking people rightly assume that the lift will be a fleeting one, and that were Bonfire to begin securing services and incurring fees, by the time that process was complete, the ban would probably be back in place, Bonfire would have spent all of that money and we'd be back to a private "clearing the field" fire at the next opportunity.

So don't count on an event the day the ban is lifted.

And if the ban is lifted in the middle of the summer, no amount of advertising is going to get enough students and spectators back into town to be able to make back the non-negotiable, non-relative fees associated with having a scheduled event. If Bonfire announced a burn in the summer, Bonfire would have to pay November money with the prospect of a July crowd. I think we can all agree that Bonfire should not do that.

So keep in mind, as big as you may think Bonfire is you're not thinking big enough. It is a compliment to leadership that everyone seems to think executing this shindig is so simple.

[This message has been edited by FtnTXAg03 (edited 11/28/2011 1:02p).]

Brief, my ass.

quote:

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Brief, my ass.

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QFT!

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And yes, we're still under a burn ban.

http://tfsfrp.tamu.edu/wildfires/decban.png

Heddy.

Burn ban's lifted!

OK everybody, before we get worked up...

The ban IS lifted, but any fires set in the county today were personally attended by local officials. We are talking a micro-micro-managed lift here.

The indices for the county are still high. They are as high if not higher than when the 2010 ban was upheld.

The lift is good news, but what remains to be seen is just how long this lift can last. Remember that to execute a public burn event with all the bells and whistles, Bonfire needs two weeks to put everything together. It stands to reason then that more information is needed, along with a more generous buffer-zone in the indices in order to be sure that a ban lifted today will still be lifted in two weeks.

And, technically, the ban was not lifted, it expired. Big difference.

A ban cannot be put in place for an indefinite period of time; so there are end dates set for them. The current end date passed before the county officials could meet to reevaluate. Our understanding is that they are meeting soon to discuss this and will decide if the burn ban is to be reinstated.

Cross your fingers, but don't be surprised if the burn ban is back in place soon.

Scott Coker '92

Thanks for the clarification, I was about to say... There's no WAY we've gotten enough rain to lift the burn ban. I mean, it's POSSIBLE, but highly imoprobable... :P

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