Ags,

I have had the pleasure this semester of participating in Student Bonfire, and I've been documenting the experience through some journal-entry style posts, photos and video on the web at AshesInNovember.com. I'd appreciate anyone who would like to browse the site and offer any feedback or constructive criticism - just PM me.

As an '08 grad, I foolishly never fully participated in Student Bonfire, despite of long line of Aggies in my family who have in the past. I wanted to experience Bonfire, and the goal of this site is to expose people to it that may not know what Student Bonfire is about, what it looks and sounds like, or that it even exists. The end goal is to turn the experience into a book on Student Bonfire, which is a story I believe deserves much more recognition.

I try and update the site with new content at least twice a week, and will do so throughout Stack and all the way up to Burn.

A special thanks to Dion McInnis for educating me on all things Bonfire through this process, and the Redpots and crew leaders of Off Campus Hogs for allowing me to come out and participate in and document their efforts.

Congrats to the Student Bonfire on a successful Cut season, and I can't wait 'til Stack begins.

Thanks and Gig 'Em,

Travis, '08

[This message has been edited by austinaggie2008 (edited 11/2/2012 5:20p).]

I found your website a few weeks ago. Good job!

On your purpose page, you list the 1999 date as Nov. 19, which should be Nov. 18th.

"Language of Student Bonfire" is missing a few terms.

Also, your glossary leaves a lot to be desired. If you intend to remain pc in your language of your description of Bonfire, the true nature and milieu of Bonfire may be impossible to convey. I am not saying be out and out lewd or offensive, but creative use of rather clear innuendo is very necessary.

Overall, I am very interested in watching this project develop. Bonfire takes on different levels, layers, and your perspective of it changes with multiple years of involvement. I've always been intrigued in my conversations with bonfire participants, new fire and old, to find out a few key things:
What got people interested to start off?
Why they continued to come out?
What their favorite part of and/or what they felt was the most valuable part of bonfire?

As you stated, the true power of Texas A&M is its people, but what powers them is the more riveting story to me. Interview everyone! Good luck man and have a blast with it!

[This message has been edited by DoctorSnoball (edited 11/3/2012 5:39p).]

Yeah, obviously most of the actual "language" of Bonfire is wildly inappropriate. I'm not going to use that kind of language (my wife/parents/inlaws would kill me). But anyone that has been around Bonfire knows what those words are.

Also, the glossary is more to explain words and terms I use throughout the site, not to explain all the special "language" uses at Student Bonfire.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

[This message has been edited by austinaggie2008 (edited 11/3/2012 6:15p).]

Glad you were out with us, been a great cut season.


Will you be out at stack at all?

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OCHWFLAKASSOBRTTEFE

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In 2002, three years after the 1999 collapse of the Texas A&M Bonfire, Aggie students rallied together to revive the bonfire tradition as best they could.

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A true statement, but as an '04er, I can't help but notice how casually the 3 years in between get skipped over.

From the Glossary

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Grodes - Grodes are your Bonfire clothes. Traditionally, each crew member wears the same thing to each Cut and Stack all semester without washing until Bonfire Burns.

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Grodes should never be washed, even season to season. Now if they happen to get left out in the rain...

quote:

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Grodes should never be washed, even season to season

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Agreed. I've had the same shirt since freshman year (except for my Chief grodes), and it's disintegrating off of me these days.

quote:

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Grodes should never be washed, even season to season. Now if they happen to get left out in the rain...

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I never understood this mindset. For me, the non-washing of grodes was simply because it wasn't practical. Why wash them tonight if they're just going to get dirty again tomorrow? But at the end of the year when they aren't going to be worn again for another 9 months? Why not give them a wash or two (preferably in the campus washing machines so as to not ruin mom's good washing machine at home).

After a full season, I could just never bring myself to wash them even after it became reasonable to. The first year, I just put mine in a bag and said "I'll wash these later." Of course, procrastination is just a drawn-out way of saying no. Now I have grodes from different seasons still sitting in bags somewhere. It was a few years ago last I saw them, but I did crack 'em open and they all smelled different. Dirty time capsules, they are.

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Gallery on fb, twitter

Same jeans since 2003. Never washed them, just scraped some excess mud off.

I'm pretty sure some people's grodes are more dirt than fabric by the time they're done. Remove the dirt and the bonding agent between cotton fibers is gone...then you're left with a bunch of thread and a greasy washing machine.

Fitch speaks the truth. My jeans have disintegrated after two and a half years... It was a sad day when I decided I could no longer patch them since there's nothing to sew the patches on to...

More than a few folks in the 90's would toss their grodes into the fire the day after burn.

Didn't know many people that used the same set year after year, especially since upperclassmen typically didn't get "groded".

Ha. The year I literally lived at Stack I'd wash them every chance I got. Head to town, shower, laundry, shave, go back. They always looked, and felt, just as bad by the next time I got to town.

I'm with Chip. It's just an incidental.

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The first year, I just put mine in a bag and said "I'll wash these later."

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By "the first year", do you mean 2002 — or 1999?

Only acceptable reason to wash them was if you got into some Poison Ivy/Oak. Otherwise, that smell alone brings back so many memories. Just slightly open the bag they're in and just like that, you're back at cut, working on stack, or watching it burn to clear space for next year.

no pictures of the burn! I don't get it.

Still have my grodes from '99, unwashed. I take them out every November for the smell. It's fading, but the "Bonfire smell" is unmistakeable.