Students hoping to attend the once-renowned “biggest bonfire on the West Coast,” will have to find a different way to warm up for the big homecoming game on Saturday.
The traditional homecoming bonfire has been canceled partly due to its toll on the environment, and also in an effort to move the homecoming festivities to a location that will involve more of the City of Davis.
“Essentially the cancellation is in response to the environmental concerns of the community,” said Cindy Spiro, senior associate athletics director for external affairs. “[Wood burning fires] have been a really hot topic in the Davis community, so we’re just trying to be polite to our neighbors.”
The bonfire has been a campus tradition since the 1920s, usually held the weekend before the homecoming game. Many students have noticed its absence and are disappointed by the cancellation.
“I was really disheartened when I learned that they had eliminated the bonfire,” said UC Davis alumnus and former Aggie mascot, Charles Melton. “That was one of the main homecoming activities and it was part of our history. Taking away the bonfire is like taking away a part of Davis.”
However, university officials have insisted that the tradition is not worth the environmental impact the bonfire would create.
“I might be more inclined to continue the bonfire tradition, but under our current constraints and concerns for the environment within which we live, I must pause and say, why?” said athletics director Greg Warzecka in an interview with Dateline UC Davis.
The university has also used the elimination of the bonfire as an opportunity to spur downtown businesses and involve more of the community. This year, the rally that would have been held at the bonfire on campus will now be held downtown.
The Homecoming Rally will begin with Pajamarino, a 97-year-long tradition started to welcome alumni back to Davis for the homecoming game.
In its first years, Davis students would sneak out of their dorms, still clad in pajamas, to the Amtrak station. Since then, Pajamarino has become a tradition complete with music from the Cal Aggie Band-uh! and performances from the UC Davis cheer and dance teams.
The rally will continue after Pajamarino with downtown festivities including a pie-eating contest, crafts and food from Davis eateries such as Dos Coyotes, Davis Creamery and Woodstock’s. The event is expected to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m.
Last year, over 350 people attended Pajamarino, and with the homecoming rally taking place downtown, there should be an increase in attendance, said Jane Eadie, analyst and supervisor for alumni relations.
“We’ve never had a tradition like this before, but we’re starting to establish it with the community,” Eadie said. “There are great possibilities associated with moving the rally downtown.”
Another new homecoming tradition this year is the homecoming pre-party at the Recreational Pool on Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m., hosted by the Recreation Pool and UC Davis. There will be local music from student band, “The Dead 12-Year-Olds,” and attendees are encouraged to bring picnics and attend the Aggie football game afterwards.
Though the pre-party is not intended to replace the homecoming bonfire, organizers hope that it will only add to the festivities of homecoming weekend.
LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
