' ."'"'°"'"".' - 1.1I lllil:liliiAi l DAli.Y
SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 1962
A1
Gala Michigras: Come One, Come All
CLOWNS
... airflight
BARKER
... attracts customers
Michigras came this year.
From the year 1936, students at
Michigan have been presenting
spring carnivals to benefit various
needy charities. Michigras, which
comes every second year, tradi-
tionally reflects the campus' gay
abandonment.
A week- before the event groups
began to prepare for the parade,
making paper flowers and twist-
ing on the diag replaced sttidying
for bluebooks. Normally un-ag-
gressive people were observed
walking into lectures and squirt-
ing people they had never seen
before with water pistols.
Losh Twist
Prof. Hazel Losh of the astrono-
my department walked across the
diag wearing a twist belt, and
white hats were sported all over
campus. The pistols, the belts
and hats were all sold prior to
Michigras.
Friday. afternoon crowds lined
the long parade route as the Uni-
versity marching band led 23
floats from downtown Farmer's
Market up to Palmer Field.
The housing units, fraternity
and sorority float entries were ac-
companied by four Michigan
school bands from Allen Park High
School, Flint's Ainsworth and
Bendle High Schools, Milford High
School and Jackson's Vandercook
Lake High School.
Draped Students
Students waiting for the parade
to arrive hung over the roofs of
the Administration Building, An-
gel Hall, and the Union. And, the
curbs were lined. Folk-singing
crowds in parked convertibles ea-
gerly anticipated the floats.
The entries were varied and
imaginative. E v e r y t h i n g from
"JFK Twisting at the Summit" to
"Newton's, Dilemma: If Up Were
Down" and "God Bless our Fall-
out Shelter" was paraded forth as
the proud product of some group.
Collegiate Sorosis and the Fijis
stole the show.
A little boy gleefully approached
a parader, only to be attacked
with seemingly quarts of whipped
cream. And, he didn't even flinch.
Foreign Students
Foreign students, speaking var-
ied languages, and expressing sur-
prise and interest, snapped photo-
graphs to be taken back with
them to their native country. Of
special attraction was a tribute
to world brotherhood, the I.S.A.
float titled "What If the World
were All One Peace?"
At the parade's end, adults
streamed forth everywhere and
filled the streets and sidewalks. In
complete oblivion to all this, a
sunburned little boy sat on a curb,
silently and happily sleeping.
Friday evening, the other events
began. The outdoor midway lit up
and the rides started in motion.
Fair goers started to buy tickets
for the "Octopus" and the "Para-
trooper."
Booths
Inside the Yost Field House,
there was a wide variety of booths
which were built by many of the
sororities, fraternities and resi-
dence halls. One of the booths was
called the "Spearmint Saloon" and
it featured Twisting, Pizzas, and
"drink."
Soda fountains, twist contests.
live bands and side shows were
ever present. Sometimes the music
of thevvarious live bands clashed.
HowTever, no one seemed to mind
since they were having such a fun-
filled time welcoming in spring. In
the center of all this activity stood
the prize booth. At this place stu-
dents could collect their prizes.
After all the prizes were awarded,
Saturday night, the lights of the
Yost Field House and the outdoor
midway went out. This marked the
end of Michigras 1962. Tired and
exhausted, fair-g o e r s s l o w l y
walked home in the late hours of
the night. In two years time the
gay activity would return with
Michigras 1964.
BOOTHS--Sorrow at the Sawmill was the theme of this booth.
Customers happily paid their tickets for a chance to save this
nasty villain from her just punishment.
TWIST CONTEST-In the warm days of Pre-Michigras, these
two students let off their excess energy by participating in the
Twist contest. The selling of water guns, Michigras hats, and Twist
belts on the diag announced the coming of this year's festivities.
Story and Captions by
Marilyn Koral and Andrew Orlin
Photography by Jerome Starr
OUTDOOR MIDWAY-Two students enjoy themselves on a ride
known as the "Paratrooper," while others are pushed against the
sides of the "Roundup." People milled around eating cotton candy
and enjoying the rides all evening.
SHE-DEVIL-Satan's agent entices students and visitors to "Go to Hell." Crying out "You've never
lived till you've been to Hell ... and back," this Sunday School Circe succeeded in luring many weak
willed souls to the paths of fire and brimstone.
ESSEN= .. ... .
mf