Beer Garden ritual draws hundreds I
By CAROLINE PETRICH
“I like to get tucked up
stuped an avid beef dnnker at
the Beef Garden ast week The
22-year-o*d advertising major
refused to give her name but
her comment as obscene as it
seems reflects the Thank God
It s Friday — Let s Party' mood
at the weekly event in the EMU
The Beer Garden tor those
students who have yet to cele
brate their 2tst birthdays and
don't know of the ritual occurs
every Friday afternoon from 4-7
p.m tn the EMU cafetena and
atnum usually a band performs
and tables are moved to create
space for a smat dance floor
‘To me they re pretty duB,"
says EMU Food Director Jim
Covington parT-coordmator of
the gardens Despite that.
Covington, director since 1976
oversees each Beer Garden and
only an act of God' keeps him
away
“t do them every week " he
says
The Beer Garden was bom in
the summer of 1975 when
Covington's predecessor Ken
Larson and EMU Director Adefi
McMfKan discussed opening a
tavern in the student union
building But because of
Oregon s drinking law that
states no one under 21 can im
bibe in the spirits and because
of the large number of minors m
the student body the idea was
abandoned The Beer Gardens
emerged as a compromise
The reason is obvious a
social gathering of students
faculty and administrators with
entertainment on campus ”
McMillan says
“We realty didn't set out to
make if a money-making event "
Covington says The Beer Gar
dens net about a 50 percent
profit after expenses that in
clude employee and band
wages cos! of beer hot dogs
and tacos
The food service department
Cultural Forum and EMU all
collaborated on the first few
Gardens Problems were tew
and benefits were great so they
decided m the fad of 1976 to
have them once a week
The only big problems are the
targe crowds which result from
word-of-mouth advertising
Covington says
“People m targe crowds tend
to get rowdy “ McMillan says
Tms is true
“They're really a well
behaved group " Covington
says "Sometimes they get a
little excited and start dancing
on the tables "
Last week many Garden-ers
lamented about the number of
people the long lines up to the
beer stands and the heat When
the usually sedate cafetena fills
to capacity things do get a little
uncomfortable
“We try not to have more than
750 people “ Covington says
He estimates that the crowds
range from 450 to 500 dnnkers
He points out that severa fac
P*Kdo t»» Mart Pyrm*
A "Beer Gardener' waits tor his foamy pitcher, one of the hundreds of pitchers poured during the
popular event hekJ every Friday afternoon in the EMU cafeteria
tors affect the crowd size the
band the time o 1 year, other
events
People are coming and go
ing ali the time he says
The crowd drams between t 8
and 25 kegs of beer Each keg
holds 15 5 gallons
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HOUR I
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Every Day 3.30-6:30pm
TUESDAY Come
as-you-are
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Happy Hour
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THURSDAY
L.C.C.
Happy Hour
til dosing for
all students and
faculty.
withi valid sruden! or faculty
SUNDAY
Joggers Ntte
Happy Hour til dosing on any
orange juice drink.
MONDAY
Night Football
Happy Hour til dosing
for aS football jersey wearer's."
WEDNESDAY
(Over the hump!)
U of O Nite
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til dosing for all <^:
students and faculty
with valid student or faculty card.
Screen T.V. Sports
Ger»era Hc^spiia. Dairy 2 3:00
p
$1.19 12 2 daw.
Lyon’s Restaurant 1933 Franklin BRd. 484-4333
With his mathematical
wizardry, Covington figures that
in three hours each person
drinks less than a pitcher But
that s just an average, not the
reality, he says Some people
drink more than others
But the real question is how to
end the long lines
Covington supposes that a
third beer stand could be put
up. but that, he says would at
tract only more people The
mammoth lines clog up the
cafeteria and create a chaotic
crowd People stand walk,
weave dance, scream and of
course drink everywhere
He does listen to suggestions
Covington recalls that one
woman, who waited an hour in
line proposed that the line be
roped-oft He was dubous yet
grateful he gave her a free
pitcher
Still, rf the people in line did
have beer where would they go
in the cafeteria anyway?
Covington wonders
"We really don't have enough
space tor the Beer Gardens to
grow anymore he says
' Anything we do at this point
draws more people
With so many bodies does
fire safety pose a problem"’ After
analyzing the issue with the fire
inspector Covington says no
"There s no way in the world
that you can start a fire out there
with all that beer he says,
chuckling
Woman’s luck turns
with generous help
EUGENE (AP) — Numerous
offers of help have come to a
young Eugene woman whose
car which she needed to take
her son to a hospital for heart
treatments, was stolen and
driven until it broke down in
Northern California
Kathy Henry, 22. is divorced
and lives on welfare, food
stamps and her son Joey's
Social Security payments
Occasionally, she must drive
Joey, who turns 5 years old
Saturday, to a hospital so doc
tors can relax his abnormally
thick heart to keep it circulating
blood properly
Joey who is almost deaf was
born with an enlarged heart that
saps his energy and slows body
growth He is scheduled tor
surgery later this month in Port
land .
Her 12-year-old car was
stolen iast Saturday, but her
luck has changed after her
plight was publicized in
newspaper stories
A group of used-car dealers
offered Henry a 1963 car worth
$400 But Henry says she ll ac
cept an offer for a $750 car from
a group of Lane County sheriff s
deputies
Henry and her two children
Joey and 2-year-old Jessica
also have been given $310 in
cash and a promise to help get
telephone service to their du
plex
The first otter came from the
families of the two 18-year-old
men charged with stealing her
car They gave her $160 to pay
the towing and storage bills on
her car which was recovered
near Williams Calif
But the car could not be
repaired short of replacing the
motor Henry kept the $160 to
be used as a down payment on
another car
Other gifts began arriving
Tuesday She found an en
velope in her mailbox contain
ing $50 in cash and a brief note
that read simply, "I hope this will
help "
Later that day, a man Henry
can identity only as a member of
the Faith Center Church in
Eugene brought $100 in cash to
her home
Henry won t have to put her
$310 in cash gifts toward pur
chase of a car, but she says she
knows how she'll spend it
With winter coming I think
I d better get some warm
clothes for them she says
nodding at her children
They're both starting to come
down with colds already "