ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 1996 TAG: 9601100024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Reporter's Notebook
DATELINE: BACK IN BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY
There may have been 30,000 cheering, roaring, proud Hokies at the Sugar Bowl last week, but surely not every fan made it to the unique city of New Orleans.
This bowl game, unlike, say, the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, had atmosphere. Walking down the streets of the famous French Quarter, your average Southwest Virginian - myself a native Marylander included - was bound to see something excitingly strange or even exotic. The weekend also brought out some interesting stories about the Tech and Texas fans themselves.
For those of you who missed out on the sights of the city, I submit to you some of the stranger scenes of New Orleans as prepared by myself and others who attended the Sugar Bowl.
We will begin with the Saturday parade in the French Quarter, which featured high-school bands and people waving to the crowd in strange, antique cars.
Two things struck me at this parade:
While the obligatory Shriners on motorized bicycles were there in force, this New Orleans chapter sported layers of Mardis Gras beads - the kind of colorful necklaces that are thrown from the balconies of the French Quarter when certain private parts are bared. One of the men had a woman's garter wrapped around his upper arm. Funky Shriners, indeed.
Second, I believe I actually saw a vampire at that parade - or at least a woman who desperately wanted to be one. A pale-faced woman with a black cape, white-blond hair and indistinguishable black clothing stood in the street and talked to a friend. An occasional smile revealed fangs, and they didn't look plastic.
After staring at her for a moment, I looked away, then decided to look back only seconds later to make sure I was not hallucinating. She was gone. I was intrigued.
A co-worker was walking along the street in New Orleans when she spotted a man in a University of Texas sweater and hat. It was nothing too unusual, except that he had a poodle with a matching sweater and hat.
When my co-worker asked if she could take a picture of the man with his dog, he was more than obliging. The man pulled out a pair of orange sunglasses, placed them on the poodle and smiled for the photo.
For authentic New Orleans cooking, many Hokie fans ventured into interesting restaurants to sample the local cuisine. Some of the dishes were pretty exotic - alligator, turtle soup and such.
People who wanted to experiment, but who were not brave enough to stray too far from the norm, could venture as far as the local McDonald's and, for only $1.89, try a Cajun McChicken sandwich.
The prevalence and availability of alcohol was another element that caught some by surprise. On Bourbon Street there were walk-up booths that sold beer and mixed drinks from the street, reducing the need to even step into one of the crowded bars that line the road.
Convenience stores near the French Quarter also sold beer by single bottles. Pour the beer into a cup, and you could freely roam the streets with alcohol in hand.
Some Tech fans got a little wild during and after the game. Two Tech students were spotted during the game dressed as dairy cows, pinkish-colored rubber udders and all.
After the game on Bourbon Street, another Tech fan was so excited by the win that he painted the letters "VT" on his cheeks - and not the ones on his face, either - with cosmetic lip liner. The fan, who is a doctoral student at Tech, dropped his pants in celebration and received several strands of Mardis Gras beads for his effort.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 linesby CNB