by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
A crowd of about 400 cheered as an 18-foot Aggie - NMSU's mascot - was engulfed in flames in the middle of Johnson Field on Thursday night.
The Aggie was on top of a bonfire, which was ignited after the crowd chanted "burn the Aggie."
The burning was the climax of the third annual Red Rally.
Student Aaron Anderson said he was impressed with the display. It was his first Red Rally.
"There's certainly a lot of fire," he said.
Student Brad Werner agreed.
"Anytime you burn something big, it's a good thing," he said.
Brittany Jaeger, ASUNM president, said she was happy with how the event turned out.
"It was an extreme success," she said. "Compared to last year, attendance was huge."
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Jaeger said the event was meant to build school spirit before the UNM versus NMSU football game Sept. 17.
"It's really building school spirit," she said. "Just the attendance shows that."
Anderson said the event achieved its goal.
"They're bringing everybody together," he said. "They're spreading Lobo spirit, and at UNM that must be a good thing."
Jaeger said the event cost about $2,000, which came from student fees. She said most of the cost of the event came from getting a burn permit from the city and paying for firefighters to be present.
She said ASUNM also had to hire security for the night to prevent someone from lighting the Aggie prematurely.
Jaeger said the Aggie was made of wood and chicken wire, stuffed with newspapers, wrapped in napkins and spray-painted.
Ashleigh More, who helped organize the event, said this year's Aggie was the biggest yet.
She said it was possible to make the Aggie and the bonfire bigger because they were in the center of the field, instead of on the northeast corner where it used to be.
Jaeger said UNM's physical plant helped out. She said workers from the plant saved wood throughout the year, dug a hole in Johnson Field, built the bonfire and will repair the grass that was destroyed for the event, all for free.
"UNM security and physical plant - they've just been absolutely wonderful," she said.
Of course, not all students were at the rally.
Student Katrina Poorman said she hasn't gone to bonfires since the 1999 Texas Aggies bonfire killed 12 people.
"I lived in Houston when the Aggie bonfire went down," she said. "I know people who died in that, and I've stayed away from spirit bonfires since then."
Student Matt Fleming said he was not enthusiastic about the bonfire.
"I don't think it's that big, plus I have a test the next day," he said. "But once you've been to Zozobra, it's just hard to get excited about this."
However, he said the event is a good use of student fees, and a good social event for students. He said he enjoyed it when he went last year.
Matthew Maez, executive director of the ASUNM Lobo Spirit Committee, said he hopes the event continues far into the future and becomes a UNM tradition.
"I think it definitely should be a permanent thing," he said. "We're out here to show our spirit, and support our Lobo football."
