The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 13, 1975, Image 8
Summer's last gasp at Carolina
The Buffet (
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For one blazing Saturday afternoon, the intramural
athletic field became part of the Wonderful World of
Carolina. Impending mid-terms, anxiety and
thoughts of tomorrow melted away in the face of good
music, cold beer and a general laid-back buzz on this
searing, sun-splashed day.
Students swarmed in by the hundreds to catch a
breath of what was surely one of summer's last
pleasant gasps. Jimmy Buffet and the Coral Reefers
shoved the act into fourth gear, throwing out country
tunes to the throngs and relating the woes of being
hounded by drunken 15 year-old groupies.
While the audience came to enjoy the music, the
white-hot affair was more of a big, mellow social
blast than anything else. Students spread out the
blankets, broke open the coolers, stretched out and
smiled. It was one of those days when, as the sun
pounds away with enough fervor to burn, nothing can
go wrong.
Everyone got in on the act. Tiny, diaper-clad tots
wandered around and laughed. An occasional
Frisbee split the air and disappeared into the masses.
Dogs stumbled about sheepishly, not understanding,
but accepting any and all head-pats graciously.
Buffet continued with his successful rapport with
the audience. Many listeners could not resist ad
libbing some of the more catchy stanzas. Some stood
up and danced feverishly, while others were content
to sit back, tap, nod and sip.
As the afternoon slowly drew to a close, students
were feeling all right. They let Jimmy Buffet know it,
so the old-country boy behind the sunglasses had to
come back out and play two encores. He didn't mind
at all.
When it was through, the spectators reluctantly had
to drag themselves up, get their balance and shuffle
homeward, wherever that was. They took their dogs,
their kids and their empty coolers with them. Con
fronting them was tomorrow, postponed decisions
and autumn's creeping, subtle advances. But there
was that one afternoon they had, one they could grab
onto someday and muse, "Now wasn't that great?"
COO'
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