The Indiana Daily Student Magazine | Issue 4 | Spring 2014
CONSUMPTION
Behind the Bucket Brigade It’s where your parents hung out. It’s where you’ve played Sink-the-Biz. It’s been Kirkwood’s constant for nearly 90 years.
Plus O N E R E P O RT E R ’ S U LT I M AT E F E A S T I N G C H A L L E N G E and 1 0 T H I N G S Y O U R B A RT E N D E R WA N T S Y O U T O K N O W
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VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | SPRING 2014
Connected
Power
Bad
Consumption
EDITOR’S NOTE Four years ago at freshman orientation, I received an IU bucket list of Hoosier must-dos while a student at IU. Now, with about a month left to graduation, I look back on my time as a student at IU, reminisce about all my memories at the greatest place, and reflect on how I spent my four precious years as a Hoosier. For me, I was consumed each and every day by the wonder that is IU journalism and IU Student Media. But for others such as senior Joe Heath, he spends his time performing for several hundred people at the Bluebird. Little 500 rider Tabitha Sherwood can always be found exercising in one way or another. In this issue, we challenged one of our writers to see how much he could consume, we found out the 10 things a bartender won’t tell you, and we checked out fast-food staple White Castle on Valentine’s Day. Whether it is food or how we spend our days at IU, we spend them consuming, so take a look inside and see just exactly what we e consume.
4
DEPARTMENTS
2
TIP JAR
Is IU just dumping your recycling?
3
KNOW-I T-AL L
The truth behind high textbook prices
Inside magazine, the newest enterprise of the Office of Student Media, Indiana University at Bloomington, is published twice an academic semester: October and November, and February and April. Inside magazine operates as a self-supporting enterprise within the broader scope of the Indiana Daily Student. Inside magazine operates as a designated public forum, and reader comments and contribution are welcome. Normally, the Inside magazine editor will be responsible for final content decisions, with the IDS editor-in-chief involved in rare instances. All editorial and advertising content is subject to our policies, rates, and procedures. Readers are entitled to a single copy of this magazine. The taking of multiple copies of this publication may constitute as theft of property and is subject to prosecution.
8
CONF E SSI ONS
10 things your bartender wants you to know
AF TE R C LA S S
L OVE AT F I RST BI TE
When Valentine’s Day means a piping hot White Castle slider
6
BE TTE R YOU
Gummy vitamins ≠ candy
There’s more to life than 18 credit hours for these students
22 BI G E AT S
12 DAD’S BUCKE T
Nick’s Bucket Brigade keeps tradition (and Sinkthe-Biz) in the family
Claire Aronson — EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
April 15, 2014 Vol. 8, Issue 4 www.idsnews.com/inside
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FEATURES
Taking on a Hoosier themed eating challenge
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Claire Aronson Missy Wilson MANAGING EDITOR Dianne Osland PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Boyum and Anna Teeter COPY EDITOR Rebecca Kimberly DIGITAL DIRECTOR Michela Tindera FEATURES EDITOR Rachel Wisinski
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
ART DIRECTOR
Matt Bloom
Ryan Drotor and Roger Hartwell
DEPARTMENTS EDITOR
MANAGING EDITOR OF PRESENTATION
Kathryn Moody
Emma Grdina
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
MARKETING MANAGERS
Avery Walts and Sarah Whaley
Timothy Kawiecki and Katie Swintz
Indiana Daily Student EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Gage Bentley MANAGING EDITORS Tori Fater and Kate Thacker
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Tyler Fosnaugh IU STUDENT MEDIA DIRECTOR
Ron Johnson NEWSROOM 812-855-0760 BUSINESS OFFICE 812-855-0763 FAX 812-855-8009
COVER PHOTO BY ANNA TEETER IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 1
T I P
J A R
The scoop on smoothies Save the money you’ve been spending on coffee shop smoothies and use it for a blender of your own. The Inside kitchen created and taste tested four healthy smoothie combinations for you to try this spring.
BY DIANNE OSLAND
SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR SMOOTHIE PROBLEMS Not creamy enough Blend in bananas, yogurt, or avocado. Avocados make smoothies creamy without much extra flavor but add good fats to your diet. Want extra protein? Include yogurt, protein powder, or silken tofu. Too thin Add frozen fruit, ice, or chia seeds
MANGO, PINEAPPLE, BANANA, ORANGE JUICE
KALE, SPINACH, BANANA, APPLE JUICE
Superfood chia seeds absorb 10 times their weight in water and also add omega-3 fatty acids to your drink. Avoid adding too much ice, as that usually takes away some of the flavor of fresh fruit. Too thick Pour in liquids like milk, water, or juice in small amounts.
BEETS, STRAWBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AVOCADO, PEACHES
BLUEBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, PURPLE CABBAGE, YOGURT, POMEGRANATE JUICE
Remember to put your ingredients into your blender in the proper order to avoid jamming the blades: liquids first, then fruits or vegetables, greens, and topped off with ice if needed. Too sweet Add a splash of lemon juice. Too bitter Stir in sweeteners like honey or agave, or extra fruit like bananas or strawberries.
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INSIDE MAGAZINE l CONSUMPTION
IU ISN’T DUMPING YOUR RECYCLING. Little 500 is fast approaching and cycling is on our minds. But with the school year winding down, it is also the perfect time to revisit RE-cycling. BY SARAH WHALEY
Maybe you heard and even passed along the rumor that contents of recycling bins on campus are dumped in with the trash. But it is only that—a rumor. “That’s an urban myth,” says Steve Akers, associate director of RPS environmental operations. “I can assure you that things are being recycled for sure through our vendor. It’s actually against the law to not recycle in the state of Indiana.” The mix-up might be due to one of two reasons, Steve says. First, the same trucks pick up both waste and recycling at different times of the day. Second, dumping trash into the wrong bin turns recycling into waste. “If my staff gets recycling and someone threw a pizza in it or trash in it, we’re not allowed to decontaminate it,” Steve says.
“MY APARTMENT DOES NOT RECYCLE!” Larry Barker, executive director of Monroe County Solid Waste Management District, says “The biggest problem has always been apartment complexes don’t have space. They’re unwilling to use one parking space.” Interestingly, they are willing to use a parking space for waste disposal. Larry suggests students take recycling to either the Westside Recycling Center at 341 N. Oard Road, the South Walnut Street Recycling Center at 3400 S. Walnut St., or onto campus. If you would like your apartment complex to start recycling, Steve suggests talking to your landlord.
WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED? PLASTICS 1-7 ALUMINUM GLASS PAPER CARDBOARD
(Electronics, batteries, light bulbs, and printer cartridges at designated locations only) WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN BE MADE?
minum cans Recycling two aluminum saves enough energy to power a PC for one workday.
Five plastic soda bottles are one enough to insulate ulate on ne ski jacket.
Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
SMOOTHIE PHOTOS BY ANNA TEETER
K N O W
I T
A L L
BEHIND THE PRICE TAG
When TIS Textbook Manager Tim Lloyd bought books in college, he paid $28 for an Intro to Psych book.
Last year, the IUB campus, excluding green houses, rental houses and the IU Foundation, used
WHY SO SERIOUS(LY EXPENSIVE)?
HOW CAN YOU SAVE MONEY?
Many books have a suggested retail price, Tim says, and many give discounts to stores they sell to, including TIS. But predicting these prices has gotten harder for stores, partly because custom textbooks — ones created for a single professor’s class — are growing in popularity.
Go to class before you buy your books. You’ve heard this one before from your upperclassman friends and everyone else who has ever suffered through a lecture with an expensive but thoroughly unopened book. But Tim reiterates it. “Everyone gets mad as sophomores because the books are seen as a bad investment,” he says. Don’t do that to yourself. Besides trying to buy used and rent books, here’s some other tips:
“If a book is worth $0 after being $100, that’s a bad deal,” he says. Unfortunately, the used book market is the publisher’s bane, adding to the price spikes. And having to invest tons of money into publishing tech, including online-only books and material, hasn’t helped keep prices down. PROFESSOR’S PICK? Professors now face pressure from their administrations to limit the costs of the books they use for their classes, Tim says, something he hadn’t seen in earlier years. It’s in an effort to get students to take their classes. One major that’s he’s seen change in recent years? History. “The amount of books they buy now is nothing comparing to what they bought 10 to 20 years ago,” he says. And that’s because now faculty members have to consider cost factor for their books as top priority. OTHER ITEMS Clickers: $40. If you need it for a class, keep it. You might need it for another. Everything from Spanish to psychology uses them. Access codes: Anywhere from $25 to $100, often for science classes to access online content. Only used once and can’t be sold back. MOST EXPENSIVE MAJORS FOR BOOKS: Law School: Wordy laws and legal theory add up to hefty, expensive books. Business: Tim says this undergraduate major tends to pile on the costly books. However, he also says that the business school is a pioneer with digital book technology, including Courseload, an e-textbook program. I L L U S T R AT I O N A N D G R A P H I C S B Y M I S S Y W I L S O N
When IU’s water bill hit $250,000 each month, Utility Information Group Manager Lee Walters and others at the IU Physical Plant sought answers - what was causing this high consumption of water every month? Now, there are meters on every building on campus and the department is able to stop water leaks early on, conserving water and cutting costs.
IUB campus water usage
B Y K AT H RY N M O O DY
And that’s no fun for students trying to save money or TIS, who actually makes more money on used books than new books.
H20 BY CLAIRE ARONSON
Now a book for the same class costs $175.
“Mainstay textbooks can be sold back,” Tim says, “but you can’t sell back custom.”
Know your
Split the cost. If you can, try to take those basic, big lecture classes with a friend or roommate so you can split the cost on those big-item books. And also to survive the boredom, of course.
639,331,000 G A L L O NS O F WATER . which is enough to fill
3,409,765,333 3 409 765 333
5,632,357 5 632 357
1,382,337,297
1.5
C A S ES O F B EER
K IDDIE POOL S
Use the library. We have one of the most extensive library systems in the country -- use it. Especially if you need fiction or nonfiction books for literature or other liberal arts classes. Consider an older edition. A lot of students get slammed because the department recently adopted the newest edition and require all students to buy it. A lot of times, especially with history and science books, the new editions have very minimal changes, so you can get away with an older one. Be careful with this one, though, and watch out for different page numbers or even homework problems.
H A NDL ES O F VO DK A
G R IFFY L AKE S
Campus Energy Challenge Since the Energy Challenge started in 2007,
27.9 MILLION G A L L O NS O F WATER
have been saved, which is enough to fill an Olympic sized pool 28 times. The Spring Energy Challenge is currently running until April 21. IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 3
10 C O N F E S S I O N S
things your bartender wants you to know
Bloomington’s a basketball town with a drinking problem. Or a drinking town with a basketball problem. Whatever the case, before you hit your favorite watering hole this weekend, read what Inside learned from local bartenders who offered some tips to being a better bar-goer.
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BY DIANNE OSLAND
WAIT YOUR TURN. “When it comes to people at the bar, the most annoying thing is people yelling at you, smacking the counter, or waving their money in the air at you. Basically, the bartenders see you, they know you’re there, and they’ll get to you. We want to help you. It’s our job.” J AY M C C L U R G , T H E B I S H O P
2
BE PREPARED TO ORDER WHEN WE ASK. “If I come over and you’re like, ‘Umm, well...’ and you have four or five questions, just know that 10 seconds in bartender’s time is an eternity. I probably already have four to five things I’m trying to remember from other orders, so know what you want.” BRIAN HETTSMANSPERGER, YO G I ’ S G R I L L & B A R
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INSIDE MAGAZINE l CONSUMPTION
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DON’T ASK US TO MAKE YOUR DRINK “STRONG.” “Do you want a double? Do you want a single? You’re demanding too much. I’m not going to make your drink with extra alcohol unless you’re willing to pay for it.” J O N AT H A N H O R N E , THE ROOT CELLAR
4
DON’T GET BUSY AT THE BAR. “When there’s a couple sitting at my bar facing each other, touching, and making out, it makes it awkward for me to ask if you’d like another beer.” D A N N Y S TA R R , NICK’S ENGLISH HUT
5
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE DRINK. “People will come and say, ‘Hey, it’s her birthday, give us a round of shots.’ No such thing. Don’t have expectations that you’re entitled to free shots or drinks. That being said, if you’re a good regular who tips well, we’ll sometimes buy you a round and put it on our tab.” MARGARET ISHAM, MALIBU GRILL
7
IF YOU’RE BUYING MULTIPLE DRINKS, JUST START A TAB. “If you close out for like 10 different drinks, and you didn’t start a tab, that’s 10 different little credit card receipts I have to keep track of. We have to ring it up, print a receipt, have you sign it, and hope we don’t lose the receipt. It wastes a lot of time, plus you tend to over-tip as a customer when you do it separately.” S E A N D U P R E E , YO G I ’ S G R I L L & B A R
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6
RESPECT US JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE. “Treat us as you would the coworker you’re out with. People sometimes have the misconception we couldn’t get a better job or we’re uneducated because we’re bartenders. In reality, I probably make more money than someone out working at a bank. You go into a restaurant, be nice, be polite, and we’ll treat you well.” SAMANTHA MINOR, YO G I ’ S G R I L L & B A R
8
REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR ID. “You look over 21 but under 40? I still have to card you. I don’t care, but it’s my job to check. I don’t have to accept your papers that say you’re waiting for your license. Also, your word vouching for someone else isn’t good enough. ‘She forgot her ID at home, she’s over 21, I promise...’ will not get your friend into the bar.”
BE POLITE WHEN WE CUT YOU OFF “It happens. You’re supposed to get drunk at a bar. But if you have those kind of eyes right now, I’m not going to serve you. It’s never a good idea to argue with your bartender about it. Getting in my face screaming, ‘I’M NOT FUCKING DRUNK!’ is the biggest sign you actually are.” J O N AT H A N H O R N E , T H E R O O T C E L L A R
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NOT TIPPING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. “If you can’t afford to go out and tip 20 percent, you can’t afford to go out to eat or drink. Even Oprah said on national television that it’s OK to go out and tip 10 percent because of this economy, but that’s not true. When the food or drinks are more expensive, it’s typically because it’s better quality and we probably have to do more work. If you don’t tip us, we’re essentially working for free.” SAMANTHA MINOR, YO G I ’ S G R I L L & B A R
J O N AT H A N H O R N E , THE ROOT CELLAR
P H O T O S B Y S A R A H B OY U M
IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 5
B E T T E R
LIKE THAT? TRY THIS!
Y O U
Vita-M A X B Y AV E RY WA LT S
Let’s face it. Getting the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable servings each day is about as possible as making it on time to an 8 a.m. class all semester. Taking supplemental vitamins seems to be the next best choice, but Samantha Schaefer, a registered dietitian with IU Health, told us the truth about vitamins. Samantha says the ways in which people take vitamins may actually be having a negative effect on their health. “I found it interesting that a majority of the people that are using them are probably the people that aren’t as in high of need,” she says. “So they might be the ones that are actually supplementing more, which puts them maybe at a possible risk of an adverse reaction by getting too much.” Unfortunately, there’s not a universal vitamin that benefits all age and race demographics, but Samantha recommends using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as a reference point in the basic nutrients everyone should consume. “There are some nutrients that I think the dietary guidelines focuses on, not necessarily for supplementation but just to make sure that we’re getting enough of in our diet,” she says. “That’s typically the calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E, fiber, in adults and children, and vitamins A and C in adults.” Samantha finds patients abusing the popular gummy vitamins. “I think when we have the gummy vitamins or things that taste really good or more like candy, it might lead people to take more of them, and think of them more as a food,” she says. “What ends up happening is there are adverse effects. Those are very specific with each multivitamin and mineral you’re dealing with.” Gummy vitamins included, Samantha says that supplements should never replace the food in our diet. “Foods play a very important role in a healthy diet,” she says. “I think it’s important for us to remember that not only is a supplement just that, but foods contain hundreds of natural occurring substances that can protect our health.”
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INSIDE MAGAZINE l CONSUMPTION
Samantha spills on popular supplements used by students.
Nothing is worse than finishing your current Netflix obsession. If you need a new obsession, or want a reminder of the good stuff of the past, check out our totally not comprehensive list. B Y K AT H RY N M O O DY
TV
I F YO U L I K E
The Office TRY
Brooklyn 99 “The Office” moved millions with its ridiculous and totally awkward humor. “Brooklyn 99” has a very similar character dynamic, but with a police captain and his detectives. Try that for comedy.
MELATONIN What is it used for? Melatonin is commonly used to treat jet lag or sleep problems such as insomnia. Is it safe? Taken in low doses for short-term and long-term use, melatonin is safe in most cases. What are the side effects? Sleepiness, vivid dreams, and low body temperature are a few side effects, but will end when you have stopped taking the supplement.
I F YO U L I K E
Game of Thrones TRY
The Borgias Love the intoxicating nature of “Game of Thrones’” intricate power struggles? Watch “The Borgias,” a tale of a Renaissance-era family and their struggle to maintain power within the Roman Catholic Church. MOVIES
FISH OIL What is it used for? Fish oil supplements aid in lowering blood pressure, reducing triglycerides, and reducing the change of abnormal heart rhythm. Is it safe? The American Heart Association suggests taking no more than 3 grams of fish oil supplements per day. What are the side effects? Side effects could include a fishy taste in your mouth, fishy breath, and an upset stomach. VITAMIN C
I F YO U L I K E
Frozen T H R OW B A C K T O
Hunchback of Notre Dame “Frozen” has catchy music and a slightly more engaging plot than your typical Disney film. Now go and watch “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” I F YO U L I K E
The Wolf of Wall Street
What is it used for?
TRY
Vitamin C supplements are often used for the common cold and maintaining a healthy immune system.
Bringing out the Dead
Is it safe? The Recommended Dietary Allowance suggests females 19 years and up should take 75 mg/ day and males 19 years and up should take 90 mg/day.
If “Wolf” interested you in this director, try this lesser known Martin Scorsese film that was a critical darling but a box office flop. MUSIC
What are the side effects?
I F YO U L I K E
Vitamin C is safe for most people when taken by mouth or when applied to the skin, but more than 2000 mg/day is unsafe and may cause side effects such as kidney stones and diarrhea.
Pharrell Williams
V I TA M I N S T O C K P H O T O
TRY
N.E.R.D.
Surprise! This is kind of a cheat entry because N.E.R.D. is actually Pharrell Williams as a duo with Chad Hugo. But it’s still worth checking out.
The new IDS app keeps you in the know on all things IU and Bloomington. From sports to classifieds, music to food, the IDS app has it all.
Download today
Find the app under “Indiana Daily Student”
Tap into Btown
IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 7
LOVE AT FIRST bite
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INSIDE MAGAZINE l BAD
P H O T O I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y A N N A T E E T E R
Every year White Castle takes one night to hit the brakes on its fast food routine to celebrate love — served with a sack of sliders.
STORY BY MICHELA TINDERA P H OTO S B Y S A R A H B OY U M
Outside, a pink light glows through the windows of a small white restaurant. Nearby, a sign welcomes hungry customers in all caps: “TRY OUR SHRIMP & FISH NIBBLERS.” And inside, a woman unwraps the aluminum foil from a Hershey’s kiss into her boyfriend’s waiting palm. Their two-top is now littered with Valentine’s Day dinner remnants — almost-drained drinks, boxed leftovers, and a very precariously stacked tower of empty, grease-stained hamburger boxes. The couple of six months is celebrating the holiday with a dinner at Bloomington’s White Castle — and they are totally fine with it. It’s more famous for the stomach-churning saying, “they’re called sliders because they’ll slide right through you,” and Crave Cases than a hot date destination. And yet, for close to two dozen couples, families, and friends, this restaurant by the side of the highway seemed like just the place to spend their evening. For several years White Castle franchises around the country have taken to hosting sit-down Valentine’s Day dinners. Guests need reservations, behind-thecounter cashiers become attentive waiters, and little white castles are transformed, for one night, into palaces fit more for Will and Kate than Harold and Kumar. So, for general manager Lacy Jones, Valentine’s Day begins well before Feb. 14, in the aisles of the local Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby. She knew she definitely wanted black tablecloths this year — fancy restaurants seem to always have black tablecloths — but with a $25 budget from the corporate office, pickings were slim. Standing in the aisle of the Dollar Tree, just across the parking lot from White Castle, she
counted packages of miniature bubbles and boxes of stickers, adding prices in her head to avoid going over budget. In years past she’s used her own funds to supplement the $25 and fully bring her ideas to life — like the time she decided to freeze mint leaves and raspberries in ice cubes. “I’m not sure if customers appreciated it as much as I did,” she says. She’s toned down her decor ideas since then — but not by much. Picture the dining room of your typical fast food restaurant: sparse, plastic, and fluorescent. Now dunk that into a grocery store Valentine’s Day aisle: reds, pinks, and sparkle everywhere. Don’t forget to add a soundtrack of Taylor Swift’s bubblegum pop “Love Story” and Adele’s piano ballad “Chasing Pavements” pulsing out of the speakers. Lean in and take a whiff of the sugary vanilla wafting from the red cream soda filling up plastic fish bowls on every table. Resting on silver trays, they help to cover up the ever-present smell of fried food drifting through the restaurant. And that pink light that’s turning your onion chips and white button-down the color of freshly cut orchids? That’s the cellophane covering the usually unforgiving ceiling lights.
“I’m feeling straight up fat and sassy right now,” Grant Fowler said, looking past his personal pile of 10 empty White Castle boxes at his friend, Casey Johnson. She lifted her paper cup to his, “Cheers to that.” Grant is a stonecutter in Ellettsville and Casey (“the successful one,” Grant said) is a pharmacy technician at Kroger. Best friends for five or six years, they shared, Grant invited her to dinner
Groups of all ages braved the snow on Valentine’s Day to make their reservations at Bloomington’s only White Castle. During the past several years, the company has made Valentine’s Day celebrations a tradition at all their locations nationwide.
Grant Fowler, 25, invited Casey Johnson, 22, to join him for dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. The White Castle Slider was selected by TIME magazine as the “most influential burger of all time” in January.
because he went last year, and he calls this place “home.” The store is open 24 hours on the weekend, and because he said his stomach “can’t handle” Taco Bell, White Castle is the best place to refuel before, during, and after a night out. “I’ll get a 30-pack of sliders and a 30-pack of beer — I’ll walk into a party with a case in each hand, and I’ll be the life of the party,” he said.
And yet, it seemed like the party had just arrived. A trio of girls walked through the restaurant’s front door and up to the host stand on chunky heels. Violet Ploszaj, Haley Brooks, and Kelly Franklin: They’re all psychology majors, all from Highland, Ind., and all call White Castle “their spot” during the school year. It’s just a short drive down IN37 from McNutt Quad, where Kelly and Violet are roommates. Taking off their coats at a booth, they were dressed in all black — dresses, tights, heels —
acknowledging the irony that they were more ready for the night ahead than a typical Valentine’s Day dinner. “We’re like, the three blind mice,” Violet said. “Or,” she laughed. “The Three Musketeers probably sounds better.”
“I knew any girl that would let me come here on Valentine’s Day was a keeper,” Rob Moynihan said. After taking a last bite of her chocolate-covered-cheesecake-ona-stick, Meg Tresenriter stepped out of the cozy restaurant and into the below-freezing night air. Rob, her boyfriend, followed close behind. Before climbing into his Pontiac Grand Prix, he offered her a pair of thick wool socks — and asked her to tie them into a blindfold around her head. They had just finished their second-ever Valentine’s Day meal at White Castle. The couple of a year and half went last year because it was a low-key option, and they had only been together for a few months. Now, it’s a tradition. Once they left the restaurant, she remembers he
Rob Moynihan, 25, and Meg Tresenriter, 27, spent their second Valentine’s Day together at White Castle before Rob revealed his big surprise to Meg.
drove in circles around the city’s west side for close to 20 minutes. Money was tight this year. They had moved in with Rob’s parents in August while they both finished school at Ivy Tech Community College, and he had told her earlier in the day that he hadn’t gotten her any sort of gift. The whole time she sat next to him with a gray infinity scarf pulled over her eyes (the socks didn’t fit around her head) before they finally arrived. Unknown to her, their destination was the Marriott on the other side of the highway from the White Castle. But until they were standing in the lobby and she smelled the chlorine from the hotel’s pool, she says she was clueless. “I kept asking if we were going to our friends’ house in Ellettsville,” she says. But Rob had kept his secret the whole day. While he told Meg he was out running errands, he and his mom went to the hotel to decorate. Even during dinner, when asked what their plans for after the meal would be, they both just looked at each other before Meg answered: “Probably just go home and watch a movie.” Back in the hotel room, lilies, her favorite flower, were on the desk next to a laptop playing, “You Are My Sunshine.” You make me happy when skies are gray, She started to cry, so Rob pulled her in for a hug — You never know, dear, — And a kiss. He told her, How much, “I love you.” By now, any remnants of Valentine’s Day are crumpled somewhere in a landfill. Torn envelopes stained with rosy lipstick kisses are decomposing next to piles of soggy napkins, while heartshaped chocolate boxes sink into the sludge near withered carnations. Brief and sometimes expendable, Valentine’s Day — like taking a pit stop in a fast food joint’s drive-thru — holds a distinctive quality. Fleeting as it might be, you can still hear the smile in Meg’s voice when she recalls her date at the Castle several weeks earlier: “It’ll be our thing as long as we’re a thing.”
LOOK GOOD DESIGNER FRAMES Atwater Eye Care Center 744 E 3rd St. Phone # is 855-8436
www.optometry.iu.edu
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Dad’s bucket Those buckets above the bar are about more than Sink-the-Biz for members of Nick’s Bucket Brigade STORY BY CHARLES SCUDDER P H OTO S B Y A N N A T E E T E R
Nick Hrisomalos opened Nick’s English Hut in 1927. By the time he died in 1953, his little spot was a Bloomington staple.
When I was in high school, I knew a few things about IU.
*
I knew my parents met here at an apartment near the Varsity Villas. I knew about Bob Knight and Assembly Hall and the five banners. And I knew about Nick’s English Hut. If my family would come to Bloomington for a football game or campus visit, we’d have lunch at Nick’s. I put the key to my first car on a keychain emblazoned with a red bison holding a frothy mug. Whenever I opened our cabinet at home, I’d see a rusty metal bucket proclaiming in bright red paint, “Nick’s Bucket Brigade.” There’s something about Nick’s that makes it inseparable from the IU experience. It’s not just the decidedly cream and crimson decor. It’s a more humble bar than other establishments on Kirkwood. It’s a place to sit down and drink a God-fearing pound of American beer out of a jar. It’s inherently Hoosier. The shots-till-you-drop crowd may drift across the street, but climb the stairs to the Hoosier Room on a Friday or Saturday night, and you’ll have trouble finding a table. Basketball coaches come and go, administrations change, and students find new places to drink — but Nick’s has been Kirkwood’s constant for close to 90 years.
This is the story of a bucket. Its tin is dark with age, not like the shiny ones people play Sink-the-Biz with today. Under the words “Nick’s Bucket Brigade” is the word “Zero” in my dad’s handwriting. Nobody is quite sure whose idea it was to bring 14
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*
They dated over cheap Tuesday night steak-and-wine dinner specials at Nick’s.
COURTESY PHOTO
the buckets to Nick’s. The idea for a drinking club using buckets came from a bar someone visited in Wyoming in the early 1970s. The 120 tin buckets were hung on 120 hooks above the main bar for elite regulars. Thus, Nick’s Bucket Brigade was born. It’s one of the most iconic parts of Nick’s. To get a bucket in those early days, you had to earn a bucket. “Only the truly elite, the froth of the beer as it were, have their own buckets,” author Bill Weaver wrote in his Nick’s history, “The College of Beer.” “The easiest way to get your very own personalized bucket is go get somebody to will you their bucket and then kill them.” “It was a small group of people who had buckets, so it was a tight little club,” my dad, Paul, told me. “When I would go in everyone would have to drink out of pitchers, and I had my bucket.” I’d like to tell you the number of Dad’s bucket, but I’d probably get disowned for leaking it. It wasn’t until I visited Nick’s on my 21st birthday that I understood just how impressive Dad’s bucket ownership was. I went to the bar with a favorite professor of mine, whose love affair with all things — is legendary Bloomington — including Nick’s among journalism students. “Would you mind if I get down my bucket?” I asked him. He looked at me with a glimmer of excitement. “You have a bucket?” “Well, my Dad does,” I shrugged. “In all my years in Bloomington,” he said, grinning, “I’ve only known one other person to have a bucket.”
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He’ll proudly point out a booth in the back, telling you that’s where he and his wife had their first date.
Nearly a century ago, a Greek immigrant came to Bloomington. He operated a small storefront on North Walnut Street selling popcorn and peanuts, but in 1924 he bought a piece of open space on a two-laned brick street under a row of shade trees. On that land, Nick Hrisomalos would build one of Bloomington’s most iconic storefronts. It started as a sandwich shop with a small grill in back, but after Prohibition ended in 1933, it became Kirkwood’s first bar. He called it Nick’s English Hut. In the first half of the last century, Nick’s was a small, quiet, calm place. Law students, local politicians, and members of Sigma Nu — who lived just down the street at the time — populated the bar. At the end of the night, Nick would walk through the bar, shouting, “Everybody out, even the Sig-a-ma Nu’s!” Nick died the day IU won its second NCAA men’s basketball championship, March 17, 1953. His son, Frank, sold the bar to Nick’s regular Dick Barnes in 1957. Mr. Barnes, as everyone calls him, had started as a Bloomington restaurateur by opening The Pizzeria — Bloomington’s first pizza joint — at Grant and Kirkwood in 1954. By 1972, he had a chain of eateries and bars that would make the Kilroy’s empire of 2014 jealous. But in the mid-1970s, Mr. Barnes sold most of his businesses off to concentrate on the English Hut. The buckets came to Nick’s under Mr. Barnes’ ownership, but the great exclusivity of the Bucket Brigade ended when buckets became open to the in 1996. Now, the public for Sink-the-Biz buckets aren’t willed from one generation to another. They’re not sought after by students the way they used to be.
*
**
On a drizzly Thursday afternoon, current owner Gregg “Rags” Rago is cleaning up in the kitchen. He wears a neon-green Nick’s shirt and matching Crocs with two rolled-up bandanas wrapped around his neck. He keeps a ring full of keys with a Nick’s keychain — the same one I had when I was 16 — in his pocket. Rags started washing dishes here when he was a teenager in 1979. “I never forget where I came from,” Rags says. “My passion, my life, is Nick’s English Hut. I don’t really know anything different.” Rags sees his role as a steward, a captain of the ship, upholding the tradition his predecessors set before him. He’s made some updates — last summer the downstairs went through a massive — but the spirit of Nick and Mr. renovation Barnes is still front and center. The new bar has stainless steel, granite, hickory wood, and LED lighting, but it’s the exact same size as the old bar — the buckets still hang above, and the original booths Nick Hrisomalos installed in 1927 are still there. “I can change things because I can, but I want to keep things in a very traditional manner so when people walk in they feel like it’s 1927, 1957, 1977,
***
Gregg “Rags” Rago, started washing dishes for longtime Nick’s owner Dick Barnes in 1979. Rags owns the place now, but can still be found doing dishes and cleaning up behind the bar.
*
Barnes owned The Pizzeria, Pizza Barn, La Tortilla, Davy’s Locker, Ye Olde Regulator,The Gaus Haus,The Refuge Inn, and Nick’s. Herman B Wells called Barnes the “Mahatma of Kirkwood.”
**
The game was invented in the mid-1980s when Quarters was banned in the bar. Members of the Bucket Brigade nicknamed the small serving cup after the German battleship Bismarck, hence Sinkthe-Biz.
2007,” he says. “You know, I’ve come to work every day here for almost 37 years, and I know what Nick’s means. I know it means a lot to other people, too.” Rags calls it genuineness. He’s made some changes downstairs so families can bring their underage children in before 8 p.m. He sources the food menu from local farmers and the beer from local brewers. “People call us a bar — we are a bar, we serve alcoholic beverages — but I see us being called a restaurant also,” Rags said. “Nick’s English Hut is Nick’s English Hut. I mean, has anyone else heard of a Nick’s English Hut? No. We’re the only one.”
One of the lasting images from the night Christian Watford hit that three to beat Kentucky in 2011 is a grainy, unstable cell phone video shot from the back of the Hoosier Room. “Shoot the fucking ball!” someone shouts as Watford gets the pass in the final seconds. Then — for not even a full second — the bar goes silent. You can’t make out much after that. The ceiling fan makes an appearance for a moment, then you see the bar and red-sleeved arms high in the air. The noise is loud. The whole building seems to be jumping off its foundation.
****
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
***
Rags left a note inside the bar during construction: “To whomever finds this note, May Nick’s English Hut forever flourish & keep the spirits of Nick & Dick ALIVE! 6/24/13 RAGS”
Hoosier fans swarm Kirkwood in December 2011 after IU beat then-No. 1 Kentucky on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
**** After that video went viral, Rags says, his insurance came knocking. They were at safe capacity that night, but now you'll find Nick's employees at the entrance to every door, making sure no single room gets too crowded.
IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 15
A F T E R C L A S S With only 24 hours in a day and taking 12 or more credit hours, students find themselves in a daily balancing act.
PROFILES BY SARAH BOYUM AND RACHEL WISINSKI P H OTO S B Y S A RA H B OY U M
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Tabitha Sherwood
Tabitha Sherwood says her entire life is centered around exercise. A junior majoring in exercise science and psychology, Tabitha is a rider for the Collins Cycling team. On top of that, she lifts weights at the gym one morning a week and tries to get in at least three runs, too. When she is home on breaks and during the summer, Tabitha works at Fitness Forum Sports and Wellness in her hometown of Plymouth, Ind. Cycling has consumed her life, and Tabitha wouldn’t have it any other way. She spends at least 20 hours a week on the bike training for the upcoming Little 500 race and other road races. She has had to make sacrifices for her sport such as “a social life,” she says and laughs. “It’s been a challenge, but I’ve found a good balance,” she says. “School always comes first.” When she was 9 years old, Tabitha started running competitively. She would compete in 5-kilometer road races, and she ran cross-country and track from middle school through high school. She started doing triathlons during her freshman year at IU, and that’s when she was introduced to cycling. The Collins Cycling team has since become her second family. A back injury sustained from a cycling accident this past fall has kept Tabitha from running regularly. She says she thinks that time off the bike could help her back heal faster. But Tabitha can’t do that. “If I go a day without riding my bike, you can tell. I’m not that happy,” she says.
LITTLE 500 RIDER IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 17
Instead of working 20 hours per week as a lifeguard for Campus Recreational Sports, junior Carly Smith cut her hours to 10 this semester. That will be plenty with the demands of I-Core, she says. Integrated-Core is required of students in the Kelley School of Business, and it’s usually completed during their junior years. Students are put into groups and have two weeks at the end of the semester to solve an issue in the business world using the material they’ve learned in class. “I’ve heard of groups who don’t leave campus — they spend the night,” Carly says. “So it’ll be an interesting time.” The program includes a blocked class schedule where classes are structured so the same students are in classes together every day with the same core professors. Each class has its own topic — strategy, marketing, finance, and operations. Aside from midterms and finals, 20 percent of each class grade is the “core case.” “For a lot of kids who aren’t used to studying for tests except the day or two days before, the semester can be a bit of a shock to them,” Carly says. Kelley professors tell Carly and her fellow business students for every hour spent in the classroom, they should be studying two hours on their own. For this reason, professors also often point out during lecture which information will be most essential to the core case. Carly says this has helped her prepare. “I think it does, to an extent, consume your life,” she says. “It’s hard to manage if you have a job like I do and other things you want to do in the semester.” Carly studies marketing with a minor in event planning. She spends about two to five hours per week as treasurer for the Student Event Planner Association. This includes time spent on a combination of meetings, required volunteer work for events, and guest speakers from the profession. But Carly isn’t worried she’ll have trouble managing her time. “It gives me an advantage going into I-Core,” Carly says. “I have experience balancing school, a personal life, and work life. That might be something that trips people up is that they don’t know how to balance it on a weekly basis.”
Carly Smith I-CORE STUDENT
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The whole day they had been playing the question game, but senior Rachel Hoopingarner had not been expecting this one. To celebrate their second anniversary of dating, IU alumnus Tyler Roach took Rachel to all the places in Bloomington that were special to the two of them. Though the plan had been to end under the lights at the Art Museum, the lights had been removed, so Tyler improvised and brought Rachel to sit near Showalter Fountain. That November day was when he asked the question that changed their lives. Through tears, Rachel accepted his marriage proposal, and the two have been planning the big day ever since — Rachel from Bloomington, and Tyler from Columbus, Ohio. “During the week, we try to keep it at a minimum,” Rachel says. “I try to stay focused on school and friends. That’s where I’m at at the moment.” She and Tyler try to visit one another every weekend, which she says has helped a lot with the planning. They may also travel to Muncie, her hometown and the location of the wedding. “If I need to do wedding planning, I make sure to make a quick call between classes, or after I’m done for the day I might plan and schedule stuff, but honestly I cranked out a lot during Christmas break,” Rachel says. In late March, she says only fine details are left. All the booking is done, the people are hired, and the date — May 24 — is fast approaching. Though the two were in school at the same time, they focused on their other priorities — work, school, friends, and family. “I made sure those aspects of my life were not overshadowed with my relationship with Tyler,” Rachel says. Tyler followed suit and landed a job for JP Morgan Chase, which is why the two must endure the time apart until Rachel’s graduation. “I’m most excited to be over with long distance,” Rachel says.
Rachel Hoopingarner WEDDING PLANNER
IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 19
Senior Joe Heath sings for crowds as large as 300 people at Kilroy’s Dunnkirk and the Bluebird Nightclub with his cover band, Dad’s Weekend. However, he prefers the private basement shows his band Joe Heath and the Heathens often plays. “We figured out we like playing basements more because people are keen on listening to you,” Joe says. “Crowds can be distant if you don’t have a big name.” One of Joe’s particularly fond memories was playing at a house party. All the furniture had been removed from the living room, and about 80 people piled in to hear the show. They were the last band with a set, and it was past midnight — late, Joe says. “Right when we ended our last tune was when the cops showed up and busted the party,” Joe says. Because he writes music and plays guitar for the Heathens, Joe spends about 10 to 15 hours per week on material for the band. “It’s an outlet for me,” Joe says. “I do a lot, and I’m very busy, but when playing with the Heathens it’s a release to get out there.” Dad’s Weekend started in fall 2013 because he and his friends wanted to play at bars. They play fewer shows, during which Joe provides the vocals, but the band still occupies about three hours of his week. Additionally, the recording arts major acts as station manager at WIUX and audio engineer for WTIU. “Sometimes I even like when I’m in a little bit over my head because it forces me to work harder and find solutions to things I otherwise wouldn’t,” Joe says. “Though it takes time and I’m exhausted all the time and stressed out, I really wouldn’t want to live any other way.”
Joe Heath MUSICIAN
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Anna Schnick
On April 4, all of Anna Schnick’s hard work culminated into a BFA photography thesis show titled “Inheritance.” The senior, who will graduate in May with a bachelor of fine arts and a minor in anthropology, spent the majority of her spring semester working on the project, in which she explores her life in terms of her mother’s experiences. Anna used a variety of processes in her work including 4 x 5 photographs, tintype, and photographs altered in Photoshop. “The way I think about (my thesis project) isn’t quite factual. I’ve created a mythology for myself,” Anna says. “But I think that’s how we think about things in life anyway.” Because much of her thesis focused on her mother, Anna found herself in Muncie most weekends. A BFA thesis project such as this is a time-consuming and exhausting venture. Most students focus primarily on this during the semester, taking a lighter class load and dropping other responsibilities. Anna did just the opposite. Against her better judgment, she signed up for two studio art classes this semester, sculpture and advanced Photoshop, which both require ample work outside class. Once a week, Anna serves as the lab monitor for the dark room and digital photography labs at the Fine Arts Building from 6 p.m. to midnight. And when she has any time to spare, Anna volunteers at the Middle Way House: she operates the 24-hour phone line and is available as an on-scene advocate if a victim at the hospital wishes to have company. Even though she juggles all this, Anna still wishes she could do more. “There are just too many things that are happening,” she says. “I wish I could do them all.”
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS STUDENT
IDSNEWS.COM/INSIDE • INSIDE MAGAZINE 21
big eats STORY BY EVAN HOOPFER P H OTO S BY ANNA TEETER AND SARAH BOYUM
The not-so-simple challenge that was presented to me: THREE PANCAKES AND PAXSON’S POTATOES FROM VILLAGE DELI FOR BRUNCH THE ‘‘BIG UGLY’’ CHALLENGE FROM BUB’S FOR DINNER AND A BANANA SPLIT FROM HARTZELL’S FOR DESSERT. One day. Three challenges. Probably five billion calories. I can only imagine what went through the head of my friend and one of the editors of Inside when she thought of who to ask to take on these challenges. “Hmmm… Who do I know who eats a lot? … Oh Evan! Evan eats food all the time! Usually a lot of it!” Challenge accepted. I put in some preparation for the day of gluttony. The day before my body would never forgive me, I Googled, “How to eat a lot of food.” The results were mixed with a lot of personal testimonies from “experts” basically telling me this endeavor was not natural to the body and extreme caution should be exercised. Great. I showed up at Village Deli with an empty stomach. I wouldn’t say I was arrogant, but I mean, its just pancakes, right? “Three pancakes and Paxson’s Potatoes please,” I said to the waiter. The waiter, who I later learned was named Pierce, looked at me and said, “You know they’re pretty big right?” “Yeah, yeah I know.” “OK, if you’re sure.”
Oh, I was sure. I’m not a huge fan of pancakes, admittedly. I’m definitely more of a waffle guy — born and raised on those delicious frozen Eggo waffles that should be the staple of every little kid’s childhood. But pancakes can’t be that filling, or so I thought. Then, Pierce brought out the pancakes. They. Were. Large. The size of each pancake overwhelmed me. The pancakes hung over the side of the plate. And the thickness — wow. I was staring at three pancakes the size of my head and the width of a dime. Oh yeah, and a bowl of Paxson’s Potatoes. “I put them each on different plates,” Pierce said. “They looked more daunting that way.” Thanks, Pierce. I applied the butter and draped syrup over the behemoths. I took my first bite and was feeling like a champ. The thought, “Hey, these taste pretty good, I can do this,” went through my head. Fast-forward to the end of pancake one. I had cleared one plate but still had two pancakes and Paxton’s Potatoes left. I had to get creative if I was going to trick my stomach into eating more food.
I chopped up one of the pancakes into bite sized pieces. The people I was with were interested/disgusted in my strategy. “What are you going to do?” “You’ll see,” I replied. I put the Paxson’s Potatoes — laden with potatoes, gravy, onions and cheese — onto the pancake. Was I crazy? Insane? A mad man? No — it was delicious. Topping it off with a good amount of hot sauce, I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this concoction. “Interesting strategy,” Pierce said as he walked by. Thanks, Pierce. But I got halfway through the pile and had to surrender. It was too much.
Village Deli – 1, Evan – 0. I knew this would be my weakest point of the day. Like I said, I’m not a huge pancake connoisseur. But I was still disappointed in myself. I had let the challenge down. I had let Pierce down. I had six hours to regroup. Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream would be calling at 6 p.m. When dinnertime came around, I wasn’t that hungry, but I couldn’t
let down the good people of Bloomington again. I ordered the “Big Ugly.” What my waiter, Justin, brought out was a one-pound burger that once again was the size of my head. Justin also brought out a “just in case” bucket. My reward if I eat the whole thing — my picture on the wall with hundreds of other people who like food. Game on. This was more in my wheelhouse. Dinner food has always been my specialty. But could I finish this gigantic chunk of meat with Village Deli pancakes still in my belly? Half an hour later, I was still going strong. I don’t know what came over me. I had eaten threefourths of this burger and was still feeling good. I wouldn’t say I’m the Michael Jordan of eating the
Bub’s Big Ugly, but I’m at least the Robert Horry of eating the Bub’s Big Ugly. (For those of you who have lives and don’t follow sports to the alarming degree I do, Robert Horry is a former decent NBA player who made ridiculously clutch plays when it mattered most.) As I took my final bite of the patty, I had defeated the Big Ugly. I was stuffed to my brim full of meat but couldn’t be happier. “I’ll go grab the camera,” Justin said. “I’m impressed.” Damn right, Justin.
Evan – 1, Bub’s – 0. I had three hours to recover for my banana split at Hartzell’s, but I wasn’t worried. I have been eating Edy’s Rocky Road out of the tub for years. The banana split was a
beautiful creature. It was an aesthetically pleasing piece of ice cream artwork. Like I said, I wasn’t too worried — this was ice cream. As I was downing the last couple bites of my banana split, I had time to reflect on my day of eating. Bloomington is home to many little places only local to this great city. Take a walk down Fourth Street and observe all the ethnic restaurants. Or right by College Mall there’s this little place called “Wendy’s” I think you’ll really enjoy. I had bested the banana split. Two out of three food challenges had been defeated by yours truly. It was a great experience, even though I won’t be hungry until May.
Evan – 1, Hartzell’s – 0.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
I was outside that night, along with hundreds of other Hoosiers celebrating the return of IU basketball. I watched the game in an apartment a few blocks from Kirkwood. I didn’t even wait for the shot to clear the net at the end of the game. I saw the ball dip under the rim and ran to the bars. My parents texted me — with lots of capital letters and exclamation points — and asked how I was celebrating. Headed toward Nick’s, I told them. I have the Wat Shot. Dad has the 1981 championship. After IU beat UNC in the NCAA final, Dad — a photojournalism student — grabbed his camera bag and headed toward campus, where the celebration began with happy Hoosiers jumping into Showalter Fountain. “The night was, just, everyone was on campus,” he said. “Everyone was at Kirkwood or Showalter Fountain.” At Nick’s, the management had learned from the 1976 championship when a near-riot broke out in the bar. This time around, they were more cautious of crowds and used plastic cups rather than glass jars. By the end of the night, the only thing left behind the bar was a four-pack of Ballantine Ale. Dad ran into three of his fraternity brothers from Phi Gamma Delta celebrating outside Nick’s, their arms around each other, holding up No.
1 fingers. Dad squatted down so the “NICK’S” sign was framed between their arms and pressed the shutter. He was working that spring at a photo store where Panda Express sits on Kirkwood today. Dick Barnes was a regular customer who brought his film in to be developed. Dad made a print of the celebration photo for Mr. Barnes, thinking it might end up on the wall. He joked to his boss at the camera store that he hoped Mr. Barnes would be so impressed with the photo that he’d offer up a bucket. One day, Mr. Barnes came in to pick something up at the camera store, and Dad gave him the print. “This is great,” Mr. Barnes said. “Come in sometime and I’ll buy you a beer.” “Tell him what you really want,” Dad’s boss said from another part of the store. “Well,” Dad said. “I was joking that it’d be nice to get a bucket.” “OK ,” Mr. Barnes said. “Come on in and we’ll get you one.” He came in to Nick’s the next day, paid a small fee and got the bucket. He kept the decorations simple, just writing “Zero” — his Fiji nickname — on the side. When he moved away from Bloomington years later, he passed his spot in the Brigade to his younger sister and kept the bucket, where it lived in the cabinet at home for 25 years.
*
The bucket is no longer in Dad’s cabinet. A few years back, while I was at freshman orientation, my parents went to Nick’s and found out that not only could anyone order beer from a bucket, but that the shiny new buckets were for sale up front. “I wasn’t aware of how much the bucket culture was different,” Dad said. “So that’s disappeared. And that’s disappointing.”
Dad asked the bartender if he could bring his old rusty bucket back to hang in the bar. The bartender was skeptical at first, before Dad explained the story about the photo and the ’81 championship. “Well, if Mr. Barnes gave it to you,” he said, “we’ll put your bucket up.” When I moved back to Bloomington in 2010, my parents took me to lunch his bucket at Nick’s. Dad smuggled back into the bar under a jacket. Once he had placed his order, he scurried over to the main bar downstairs and had it hung. “To me, that’s one of the things I remember about Nick’s: walking in the front door and seeing all those buckets hanging above the main bar downstairs,” Dad said. “I knew that when I got mine that I would always have this thing hanging in Nick’s that very few people had and forever tied me to there.” Dad and I have discussed bringing the bucket back down. I have a Sinkthe-Biz set at home with a shiny new bucket that is dentless, paintless, rustless. Dad has thought about putting his old number on there, letting me decorate it. But there’s just something about having that old bucket always a part of Nick’s. More than 30 years after Mr. Barnes handed the bucket to Dad, it’s still there. That’s why alumni always come back to Nick’s. Every generation will add something new to the place — from Mr. Barnes’ pizza pies to Rags’ newest renovations — but the booths are always the same, the same stained glass is on the wall, the buckets are always hanging above the bar. “I think every college campus has the quintessential college bar, and that’s what Nick’s is to Bloomington. That’s what Nick’s is for IU,” Dad said. “Other places come and go, and there seems to always be this one that sticks around.”
*
One night, before he officially willed it to my Aunt Sallie, Dad came to Nick’s and asked for the bucket by number. The bartender looked for the bucket but came back empty-handed. My dad found his little sister and a group of her friends using the bucket in Nick’s Attic upstairs. He simply walked up, grabbed the bucket by the handle, thanked her for buying the first bucket-full and walked back downstairs.
**
**
Likely the only time in Nick's history that someone has smuggled a bucket into the bar.
Your IU student magazine Catch the next issue in October 2014.
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