C h list mas t re es briclge
By Shelley Emshoff
Battalion Reporter
Finding a Christmas tree to fit
your personality, living space,
and budget should be easy.
From a tiny throw-away tree,
$4, to an elaborately decorated
artificial tree, $579.99, there is a
tree for each individual.
The parking lot of nearly ev
ery shopping center in Bryan-
College Station has turned into a
Christmas tree lot, with every
thing from Charlie Brown trees
to thick, flocked giants which
tower over the fences.
Price is based on size, appear
ance and species. The manager
at the Farm Patch lobby Red
mond Terrace said the Douglas
Fir is the tree most popular for
dorms because of price and size.
A 15-inch fir sells for $5.95.
For those with more expen
sive taste and room to indulge it,
live trees up to 8 feet tall cost as
much as $38.95. Transportation
costs increase the cost of live
trees; most come from Oregon,
Wisconsin or Washington.
In a couple of years, buyers
may be able to purchase Texas-
grown Christmas trees at prices
lower than those shipped from
up north.
Trees were planted in East
Texas two years ago, and be
cause the growing season here is
longer, it takes only four years
for Texas trees to mature, com
pared to about 10 years in the
North.
The Virgina Pine is grown
near Orange, Texas. The Texas
A&M Forestry Club cuts 300 of
these trees to sell on campus to
raise money for a convention of
Southern forestry schools in
April.
Dan McKenney, president of
the Forestry club, said the trees
range from 5 to 12 feet and cost
$18 to $20. He said most of the
tress are sold to those living off
campus.
In the past years the club sent
questionaires with each tree
sold to evaluate its quality. The
results indicated that the club's
trees retain their needles longer
than most.
If you don't want to fight
Christmas shoppers each year,
it's a good idea to invest in an
artificial tree. Hardy Gardens in
Bryan sells artificial trees deco
rated to carry out themes such as
gold tinsel with fruit and nut
clusters, Humble figurines and
Walt Disney characters and
candy.
There is a "traditional tree"
with kerosene lanterns and re
plicas of 18th century items.
Mauve poinsettas, grape clus
ters, and turquoise and beige
balls make an unusual but ele
gant decorations on one of the
trees.
Trees can be purchsed with
out decorations, or employees
will decorate the tree in a home
or business. In addition to de
corations, Christmas shoppers
can purchase a music box to
plug into the lights. The lights
will blink in time with the music.
There is also a turntable that
makes the tree rotate.
Without tradition there
would be no need to even con
sider buying a tree. According to
one legend, the custom of de
corating trees at Christmas be
gan with an English missionary
named Winfrid. About 1,200
years ago he met a group about
to sacrifice a young prince to a
sacred oak tree.
Winfrid stopped the sacrifice
and cut down the oak tree, and a
fir tree immediantly appeared in
its place. Winfrid said the tree
was to be holy, the tree of peace
and Christ.
Men taking their turn
dancing in the spotlight
By Anne Oliver
Battalion Reporter
Watching bikini-clad women compete on the
dance floor for cash prizes is a common sight at
some local night clubs.
Men love it. But Gary Seibac, o\vner of the club
Dallas at 1401 FM 2818, is giving the women
something to cheer about too.
As many as 250 women head for Dallas be
tween 7 and 10 p.m. Thursdays, and they're all
going for one purpose.
Rather than sit through another legs or t-shirt
contest, these women have come to watch male
dancers strip down to their own bikini bathing
suits.
This is called La Bare night. The idea is nothing
new in cities like Dallas, Houston and San Anto
nio, but only lately came to College Station.
"We figured we needed something different
and we wanted something to attract women to the
club," Seibac said."Girls were always asking why
there wasn't something like this, so I decided we
ought to give it to them."
Some men seem to object to the male dancers,
but Seibac said the dancers don't expose any more
than a woman does in a bathing suit contest.
"Since we began La Bare night, we've been
receiving more and more applications from men
wanting to dance in it, and the turnout seems to
be getting bigger and bigger each Thursday
night," he said.
Seibac said the men dance about two songs
each, and new dancers are introduced all the time
so the women don't tire of seeing the same ones.
He said the dancers range from college students
to construction workers, and the audience ranges
from housewives to college women.
Charlie Bailey,22, a construction worker from
College Station who dances in La Bare night, said
he didn't like the idea of taking off his clothes at
first.
"But after watching the other guys do it, I
thought it was worth a try," he said.
After dancing, Bailey said he really enjoyed
himself and the women he danced for.
"Every guy likes to hear someone say they look
nice. For a couple of hours it kinda gives you an
ego lift," he said.
Aside from building up their egos, the women
in the audience get quite a kick out of tipping the
dancers. You can be sure they don't just hand the
men the money, either. You'd have to see it to
believe it.
Seibac said one dancer made $85 in tips one
night and "they never make less than $40 if
they're good."
Bailey said one woman even gave him coupons
for free t-shirts from a local shop.
Laura Gipe, Bailey's girlfriend, said having her
boyfriend dance in front of so many women
bothers her some, but she doesn't really mind.
"After sitting through so many contests involv
ing women, I think it's a really welcome change to
see men out there doing the same things," she
said.
1861 'Ol Jaqiuaoaa 'Aepsjnq^ jr
Top Ten
What do you want for Christmas?
Well, this is the last issue of the semester, and we couldn't care
less what you want.
What we want is much more important.
The entire Battalion staff has a Christmas list, and to simplify
things, we're publishing it in Focus. So don't say nobody told
you.
We have even put up a Christmas tree in the newsroom, for
our loot to go under.
So here goes: the definitive list of things that would make the
staff's lives much easier.
1 — Height for all the knee-cap biters in the newsroom. This
would end constant bickering between the tall and short
factions. Tall would win.
2 — A toy saber, to get back at all the people who write nasty
letters about The Battalion. Or to the Battalion about things
we have no control over. It's not our fault there are no copiers
in the library. We have our own.
3—A pet. An editor dressed as a bunny just doesn't cut it. We
want a real rabbit. Or any of the animals pictured in last
week's Focus. (Or enough money to buy one.)
4 — Raises. We have computed our pay scale, and if we were
paid minimum wage for every hour spent working, we
would all be rich within a month.
5 — Continuous electrical power. Our computer system is
such a persnickety little thing. It likes to be fed continuously.
6—Free booze for a year. Served on the porch of a beach-front
condominium in Port Aransas. (We could have asked for
Hawaii. But we're not greedy.)
7 — A cumulative staff GPR of at least a 4.00. You think we're
kidding? Contrary to popular opinion. The Battalion is not a
daily gift from the heavens. Heavenly, maybe, but produced
by earthly hands. Do people outside the newsroom still
attend class? It's been a while.
8 — Sleep. (Maybe if we started going to class, we could catch
up.)
9 — MPACT and Anytime machines in the newsroom, to cut
down staff expeditions to multiple banks.
10 — A complete set of Focus cover stories for next semester,
including photos, ready to run now.
(Please call 845-2611 for shopping information.)
THE
BREAD
BOX
BAKERY
• We feature custom baking
• Our delights include:
Cheesecake, Pound Cake, Sponge Cake, Danishes,
Pastries, Rolls, all kinds of homemade breads also.
Bagels on Tues. & Fri.
• 10% OFF ALL GRADUATION CAKES ORDERED
EARLY.
LCiNCH & DINNER SPECIAL
FREE medium size drink w/lunch or
dinner.
Try our: Chicken Lasagna or homemade
Sandwiches with your choice of Breads.
OPEN: MON.-FRI. 8-10 SAT. 8-6
WOODSTONE CENTER
• behind Hamburgers
by
Gourmet
aTm
HWY.30