16C
HOMECOMING
PARADE
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2007
Filling the boulevard with Jayhawk spirit
Student organizations compete for parade title
BY KATHERINE LESLIE
editor@kansan.com
Every year thousands of students, alumni and Kansas fans line Jayhawk Boulevard to watch the Homecoming Parade. The parade
will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Kansas Union and follow Jayhawk Boulevard to the Chi Omega fountain. The parade will last 30 to 45 minutes.
Student life and greek organizations compete in the parade using
"There will be plenty of variety to this year's parade, ranging from KU organizational floats and banners, to a large, floating Chipotle burrito."
DAVID WILCOX
Parade co-chairman
floats, decorated vehicles and banners.
Groups can participate in one of four categories to earn points: floats with moving parts, floats with nonmoving parts, decorated vehicles and banners. First, second and third places and honorable mentions will be awarded in each division.
In addition to participation points, each division allots a number of points for first, second and third place. The points are based on the difficulty of creating the floats and banners. Moving parts floats receive 200, 175 and 150 points for first, second and third place, respectively. Thirty-five points are award-
ed for participation;
nonmoving parts floats
receive 175, 150,
and 125 points
with 30 points
for participation;
and decorated
vehicles and banners receive 100,
75 and 50 points
with 25 points
for participation.
Banners are worth
20 points.
General guidelines participants must follow during the parade include sticking to the jayhawk Nation theme and having escape hatches on the moving parts floats in case of fire. Parade cochairwoman Alyson Rodee, Wichita junior, said that participants could not endanger small children with vehicles or candy.
This year's parade will feature the Marching Jayhawks and the
Marching Cobras, a world-famous Kansas City, Mo., drill team The Rock Chalk dancers will also perform. The Grand Marshall for this year's parade is Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a University of Kansas alumna.
"There will be plenty of variety to this year's parade, ranging from KU organizational floats and banners, to a large, floating Chipotle burrito," said parade co-chairman David Wilcox, Manhattan sophomore.
Student life and greek organizations compete in the parade using floats, decorated vehicles and banners.
Brittani
Johnson, Denver senior, described her sorority's plans for their float.
"For this year's theme, we're having a jayhawk on a throne with a crown on his head, with stalks of corn as his subjects," she said.
Johnson said her sorority had placed well during her time at the University and she expected the same results at this year's parade.
Edited by Rachael Gray
"We've been in the top three ever since I was a freshman," she said. "We got second place last year. We're hoping for another victory this year."
KANSAN FILE PHOTOS
The American Beverage Association says there is an increasing trend of tea consumption. Globally, tea is the second-most consumed beverage, according to the ABA.
Axah McCalla studies in the ultra-modern. Asian-inspired sitting area at House of Cha, 21 W. 9th St. Melodic, synthesized ballads chime in the background while she sips on her refreshing bubble tea.
"I come here a little too often," the Lawrence senior says with a chuckle.
Typically, McCalla goes to
According to the American Beverage Association, tea ranks second in global beverage consumption behind water, but is the seventh-most consumed beverage in the United States. The ABA and its
House of Cha three to four times per week, but sometimes she goes every day, especially when school is in session. She only drinks tea; coffee is not a part of her diet. She doesn't frequent coffee shops, but when she does choose to go, she finds it hard to get good quality tea. She also enjoys the serenity that the teahop provides.
atmosphere that helps me concentrate," she says, "but not to the point that I want to fall asleep."
With the exception of herbal tea, all tea is made from a plant called Camellia sinensis. The type of tea varies based on the cultivation region, the time of year picked and the method of processing. Here are some fun tea facts:
"The teashop offers a relaxing
More and more people in Lawrence have caught on to the national shift toward highquality tea consumption and the ever-growing tea scene in the city is indicative of its increasing popularity.
White teas have the highest antioxidant levels of all teas. They have a low amount of caffeine and they're the least processed.
market research company now notice an increasing trend in tea consumption that accompanies a growing number of teashops and tea retailers.
Green teas boost the immune system, reduce the risk of cancer and help prevent cavities and tooth decay. They have 5-10 percent of the caffeine found in coffee and they naturally burn calories.
PHOTO BY SARAH LEONARD
Varieties of Tea
Oolong teas increase metabolism and aid in digestion, making them perfect for a weight-loss rejuvene.
Black teas are the most commonly served teas in America. Black tea helps blood flow to the brain and increases concentration and mental focus. Black tea also prevents the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream, which helps lower the risk of heart disease.
Rooibos or Red teas come from a South African red bush. They have higher antioxidant levels than green tea and rooibos tea has no caffeine. Rooibos tea have high levels of vitamins and minerals and
are excellent in aiding with digestion.
Bubble tea typically have four components: a flavor, a creamer, a sweetener and a liquid. Flavors range from chai to honeydew and you can choose from tea or milk as your liquid. Bubble-tea lovers also have the option of adding boba, or large balls of sweet tapioca, which adds a fun twist.
Herbal teas consist of herbs, and can also include flowers and fruits. Their healthiness varies from tea to tea.
Source: www.teevana.com,
www.bubbleteasupply.com and
www.teegarden.com
Gary Patterson, co-owner of House of Cha, says his business has increased at least 15 percent every year since the teahouse opened in 2003. The idea for House of Cha grew from Patterson's online venture as a wholesaler of Taiwanese oolong tea, which tea connoisseurs consider to be the world's best. Patterson and his wife, Fanny, whose family has a history in the Taiwanese tea industry, decided to open the teahouse in hopes of educating Lawrence residents about the perks of high-quality tea.
Patterson says the teahouse's bubble-tea drinkers range from international students to Lawrence residents, and from toddlers to senior citizens.
"Once somebody tries it," he says, "they keep coming back for more."
Mark Ukra, a tea connoiseur known as Dr. Tea, discusses the healthful benefits and increasing popularity of tea in his book The Ultimate Tea Diet, which is set for release in December, Ukra's Los Angeles teahouse, the Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium, offers its wide range of clientele an abundance of tea knowledge and quirky ways to incorporate tea into daily routines.
Ukra says stereotypical tea drinkers, which he describes as "the pinkies-up crowd" or "little old ladies," are a thing of the past and the increasing number of teahouses and retailers is a sign of progress.
"Teahouses are starting to pop up in more mainstream locations instead of off the beaten path," Ukra says. "The fact that there are coffeehouses on every corner is not adequate anymore for health-conscious individuals."
Increasing popularity and a lucrative Lawrence market have spawnedTeapouroTea&Espresso, a new tea-inspired concept cafe at 712 Massachusetts St.
Places to Get Tea and Tea Accessories
House of Cha
725 Massachusetts St.
Bay Leaf
125 E. 10th St
Madame Hatter's Tea Room
702 Main St, in Eudora
Teapouro plans to open in December and will be downtown's third teahouse, joining House of Cha and Indo, 125 E. 10th St. Larry Shaus, the business manager of Teapouro, says the espresso business has done well in Lawrence, which is why he and owner Denise James have included the drink in Teapouro's menu. Shaua adds that tea is where espresso was 15 years ago and the tea culture is spreading eastward from California.
"We don't want to be on the tail end of the trend." Shaus says. "We want to be on the beginning end. We're trying to convert espresso drinkers to tea drinkers."