Texans and tradition: the beating of the drum

BY BRENNA DEMPSEY

Executive Producer

The Beating of the Drum is an age-old tradition that has been around since the 1920s as a result of North Texas Agricultural College, now the University of Texas at Arlington, trying to light the Tarleton State University homecoming bonfire.

Originally, the drum was set up near the bonfire and would be hit 24 hours a day until the Texans were ready to light the bonfire themselves. This was designed to ward off any would-be fire starters.

In recent times, the looming threat of the bonfire being lit by the other college has been minimal, and so the purpose of the drum has changed marginally.

It now works to carry on the traditions that have meant so much to the students and alumni of Tarleton.

Now the beating of the drum follows the Yell Contest, and the winners bring the drum to the amphitheater during the Snake Dance and get to be the first few people to start drumming.

Alpha Gamma Delta helped kick off The Beating of the Drum after winning the large-division Yell Contest.

Member Emmie Vaughn shared her thoughts on the beating of the drum.

“It helps continue the meaning of tradition,” Vaugn said. “Even though somebody isn’t technically threatening us anymore, we still say thank you to people who did that for us before.”

One way to say thank you is to show the same dedication by working together to beat the drum consistently for days on end.

Once the drumming starts, it does not stop until the homecoming football game the following Saturday.

The Plowboys start off the event with an honorary beating of the drum to bring the energy. They use large bats carved out of lumber and beat their own drums until they are crushed. The real drums last longer and do not face the same kind of beating.

Plowboy Landon Chapa was one of the members who participated in this display of Tarleton spirit. He believes the beating of the drum is a way to get people excited about the rest of homecoming.

“I think that the beating of the drum really kicks off the hype for the upcoming football game that Saturday because the noise never stops. The hype never stops,” Chapa said.

The energy brings students and alumni together and gives everyone the opportunity to participate in their homecoming experience.

“This tradition is a major uproar of Tarleton spirit. I think it’s a way for all the student organizations to kind of get a bite out of the homecoming apple,” Chapa said.

There are a lot of different groups on campus who get to take part in the beating of the drum, and Plowboy Westin Smith, who also participated, had some tips that help keep the energy going.

“Remember why you’re doing it,” Smith said. “First of all, you’re doing it to keep the spirit alive, keep the tradition alive. Just keep that in the back of your mind at all times. And my second tip is [drink] energy drinks.”

University spirit is one of the things that keeps Texans bleeding purple, a connection The Beating of the Drum honors and reflects in what it means to be part of Tarleton.

“Everybody has an opportunity to partake in this tradition. It’s not like Yell, where you have to sign up and be in an org or a big group of people,” Vaughn said. “Anybody can sign up and do it. And I think that’s the beauty of Tarleton, anybody can come here and do anything.”