It originally started in 1986 but fizzled out after the 1988, the third and last. Too bad. This silly content would’ve been nice to keep. However, losing fun and amusing stuff is the story of Austin since the Aughts as all the Tech Bro’s and their Fascist leadership continue to take over. Houstonizing and Dallasifying my adopted home.
You can read more about the story, or listen to it via this link. Back then, the battle for Austin’s soul was the divide between the north and south sides which Town Lake (really, the Colorado River) separates. This conflict or difference is nothing new. Chicago has this, not sure where their border is. Milwaukee, it’s the Menomonee River/Valley, I used to go across it in 1991 via the 16th Street Bridge after I moved to 20th and National. Phoenix is East v. West. So on. In the Eighties, if the KUT bit is credible, Austin’s two camps were the Bubbas on the South (Rednecks) v. the Yuppies on the North (IBM, Texas Instruments and 3M). I’m glad to see photos of people wearing life preservers too. The water gets deep quickly and it’s not a short drop off, at least on the North side.
I wonder if the Aggies thought Austin was attempting to join its two halves? Some kind of weird Longhorn engineering feat?
Today, the rivalry between North and South would have different participants. The South side would be filled with Hipsters as they’ve overrun South Congress with the overpriced stores, taco bars and tattoo parlors. The North has continued to be Yuppie-based and I’m guilty of being one as I have a full-time job with a boring house in the ‘burbs. However, given the cancerous-level of Growth, it’s fair to say we’ve been overrun by Californicators in Round Rock, Georgetown and Cedar Park, ergo, their derogatory name is the team. It’s OK, the Hipsters are rife with assholes from Brooklyn so there’s plenty of resentment to go around. Now the burning question is, who would win? Both sides hit the gym for spin classes and yoga.