A few miles south of Ledbetter and an hour away from the heart of Aggieland, the men and women of a tradition dating back to 1907 can be found with pots on their heads and axes in hand. Yells from students in red, green and brown hard hats can be heard far and wide on the 250-acre plot of land as Aggies swing away, cutting down trees that will be used to build the next rendition of Bonfire.
But before this can happen, safety precautions must be taken.
Each year, Bonfire’s Senior Redpots lead Cut Class, a two-day event where members can gain a Cut card — their official ticket into the organization.
On Sept. 3 and 4, Aggie Park was filled with prospective Bonfire members who learned how to safely and efficiently “kill” trees and recognize the calls to look out for in the woods in order to ensure both organization and safety for all participants.
“The woods are separated,” agricultural business senior and Senior Redpot Thomas Nielson said. “Each crew has their own section of woods; that’s where they cut down the trees at, and then you have load sight. But it’s just everyone goes to their woods, cuts down trees and we will keep them in the right direction.”
The yearly Cut Class allows students to gain a better understanding of Bonfire’s levels of leadership and basic safety precautions used in the woods.
“This is the course where we teach everybody the basics and whatnot for cutting in the woods,” agricultural systems management senior and Senior Redpot Michael Branch said. “We don’t want them to come out and just know nothing. We want them to be able to be competent. There’s a lot of lingo that goes into this that a lot of people don’t know, and we introduce a lot of that lingo here.”
Cut Class helps ensure that when Redpots yell, “I need some meat,” fish don’t come running to deliver a ribeye, but instead a helping hand.
Unique Bonfire slang such as “pots,” “meat,” “swamping” and “chief” that is frequently used in the woods is taught at Cut Class to guarantee that incoming members know what terms to be aware of.
But Cut Class isn’t all rules and regulations. The echoes of storytime and the yells of “Build the hell outta Bonfire” filled Aggie Park, bringing a lighthearted atmosphere to the organization’s first outing of the year.
Agricultural systems management senior and Senior Redpot Sam Reynolds said that this event isn’t only held to highlight safety precautions, but also to recruit for the upcoming year.
“Bonfire is important to join because it really links you with not only a lot of really cool people that are currently at A&M, but also, through the ages of A&M,” Reynolds said. “ … The people that you get to meet and the friends you get to make are really strong because you’re working hard together … you’re learning a lot about yourself and what your limits are, and you’re all doing it together.”
Relationships are not only what draws members in, but also what keeps them coming back.
Forensic and investigative science sophomore and second-year member Macy Penney explained how Bonfire helped her find her home outside of her membership in the Corps of Cadets.
“I didn’t want to do any Corps Bonfire groups because they’re mostly guys … but then I found Legett [Ladies], which is the only all-female crew out of Bonfire,” Penney said. “I tried it out last semester. I loved all of the girls, so I’m still here for cut this year.”
Aside from the friendships formed, there is one common interest among incoming members: “killing” trees.
The prospect of cutting trees is what drew engineering freshman Alexander Bendele and his roommate to attend Cut Class.
“Before I got here, [my roommate] was talking about FHK [Fowler, Hughes, Keathley Crew], and I was like, ‘Alright, that sounds fun’,” Bendele said. “And like, who doesn’t want to chop down a tree?”
With the new members certified, Bonfire set out to Ledbetter on Sunday, Sept. 7, for the first official Cut of the season. Despite classes concluding, Senior Redpots explained that it is not too late to join Bonfire.
By visiting Bonfire’s main Instagram or crew Instagram pages, students can message leadership and figure out the next steps to membership.
“If you haven’t joined a crew and are still interested in it, reach out … it’s not too late,” Nielson said. “You can get a cut card throughout the season, you can get taught throughout the season. People still interested in joining, reach out to the crews.”
