Hobart Hoedown

The Hobart Ho-Down (or Hoedown) is a yearly informally scheduled mega-party centered on Hobart Lane which often involves nearby Puffton Village as well as Presidential Apartments, the Townhouses and Brandywine. Due to a history over ten years in the making and the close proximity of a number of large apartment complexes, the party often grows to huge size and attracts police. In the past, there have been riots, property destruction and allegations of police misconduct.

[edit] Legend

The Ho-Down was "officially named" in 1994. The college geniuses called it the Ho-Down as a play on words referring to the ladies who came. While there were always weekend parties, and of course the one big spring party, it was never "named". In 1994, the residents of Gilreath Manor (40 Hobart), now Hobart Apartments, had been in direct (friendly) competition with "Baybanks" over the spring bash for a few years. Both parties were always on the same weekend, and the drunks on Hobart wanted to guarantee a huge showing. The party was dubbed The Ho-Down, not a watershed moment, just another idea that was thrown out there and everybody sorta said, "yeah, that works". A kid's father owned a sticker company in upstate New York, white and yellow stickers were made and the Ho-Down was born.

The band Strychnine played, the cops came, the party ended. There was no rioting, no bonfires (that was always held the night before graduation to burn the furniture so as not to have to move it out), and no police violence to or by the police. At some point, the Ho-Down, the bonfire and the rioting merged and ruined what was and always had been just a good time. The original police report from one of the arrestees can be seen on http://www.HobartLane.com, and the cop specifically goes out of his way to mention the cups and the name on it, as the police had never heard of the Ho-Down before, as if they had, they would have noted from the beginning they were responding to the Ho-Down and not a large gathering on Hobart Lane. In later years, all reports mention the Ho-Down by name. If anybody has a sticker from that first Ho-Down, get it to www.hobartlane.com

[edit] Naming controversy

According to GoogleFight, Hobart Hoedown beats Hobart Ho-Down 352 to 4. The name is not important. The legend is.

[edit] External links

• http://www.myspace.com/hobartlane - 1135 friends as of July 2007.
• http://www.hobartlane.com - "Cul-de-sac of dreams," Your source for all things Amherst. Check out the Hobart Lane Store!