I grew up here in Golden, as most of you probably know. My Dad went to the Colorado School of Mines, class of 1956, and half of the kids in my neighborhood had parents that were professors or were currently students there themselves. So, it should come as no surprise that one of the very first songs I learned all the words to was this one:
THE MINING ENGINEER
I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three hundred pounds, the college bell to mix it in and a clapper to stir it ‘round. Like every honest fellow, I take my whiskey clear, I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.
A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva engineer. A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva engineer.
Like every honest fellow, I take my whiskey clear, I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.
Hail, hail, the gang’s all here. What the hell do we care as long as we get our share. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.
M-I-N-E-S What the hell do we care now?
I had to take a little liberty with the correct poetic form so it didn’t take up the entire page, but if you have no idea what that song is, you haven’t lived in Golden very long. Of course, that’s the CSM fight song. But even if you knew that, you probably also know that there are a few other colleges around the country that use a variation of it, namely South Dakota Mines and the most famous, Georgia Tech.
But what you may not have known is that the song is based on is a melody called “Son of a Gambolier” from the 1800s and CSM started using it way back in 1879. That’s more than 30 years before Georgia Tech swiped it and started using it as their own. So, nah-nah-nah.
I’m mentioning all of that now because we have one of the big annual CSM weekends coming up soon and you might hear people singing it a few times. Yes, once again, it’s time for E-Days!
If you aren’t familiar with what that is, it’s a Spring mid-semester party for students and alumni that runs an entire weekend. This year it’s going to be from Wednesday-Sunday, April 9-13. They have sort of an “old west” theme this time around and are calling it HowdE-Days with lots of events and comedian performances, plus some big concerts scheduled, so here’s an abbreviated schedule of the shindig. Most of them are free to attend, but those with an asterisk* need you to purchase tickets. I’ll have a link to that at the bottom.
Wednesday, April 9: Prom Dress Rugby, 4 to 6 p.m., North IM Fields; Silent Disco, 7 p.m., Kafadar
Thursday, April 10: E-Days Comedian Alec Flynn with opener Hannah Jones*, 6 p.m., Bunker Auditorium; HowdE-Days Ball, 6 to 10 p.m., Ballrooms D and E; Casino Night, 8 p.m., Friedhoff.
Friday, April 11: Ore Cart Pull, 7:45 a.m., Outdoor Rec Center; Tesla Coil Demo, 12 p.m., Bunker Auditorium; Field Day, 1:30 p.m., Lot D/North IM Fields; Made at Mines, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Labriola; “Scoot your boots!” Swing and Line Dancing lessons 4 to 5 p.m.; Friday Night Event featuring Chase Beckham*, 6:30 p.m., D Parking Lot.
Saturday, April 12: Mining Games, 8 a.m., Q Lot; Cardboard Boat Races, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Clear Creek; Carnival 12 to 3 p.m., D Lot; Saturday Night Concert featuring Lovelytheband with opener Hayes Warner*, 6:30 p.m., D Parking Lot; and the loudest Fireworks display on the planet! 9 p.m., D Lot (weather dependent).
Sunday, April 13: Pancake Pheast, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ballrooms A & B; and a Car Show, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Lot A.
So, there you have it. All the places you can sing that lovely song at and be appreciated. You can also get more info and order tickets at www.mines.edu/mac/e-days. Hail, hail the gang’s all here!
John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.
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