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THE DAWG BUS!

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The group got the idea for the "amazing tailgating machine" when they saw a bus at a flea market on Highway 441, said PJ Zonsius, a sophomore from Marietta and one of the students who will make the trek to the Georgia-Florida game. After some research, the group bought the bus for $2,000 but have since spent about $4,000 in improvements. "There was gum everywhere and candy wrappers from, like, 1987, that we had to scrape off," said Andy Millisor, a senior from Cumming. "It was disgusting." James Bauer, a senior from Marietta, said when the bus was purchased, it was "this gross olive drab color, was gutted and had no furniture and equipment."

Now, the bus is equipped with a mini refrigerator, stove, sound system, strobe lights on the top of the bus and a green power generator attached to the back. Along the inside of the bus are three futons -- one in the front of the bus, one in the middle and one in the back. Chairs are available for those who don't snag a spot on the futons. Halfway in the middle of the bus is a small partition that separates a shower from the rest of the vehicle. Since the shower has a drain leading outside of the bus, the group plans to keep a keg there. "It's still a work in progress," said Chris Zonsius, a senior from Marietta. "The first weekend we spent 120 man hours just to paint the bus." The outside of the bus is painted red, the roof white and the entire inside is painted black. The students plan to get a giant picture of Uga painted on the back by AKO Signs, located on Lexington Highway.

As a fund-raiser for the bus, the group is selling red T-shirts with black letters that spell "Ware It Out" and has gotten sponsorships from several different businesses in Athens.

The bus's maiden voyage is slated to occur Thursday morning, and the students know it will not be a short trip. The friends estimate the bus gets approximately six miles to the gallon and goes 55 miles per hour, but once they get to Jacksonville, they welcome anyone who wants to tailgate with them. "This is the culmination of my entire college experience," Millisor joked.

Huge 'machine' to go down the track to Florida

Article headline

Date: October 27th, 2004

Written by:  Erin Camp

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The DAWG Bus Club

James Bauer, bottom, second from the left, poses for a portrait along with his friends from the Waterford apartment complex on top of the school bus purchased from J&J's Flea Market on Highway 441. The group converted the bus into a red and black covered "tailgating machine," said PJ Zonsius, who helped organize the project. "We were just going to play golf, and we saw a cheap bus on the side of the road at the flea market, and we kept talking about how cool it would be to have one all day," Bauer said. The group also is selling T-shirts with the words "Ware it out" on the front and "Go Dawgs" on the back. All of the proceeds will go toward bus maintenance (David Banks - The Red & Black).