Mass. Street Mayhem
Downtown erupts in celebration while fans flood the streets
Fans poured out bars and restaurants on Massachusetts Street on Sunday after Kansas beat Davidson to enter the Final Four.
By Luke Morris (Contact)
Monday, March 31st, 2008
Fans celebrating Kansas’ Elite Eight victory against Davidson turned Massachusetts Street into an impromptu parade site Sunday night.
Kansas basketball fans began to celebrate on Lawrence’s famous street immediately after the final buzzer sounded, and the Jayhawks punched their ticket to the Final Four.
“As soon as the game was over, I immediately started celebrating and came down here,” said Larry Sieve, Overland Park sophomore.
Photo by Mindy Ricketts
Fans parade down Massachusetts Street after Kansas' win against Davidson on Sunday night.
Photo by Mindy Ricketts
Kansas fans watch the celebration on Massachusetts Street on Sunday night while doing a bit of celebrating themselves.
Cars traveling down Massachusetts Street traveled at a slow pace, blaring horns as drivers and passengers shared high-fives with fans celebrating on the median of the street. Truck beds were filled with more fans screaming at the top of their lungs. A few lay across the roof of a car as it traveled down the street.
Dani Davey, a law student from Overland Park, said the celebration matched the Jayhawks’ Final Four celebration in 2003 in craziness.
“Considering it’s still going on two hours after the game, it’s pretty crazy,” Davey said.
Most of the crowd gathered at the corner of Eighth and Massachusetts streets.
“Go Jayhawks! All the way to the title!” yelled one fan as he sprinted past the corner.
Lawrence residents joined students in the celebration. Even some elderly residents took a walk down the street sharing high-fives with everyone in their paths.
“Mostly it’s a wild, good atmosphere,” said Taylor Porter, a Lawrence resident. “I told all my friends to come to town because when we make it to the Final Four, it’s gosh darn Mardi Gras down here.”
Lawrence Police officers monitored the crowd. Officers didn’t bother trying to keep people from blocking traffic. Instead, they focused more on monitoring alcohol use in the area. Officers forced some fans to pour out their open containers of beer.
“We deployed units to Mass. Street specifically for this,” Lawrence Police Captain Ray Urbanek said. “We’re just keeping people from hurting themselves.”
Urbanek said that he was not aware of any arrests made on Massachusetts Street during the night.
Although the scene may have looked like a riot, Adam Knoerschilz, Lyndon senior, said that trouble seemed minimal.
“I’ve seen some people who are obviously underage and drinking, but I don’t necessarily call that trouble,” Sieve said.
Knoerschilz said he hoped the city would have an opportunity to have an even larger celebration next week after the NCAA Championship game.
“It’s been all positive and a hell of a good time,” Knoerschilz said. “I could only imagine this in my dreams.”
— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
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Wait until next weekend, just wait until next weekend.
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