ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ

Members of the Agriculture Club were invited to celebrate the milestone on location with STARS, seeing an air ambulance firsthand.

On March 13, 1948, the , also known as the Ag Club, or Aggies as they were known then (and now), organized the first Bar None social in an effort to bring together people from across the campus community. It was the first true mixer and possibly the first campus-wide square dance (and mock bull fight), at the U of A. Everyone was welcome — they would bar none — a nod to the small, closely-knit rural communities that had shaped the lives of many of the club’s members.

Publicized by The Gateway, the first was so well-attended it made over $200 dollars (at 35 cents a head). 77 years later, the annual tradition of Bar None is still a money-making tradition, but for the last 30 years, it has shifted to a community fundraiser — for air ambulance. At the last Bar None in November 2024, $23,224 dollars was raised, pushing the cumulative donations to $259,000, nine thousand over the $250,000 milestone, earning the privilege of displaying the club's logo on the STARS helicopter.

The Ag Club, the largest club on campus and one of the longest-running, is the first U of A student group to achieve such a distinction.

“It has been a dream for the last few years, and a pretty big honour for our club,” says Emily Parker, one of three Bar None directors, along with Logan Snow and Kai Watrin. “To see the event grow in the last three years, especially coming out of the COVID shutdown where we made no money at all, was incredible. At one point this milestone seemed really far off, so to reach this goal has truly been an exciting feat.”

The choice of STARS — whose corporate motto is ‘critical care, anywhere' — as the recipient of the annual donation highlights the unexpectedly common and personal impact the organization has had on Ag Club members over the years, including Emily, who grew up on a cattle farm close to the Saskatchewan border.

“Coming from a rural area, I have seen STARS in many different circumstances provide life-saving care to individuals who would otherwise have not received the care they needed in a timely fashion,” she says. “We also have alumni who have taken a ride in the helicopter and are now STARS VIPs (very important patients). STARS has a special place in our club and will continue to do so.”

One of the unique aspects of being an Aggie, aside from their self-proclaimed reputation for being “the most down-to-earth, rowdiest club on campus’, is the legacy of openness, which extends to membership. Although the majority of members are in ALES, there is a good cross-section of students from other disciplines. Emily is a fourth year political science student, while Logan and Kai are both students in ALES. Bar None directors are elected for one term only, with a little under a year to plan the ‘biggest party on campus.’

“As Bar None 77 directors, we had the opportunity to be a part of that history,” says Emily. “There were so many things that made the experience fulfilling throughout the year, but being able to give back to STARS and ultimately have a successful event for everyone to enjoy on campus was truly an honour. We could not have been happier with the outcome.”

Related: Watch this of Emily and Jurie-Hendrik de Bruyn, Ag Club public relations officer, discuss preparations for Bar None 77.