Buggy updates
Like many Carnegie Mellon traditions, Buggy is slowly rolling towards a return after Spring Carnival.
Buggy, a Carnegie Mellon tradition since 1920 of racing small, motorless, cart-like vehicles designed, pushed, and driven by students, was scrapped last year when the university canceled Spring Carnival because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic still ongoing throughout the year, and restrictions at the university level, Buggy was only able to return this March with practices. Freerolls were livestreamed last weekend as part of Spring Carnival. Additionally, Buggy will get one step closer to returning to holding actual races. There are currently races planned for the weekend of May 1 and May 2.
There will still be restrictions in place during Buggy. Only participating students will be allowed to attend in-person, so, unlike past carnivals, alumni and other students will not be allowed to watch in person. Additionally, there are still COVID-19 restrictions that students have to abide by. For now, the crowds that normally line Tech and Frew are not coming back, but there will be a livestream and more details on the races to come.
This year's Spring Carnival still featured celebrations of Buggy. One event, “Buggy is Loading,” showcased Buggy races from years past and a lego Buggy race (which really was just a bunch of lego go-karts sliding down a ramp). It also featured Chute the Sh!t, a Buggy podcast by the Carnegie Mellon Buggy Alumni Association, and Buggy All-stars, a game developed last year by Carnegie Mellon undergraduates as part of the Advanced Game Studio class. In an interview shown during the event, Tom Corbett, who teaches the class, said that his class is making a sequel to the game as part of this year's Advanced Game Studio. The event also revealed a Buggy mural to be installed in the Cohon University Center.
Most students and alumni who are hoping to enjoy Buggy races at Carnegie Mellon may have to wait until next year. For now, Buggy is returning in a different form for those who missed it.
A recording of "Buggy is Loading” will be available on the Spring Carnival Website sometime this week.