This is the official Pail and Shovel party Home Page, right now it is a work in progress. Eventually this will contain the archives of those glorious days of yore back in the late 1970s when some crazy folks took over the student government at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (er' I mean New Jersey).

Recently in a glossy brochure from the UNJ entitled "150 Ways The University of Wisconsin Madison Has Changed the World", the antics of the Pail and Shovel party were ranked #113 under the banner of "Send in the clowns" (along with a picture of the Statue of Liberty on Lake Mendota).:

"The Pail and Shovel Party won election to UW student government in 1978, vowing to give campus issues "the seriousness they deserve." Campus got what it had coming. Jim Mallon and Leon Varjian pulled off two of the most memorable sight gags in UW history, installing a head-and-torch Statue of Liberty on frozen Lake Mendota and filling Bascom Hill with a garish flock of pink flamingos. But the fun was lost on some. When 60 students demanded back their student fees for the stunt, Varjian wrote out 60 checks for 10 cents each. Other "campaign promises," such -as flooding Camp Randall for faux naval battles and having all deans stuffed and mounted, never materialized."

The catalyst for this web site was an event sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate called the "History of UW Pranks" held on April 9, 1999. Below are some articles, interviews and images relating to the event.

• The Capital Times
• The Badger Herald
• The Daily Cardinal
• Interview with Stu (interview starts 14' 09"into clip) on WSUM Radio in Madison (requires Real Audio or G2 Player)
• Jim and Stu reminiscing
• Jim and Stu signing autographs

Shown above is the cover of Neil Steinberg's "If at all possible involve Cows" a book on college pranks, including a whole chapter on the wacky world of Pail and Shovel.