exists beneath the city.
CSU system”, Poly Royal
One of the largest Mardi
began drawing over 100,000
Gras parades West of the
people from throughout the
Mississippi used to be held
state, including 126,000
in San Luis Obispo, but it
people in 1985. Concerts,
has been canceled recently
parties, and other enter-
because of difficulties re-
tainment were added and it
lated to crowd control and
earned $3–4 million in reve-
alcohol consumption.
nue for the city every year.
Cal Poly’s open house, Poly
Following a “mini-riot” in
Royal, was held annually
1989 at an off-campus
from 1933 to 1990. It was
apartment during Poly Roy-
canceled in 1945 due to
al, the events in 1990 would
war rationing. It began as a
cancel the event “indefinite-
show-and-tell for students
ly.” Two nights of rioting on
to display their projects.
April 28–29 led to 127 ar-
It traces its origins to the
rests, over 100 injuries and
1904 Farmer’s Institute
14 police injuries on top of
and Picnic Basket. By the
“several hundred thousand
1980s, as the college be-
dollars” worth of damage.
came “the most popular...
A liquor store near campus,
university in the 19-campus
Campus Bottle, was de-
stroyed by revelers demanding alcohol.
The second nioff-campus
were broken up and revelers
flooded the streets. Mayor Dunin called the events
“the worst experience in the
history of San Luis Obispo.”
After a meeting between
Mayor Dunin and University
President Warren Baker the
following Monday, Poly Royal was canceled from that
point forward. The name
Poly Royal returned in 2001
as “Open House Presents
Poly Royal”, a scaled down
version that was designed
for students and parents.
San Luis Obispo has been
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