THE WILD BUNCH

Thousands of college students swarmed to South Padre Island Saturday soaking up the sun, music and alcohol to kick off this year’s Texas Week.

Although Island businesses have expressed concern that spring breakers may cut back due to the tough economy, most students seemed to be spending freely looking for that perfect fun-filled vacation.
Cars and scantily clad college students packed the streets and beaches Saturday. Police and emergency workers standing by to keep an eye on partiers remarked that from the outset the turnout for this year’s Texas week looks high.
Down at Coca-Cola Beach at the Isla Grande Beach Resort, college students from all over crowded the beach as music blared from the stage nearby.

Roger Davis, a Texas State University student, admitted that a Spring Break week at the beach carries a hefty price tag, but said it’s well worth it. By Saturday, Davis said he had already spent well over $400 on hotel, travel expenses, and, of course, beer.
“It seems expensive but it’s totally worth spending this much money,” he said. “Who knows, I’ll probably have to end up using the credit card toward the end.”

Travis Walton, a Pittsburgh State University student from Kansas, said he planned on spending about $600 of his own money on his Spring Break vacation. Walton, 24, said South Padre Island is slightly cheaper than other Spring Break destinations, and just as good. “You get a lot of people out here, it’s just as fun as anywhere else,” he said. “For a whole week, I think that’s pretty cheap,” he said.

Texas A&M University student Destiny McCullough explained that she planned on spending her entire tax refund check on Spring Break, saying it was well worth it. “I was like, yeah, I know exactly where this money’s going,” she said.
McCullough said her Spring Break vacation could end up costing her upwards of $800 to $1000 of her own money.
Spring breakers seemed to take seriously warnings from the U.S. State Department and law enforcement to be wary of traveling to Mexican border towns this year.

“I just want to get home in one piece, you know,” Walton remarked, explaining that news reports of violence in Mexico will keep him clear of the border.
“I’m staying on American soil, I don’t care what anybody says,” he said.
Students said reports of drug cartel violence across the border and warnings from parents and their respective schools will
keep them from crossing over the border this Spring Break.
“If I went over there, my mom would kill me — that is, if the cartels didn’t kill me first,” McCullough said. “I can have plenty of fun here, there’s just no reason to risk it,” she said.

Spring breakers enjoyed near perfect weather Saturday, with clear sunny skies and temperatures that hovered around the high 70s. The National Weather Service’s Brownsville station said temperatures at the Island should stay around mid-to-high 70s all week. There is a chance of rain Monday night and Tuesday, with some clouds off and on all week, the station said.