The French Fry is completely satire. Any resemblance to any real person is completely coincidental. The statements in the French Fry do not reflect the views of the Northern Iowan, nor do they reflect the views of the advertisements outside of this insert. 

After six long months, students are finally able to hear the sweet sounds of the Campanile at the top of every hour. However, the sounds coming from the campus icon post-refurbishing have resembled less of a tender “ding dong” and more of a “SQUAAAAAAWK.”

The Campanile bells have been replaced with rubber chickens of various sizes. The bells originally left campus in October to be refurbished and to have a few more bells cast for the carillon instrument.

Due to a shipping mix-up, the Campanile bells and carillon never arrived at the renowned Doorvin Bell Company for their refurbishing. Instead, they were sent to Doorvin Clown School.

“When these bells showed up on our doorstep, we didn’t want to disappoint!” Jojo the clown said. “We used what we had on hand and really made the carillon our own, and we hope the university finds joy in the final product!”

That final product includes five octaves of rubber chickens, totalling 60 silicone birds in total. When struck, each chicken lets out its own airy, shrill cluck corresponding with a different note on the scale. 

The Guild of Carillonneurs has since rebranded to the Guild of Cluck-illonneurs, and according to president Ida Bellplayer, the group is taking advantage of this unique opportunity.

“We’re looking at this mix-up as an opportunity for artistic freedom and exploration,” she said. “As far as I know, no one has ever played songs on five octaves of rubber chickens. We are excited to continue to bring songs to life for all of campus to hear.”

UNI is now home to the world’s only rubber chicken carillon, the latest addition to the university’s many accolades.