San Antonio's 10 Weirdest News Stories of 2017

It's been a weird year, San Antonio. Drunk councilmen sleeping on park benches, cow tongues, accidental mail thievery, a billboard-sized break-up note. Here's a look back at our favorite strange news stories we stumbled upon in the past 12 months.

In all honesty, it was extremely difficult to narrow this list down to ten.

1. UTSA Holds an Open Casket Funeral for a Tuba
In November, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s marching band lost an instrumental member when a wide receiver ran into the the sidelines, crushing Tuba #6 beyond repair.

Tuba #6 (specifically, a sousaphone) would never play another note again. So, naturally, the marching band paid tribute to the deceased tuba with an open casket memorial on the football field. The loss was felt throughout the UTSA community: Roadrunner fans showed up to the last home game of the season with “RIP 6” posters.

“6 had a wonderful and happy life. Born in 2011, passed in 2017. 6 was truly an inspiration to us all… let us all try to remember 6 the way he lived, not the way he died,” during the memorial, before they all said goodbye singing UTSA’s alma mater. The band’s fundraiser to help pay for a new tuba has since met their goal. Rest in peace, 6. Gone but not forgotten.