Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • SPRING 2016 • PAN PIPES 7 I J K N O P T U X Y Z SAIS IN ACTION On Feb. 12 and 13, the Kappa Sigma Chapter at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona, held their eleventh annual Fireside. Fireside is an on-campus acoustic variety show hosted by the chapter and is its biggest fundraiser of the year. Fireside helps fund chapter social events, new equipment purchases, and service projects. Students at Saint Mary's form groups that rehearse and audition a song for the show. Songs are selected by a panel of judges chosen by the sisters, and the acts are rehearsed during a "tech week" right before the show. Judges this year included four sisters from the Kappa Sigma Chapter: Emily Vlahos (sophomore, music industry major), Kathryn Kelsey (senior, theater major), Natalie Mrozek (sophomore, chemistry and criminal justice double major), and Kelsey urston (junior, music major). Each year Fireside runs for two nights -- one show on Friday and two shows on Saturday. Many students on campus come to see the show, as well as faculty, friends, family, and people in the Winona, MN, community. During intermission, the sisters serve pie (either French silk or apple… YUM!) to each audience member. Coffee, hot chocolate, and tea are also available throughout the show for a relaxing and comfortable coffeehouse-style production. Chapter sergeant-at-arms Allyson Barwick, a junior theater major at Saint Mary's, enjoyed cutting and plating over 320 slices of pie during this year's production with the help of other sisters and performers. e Kappa Sigma Chapter begins planning for Fireside in the fall of each school year. ere is much more that goes into planning the show than meets the eye. e sisters reserve a room, hire help with lighting and sound equipment from the Eta Nu Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha on campus, gather ads from on and off campus businesses, create a program booklet, elect judges, create table centerpieces and other decorations, and advertise. In order to get the show on the road, a Fireside committee is elected to make and execute decisions while delegating jobs to other sisters. is year's Fireside chair was Emily Vlahos, with all nine chapter sisters sitting on the committee. During the production, SAI sisters are involved in every aspect of the show, from helping work the sound board to running lights and even acting as stage crew, setting microphones and instruments out for each act. One of the sisters, Natalie Mrozek, was an "accidental" yet hilarious emcee during the show along with a friend of the chapter when she stepped in for another who had gotten sick. All sisters were involved in selling tickets during lunch and dinner on campus during the week of the show, as well as at the door. ree sisters even performed in the show! Kelsey urston performed a solo, Adele's "Send My Love," while playing her ukulele. Catherine Deysach (junior, elementary education major) performed in three acts, playing piano in "Hold Each Other" by A Great Big World, singing in "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry, and singing "Jupiter" by Katy McAllister as a duet with another sister, Allyson Barwick. Another fun aspect of the show is that bands get to choose their own — and more oen than not, witty — band names! A few band names from Fireside 2016 included: e Insomniacs performing "Sleeping Lessons" by the Shins; Can't Swim with "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass; e Life Alerts with "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley; and Hank the Pigeon performing "Cardinals" by e Wonder Years. Choosing band names helps the Kappa Sigma Chapter to build a deeper sense of community with the students at Saint Mary's University by allowing them to be creative and contribute to the show that they are hosting. Fireside this year was very special to the sisters of the Kappa Sigma Chapter. Unlike previous years, all three shows sold out. Shows hold exactly 100 people, so between the three shows on Friday and Saturday, more than 300 people attended. At a campus with a student body of fewer than 2,000, this was an incredible turnout! On Saturday night, they more than sold out; the sisters even agreed to add folding chairs for a family of a performer that had driven hours to come watch the performance. Because of the great turnout, the sisters of the Kappa Sigma Chapter may need to add a fourth show time for Fireside 2017 to accommodate the rise in demand! Fireside is an amazing opportunity for the Kappa Sigma sisters to be a catalyst for the creation and performance of music, which is exactly what Sigma Alpha Iota strives to do. Not only are the sisters taking part in the performances, but they are providing their entire campus an opportunity to create and perform. ey are encouraging, nurturing, and supporting the art of music in a way that brings the Saint Mary's University campus together, forming a community of lifelong music lovers. — Catherine Deysach, Kappa Sigma Vice President, Membership and Social Chair Kappa Sigma Stages Annual Fundraiser At top, SAI Kelsey Thurston performs a solo. Above, the sisters of the Kappa Sigma Chapter after a successful Fireside 2016.

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