By Georgia Stubbs
Elm Staff Writer
The kitchen of Emmanuel Church erupted in a flurry of activity as Kappa Sigma prepared their annual pancake breakfast, Saturday, Oct. 1, in the midst of Chestertown’s annual Harry Potter Festival.
Starting at 8 a.m. and ending at noon, students, alumni, professors, and locals were invited to come enjoy a meal prepared by the brothers of the fraternity. For the majority of the time, the room was full of life, occupied by the pleasant sounds of laughter and conversation and by the mouth-watering smell of pancakes and bacon.
For only $5, anyone who arrived was free to pick from a buffet of breakfast foods, including scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, French toast sticks, and more. The brothers worked quickly and attentively to keep it that way, as the hungry crowd seemed to empty the trays of food as soon as they were filled.
The morning was not all about the conversation over greasy morning treats. All proceeds from the event were split between two charitable causes—the Prostate Cancer Research Center at the University of Virginia and the Military Heroes Campaign, an organization that works toward aiding wounded warriors and honoring them and their families.
According to Service Chair of Kappa Sigma Nick Cain, the breakfast is the fraternity’s primary philanthropy event having been recognized by the official Kappa Sigma national fraternity. The brothers put on the breakfast twice every year, once in the fall and once in the spring.
In accordance with the spirit and charitable nature of the event, veterans and servicemen who showed up from around town were granted a free meal. As the event has occurred bi-annually for the past 10 years, it has become a tradition for many of those involved, both within and outside of the college.
WC Alumni and Former President of Kappa Sigma Ryan Smuz, class of 2014, has attended the event every year since spring of 2011, when he first joined the fraternity. “It’s always good. The food is the food, but it’s always good to come back and see everybody and all the money they’re making for a good cause,” he said.
Similarly, Chestertown resident Patricia Gladu returns each year for the social atmosphere and the sense of community at the breakfast.
“I’ve been coming here for years, because I live here, and I used to work at the college. It’s become a tradition for me,” she said.
Although there were many returning visitors, there were also a few fresh faces at the event. Washington College freshman Casey Wolhar attended the breakfast for the first time this year, stopping by as she explored the concurrent Harry Potter Festival.
“It was so much fun,” Wolhar said. “The food was great, and it was cool to see the town and the school coming together.”
Overall, the event seemed a success, finishing off the morning of cheer and festivity with a room full of people with contentedly full bellies enjoying thriving conversation.