By Megan Loock
Elm Staff Writer
On Saturday, Oct. 10, the brothers of Kappa Sigma hosted their annual Pancake Breakfast.
Instead of serving fresh, hot pancakes to the Washington College and Chestertown community, they streamed the event via Twitch.
“Twitch is a live streaming platform for gamers and other lifestyle casters,” according to Business Insider. Twitch allows numerous users to livestream simultaneously, using the same mute audio and video capabilities as Zoom.
Those who attend Twitch livestreams do not need to make an account to access the content, however, they are expected to sign up with an account in order to interact in the chat.
Usually the breakfast starts at 8 a.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, on Cross Street.
Despite the online format, the brothers were still able to draw the Chestertown community from the four corners of the computer screen.
This year select brothers from the fraternity engaged in a pancake cooking competition. Seniors Colin Levi and Michael Hershey and junior Lanning Tyrell faced off in the first round of the competition.
While Tyrell was livestreaming from his own house, Levi and Hershey were cooking side-by-side within the same household, wearing their official Kappa Sigma face masks.
The competitors had 20 minutes to make as many pancakes as they could, and presentation was a cardinal aspect for judgement.
The brothers participated in light banter for its entirety.
Two hours before the stream went live, senior Will Rotsch posted a picture of his cooking supplies on Instagram.
“I’ve been prepping by binge watching the Great British baking show,” sophomore Nick Splendoria said under Rotsch’s photo.
“Some people put eggs in theirs [pancakes] I put tender love and care in mine,” Hershey said.
Using two electronic devices, Tyrell was able to duel stream his cooking. One camera was positioned on him while the other was positioned above his stove.
Attendees voted for Levi and Tyrell to ascend further into the competition.
Rotsch and Tryell ascended to the final round of the cook-off.
Tyrell won the pancake cook-off with his chocolate chip pancakes with cranberries.
At the end of the event, the brothers participated in a pancake eating contest of which Levi won.
“Brotherhood cannot be quarantined. Greatly appreciate everyone for showing up today,” a comment that came from the official Kappa Sigma Twitch account.
The event also hosted brother testimonials, giveaways, and alumni appearances.
Kappa Sigma’s philanthropy supports a plethora of organizations that assist military veterans. Along with direct donations made through the live donation link during the event, contributions from the Pancake Breakfast go to support the Military Heroes Campaign.
The brothers raised over $1,700.
“The Kappa Sigma Military Heroes Campaign aggressively pursues opportunities to assist our nation’s veterans with financial and organizational support to help them overcome the battles they fight every day,” the official Kappa Sigma national chapter website said.
Usually, the brothers of Kappa Sigma sell originally designed t-shirts. Unfortunately, due to the event being virtual this year that was not an option.
The brothers said to stay tuned for further developments next semester.
Despite being separated, the brothers of Kappa Sigma were still able to host an event that promoted geniality and togetherness, truly showing that it is not the pancakes that bring the Chestertown community together, but the willingness of WC students to help others even amist virtual circumstances.
Photo by Mark Cooley.