A Very Shiny Year in Review
As I write this, there’re a little over 24 hours left until Nick the Saint will be comin’ down the chimney to bring all kinds of loot to good little Browncoats… or maybe I should say the ones who misbehaved in all the right ways this year. Looking back at the year that was, I think it’s fair to say 2025 was a very shiny year for our brigade.
On July 27, our 20th annual Can’t Stop the Serenity charity screening of the Big Damn Movie made a triumphant return to the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks. Darn near every seat in the theater was full, with attendees coming from as far away as Ohio, Virginia and Texas. The shindig ended up raising $1,177.67 for Equality Now and the American Legion’s “Be the One” initiative, and the atmosphere made for one of the best CSTS events we’ve ever had.
Eleven members of our brigade spent their U-Day weekend at the Big Damn Shindig in Newhall, California, a first-of-its-kind event that combined Can’t Stop Serenity Los Angeles with the annual Browncoat Ball. From September 18-21, we celebrated all things Firefly and Serenity with Browncoats from all over the country— touring shooting locations, meeting members of the original crew of the series and the film, watching a 20th anniversary CSTS screening of the Big Damn Movie on the rooftop of the Lexen Hotel and attending Los Angeles’ Browncoat Ball at the historic Heart & Main. The California Browncoats went above and beyond to host a truly unforgettable shindig the likes of which may never happen again. Those of us who were involved on the planning committee were honored to have played a part in it, and it was shiny that so many members of our brigade could be there to celebrate with us.
Then, on November 2, the brigade held a second charity screening at Kingfly Spirits in the Strip District in conjunction with Jump Cut Theater. Hosting a charity screening of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie) around Halloween had been something we’d wanted to do for a very long time, and we were thrilled that this year were finally able to make it happen on the final day of the Day of the Dead, complete with Buffy TV trivia. We raised $177.00 for Stomp Out Bullying in memory of the late Michelle Trachtenberg of the Buffy TV cast and collected 59 non-perishable food items for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. It was without a doubt the most successful “ancillary event” that our brigade has ever organized, and a wonderful way for Browncoats of the Steel City to finish out the year.
Now we’re ready to close the books on 2025, but before we do, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who made this year such a successful one for our brigade. It is your love that keeps us in the air, and this year you showed that even after two decades, the Browncoats fandom is still as passionate and generous as ever. I can’t say exactly what’s in store for 2026 (other than our annual CSTS Pittsburgh event, of course), but what I can promise you is that as long as you keep coming out to misbehave with us, we’ll keep giving you a good reason to do it!
On behalf of the entire CSTS Pittsburgh crew, I’d like to wish everyone a very shiny holiday season and a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Keep flyin’,
Chris