What a Mighty Fine Shindig
I’ve been involved with Can’t Stop the Serenity Pittsburgh since 2011, and I’ve been our Local Event Coordinator (a.k.a. “the Cap’n”) since 2013. In all that time, I honestly cannot think of a year in which our annual charity screening was more of an overall success than this year’s event turned out to be. The fact that Pittsburgh supports CSTS events so enthusiastically after 20 years, in the form of attendance as well as donations, speaks volumes about the passion of the Browncoats community in and around the Steel City. On behalf of my entire crew, I can’t thank you all enough.
I’m sure anyone who was in attendance last Sunday would agree that it felt very good to be back at the Parkway Theater. The Film Lounge at the Parkway is just the right size for our regular crowd, and the Big Damn Movie has a different energy when you’re watching it on the big screen in a packed movie house. The Parkway’s bar has just enough space to accommodate some of our games and still have room left over for Browncoats to mingle and enjoy a drink as well as each other’s company, and many of our attendees also took advantage of the kitchen (which wasn’t up and running yet when the Parkway last hosted our event in 2019) and its delicious menu options. Those things, along with the pop-culture décor, make the Parkway Theater and Film Lounge in McKees Rocks an ideal place to host Can’t Stop the Serenity Pittsburgh. Our thanks to Aaron Stubna and the Parkway staff for being such shiny hosts. I honestly hope this wasn’t the last time we’ll be watching “Serenity” on the big screen at the Parkway.
One of the things I noticed (and a few others have mentioned to me that they did as well) is how great the energy was in the building. Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun, and it was shiny to see so many Browncoats mingling and catching up with friends old and new. I saw a lot of familiar names on the guest list and a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, and it felt good to know that there are so many folk who still want to support what we do after two decades. We even had some special guests in attendance. Not only was a former CSTS Pittsburgh cap’n, Miche (Vos) Armstrong, in the crowd, but also no less than two former Global Event Coordinators for Can’t Stop the Serenity-- Bob Averell, who is a member of our crew, as well as William Pace of the Utah Browncoats, who surprised us by showing up for the shindig and bringing along some prize donations, for which we are all kinds of grateful. (William also created the artwork that accompanies this blog post.) And William wasn’t the only one who traveled a ways to misbehave with us. We also had Browncoats in attendance from Ohio and Texas!
In the end, we raised $1,177.67 for Equality Now and the American Legion’s “Be the One” initiative. That total is nearly double what we raised at last year’s event, and it pushes the total amount that CSTS Pittsburgh has raised for local and global charities since 2006 to more than $19,000. That is a testament to the caring and generosity of both the Browncoats fandom in general and the Browncoats of our brigade in particular, and I hope you’re as proud of the good works we’ve done together as I am. Once again, thank you.
And we’re not done! This year’s CSTS Pittsburgh t-shirts are still available in our web store (proceeds benefit Equality Now), and we might be adding some new designs and possibly other products in the coming months. We’re also donating some items for the CSTS Los Angeles auction that’s being held in association with the Big Damn Shindig in Newhall, CA this September (proceeds benefit Equality Now and Feed the Streets LA).
Speaking of which, if you’d like to join us at the Big Damn Shindig in Southern California this September to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Serenity” with the Browncoat Ball and CSTS Los Angeles, tickets are still available. They won’t be for a whole lot longer though, so pound that button on our homepage soon if you want to get your hands on a couple.
Before I sign off, I’d like to take the opportunity to congratulate the winners of our drawings. The lucky winners of our crew loot crates were Al Chernov (Kaylee crate), Leslie Pelakh (Wash crate), Richard Franklin (River crate), Christine Anderson (Mal crate) and Shelagh Collins (Jayne crate). The winners of our door prizes were Blaine Christian and Zachary Pierce, and Laura Vincent was the winner of our first-time viewers’ drawing and took home a widescreen DVD copy of the Big Damn Movie. I also owe an apology to the top three shooters on Zoe’s Shootin’ Gallery, since I don’t have their names handy and can’t give them the recognition they deserve here. Whoever you are though, nice shootin’. I hope you enjoy your prizes. You earned them.
Thanks again to our sponsors, Geek Frontiers and Jump Cut Theater. CSTS Pittsburgh would not be what it is without them. It truly is their love that keeps us in the air.
My thanks also go out to this year’s crew: Julia Angotti, Bob Averell, Brian Diederich, Susan Mazur, Ed Sauerland, Randy Tobias and Michael Tobias, as well as our volunteers at the shindig, Emily Kohnke, Alysse Littleberry, Kelly Tobias and Valerie Tobias, and the many individuals and businesses who donated prizes.
Oh… and if you had all manner of wacky fun at CSTS Pittsburgh this year, or if you find yourself regretting missing out on what sounds like a mighty fine shindig, you’ll be glad to know we’re conjurin’ another shindig or two here in the ‘Burgh before the end of the calendar year. As soon as I can share some details about those, I promise you’ll be among the first to know.
In the meantime, though, thanks for 20 years of doin’ good works and enjoying “Serenity” on the big screen.
Keep flyin’…
-Chris