That Teowonna!

Phi Beta Sigma Crab Crack

What a beautiful day for a picnic. That’s what I thought as I made the trek (and I do mean trek) to Weston Lake for the Phi Beta Sigma 8^th Annual Crab Crack. Even though it was quite a drive, I was determined to support the frat. And anything featuring crabs definitely has my attention. Furthermore, this year, my goal is to attend at least one event from each NPHC, National Pan-Hellenic Council, member. Or simply put, historically African-American Greek fraternities and sororities. And up this week is Phi Beta Sigma.

Family-friendly

When I was in school, the ‘Blue Phi’s’ were the most down to earth, genuinely nice, respectful, well-mannered men of all the black fraternities. They were not loud and flashy, therefore they probably didn’t get as much attention from young ladies as some of the other frats did. But fast-forward 20 years and they are the men that grown woman are scrambling for. And today’s event showed that especially in adulthood, these men are special. I now see that their good-guy personas were not personas at all; it is just who they were and are. And that easily translated into a very personable, welcoming, down to earth, family-friendly picnic.

As you all know, I attend a gazillion events a year. So I always see the same old faces, no matter where I go. But at this event, I saw many many new faces; people I don’t normally see at some of the other hoity toity events that I attend. And for me, that alone made this event exceptional.

But there were other observances that made this event special. For one, the frat was extremely gracious, welcoming, and genuinely kind. I noticed them walking around, clearing the tables, as well as bringing attendees drinks and food. This went way above what I’ve seen at other events, but I’m not surprised at all… not coming from Phi Beta Sigmas.

The atmosphere was extremely warm and inviting with entire families enjoying the day. There was family-friendly (but still danceable) music, card and board games, and plenty of food! Speaking of food, while the crab legs were the star of the show, I enjoyed the hot dogs most. When you are serving a lot of people, it’s easy to skimp on the quality of the hot dogs. But these guys didn’t… and I know good meat. Lol. Other food items were hamburgers, fried turkey, grilled chicken and other odds and ends. And it really was ‘all you can eat’. Which means people didn’t give you the side-eye when you went back for seconds… or thirds… or forths, for that matter.

Anywho, while the event was family-friendly during the early hours of the day, from what I understand, it turned into a bit more of a party as the day drew on. As more adults came, and families headed out, the music changed and the atmosphere became a tad bit more festive. So, it was kinda like a two-fer. My kind of party!

All in all, it was great seeing my old Sigma buddies and many new faces. But even more so, it was a nice reminder that there really are good guys in the world. Thank you, Phi Beta Sigma. I really needed that.