A Higher Glyphic

As well as providing Southern Illinoisans with something to do on a chilly night, and the SIU baseball team with funds for the season, Friday's 11th annual Baseball Fish Fry at the Civic Center was a community effort.

"It takes a lot of volunteers," said Associate Head Coach Ken Henderson.

From 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., local fans, former SIU players, and even city councilwoman and mayoral candidate Sheila Simon were among those who purchased the $6 entrance fee for all you can eat fish, sides, beverages and desserts.

According to Associate Head Coach Ken Henderson, when the weather is bad, the fundraiser draws more of a crowd.

"It's a family event people can go to, even kids," Henderson said, "And we get less people when the weather's nice because then they want to go out and enjoy it."

An estimate of 600 to 700 attendees got the chance to mingle with the team, cheerleaders, Saluki Shakers, and coaches, leading Henderson to call the event a success.

The event included two 50/50 drawings, in which tickets were sold to split a large pot of money between the team and a lucky winner, and a sports memorabilia auction at the end. The memorabilia comes from donors from pro ball and former players who know of the event.

"The New York Yankees donate every year," said Henderson, and other annual donors include the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Oakland Athletics.

However, most of the donors, said Henderson, are SIU fans that are season ticket holders, donating coveted Cardinals game tickets, Cubs game tickets, and even tickets to see the Cubs play the Cardinals at either Busch Stadium or Wrigley Field.

Pam Umlauf-Brown, a Carbondale resident, has attended the Fish Fry for the past 5 years. "The food is excellent. I liked the fish, the desserts were fabulous, and even the coleslaw was perfect!" she said.

The preparers of the famed fried fish, coleslaw, potato salad, homemade desserts, and beer, are really just volunteers working to help their beloved Salukis that call themselves the Coors Light Cooking Crew.

To draw the crowd, the team doesn't even need to do much advertising, said Henderson. "Word of mouth is our best way of getting the word out," he said.

In addition to the sending flyers to previous participants in the event's auction, radio stations throughout Southern Illinois announce the fundraiser during the broadcast of SIU games.

"That's a big part of it, too," he said. "The radio stations have been very good to us."

The event is the baseball team's biggest fundraiser, drawing in 14,000-15,000 for the season in one single day. Aside from the Saluki Dugout Club, a membership offering benefits through donations, fans can also help support the team by attending one of their other fundraisers, including the opportunity to purchase tickets to see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field from rooftop seats in August.