Fraternity philanthropy makes noise

Screaming football fans weren't the only ones making noise near Assembly Hall this weekend. Sunday afternoon, revving engines and booming subwoofers created a different sort of commotion in the nearby parking lot during Phi Kappa Sigma's Charity Auto and Cycle Show.\nThe event raised about $800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the fraternity's national philanthropy, said Phi Kappa Sigma member and IU junior Joe Boscia, who organized the event. \nAbout 300 people showed up at Assembly Hall's parking lot despite the threat of rain and were greeted by an array of cars and motorcycles, ranging from Chevrolet Cavaliers with eye-catching paint jobs to a restored 1950s-style pickup truck. \nAdam Christy, 26, who was there displaying his Chevrolet Cavalier, said he's a veteran car show attendee. He said he always enjoys the atmosphere that shows bring out and how people can casually meet and talk with other show-goers. \n"Cops and everybody see these cars out on the road , and they think we are a bunch of thugs and hoodlums. Car shows are a way that we can give back to the community and show that it's not the case," Christy said. "Most of us have 8-to-5 jobs just like everybody else. We just like to put into our car and show some pride in driving them around."\nAnd drive them around they did. Midway through the day, participants cruised through Bloomington, driving along Third Street and Kirkwood Avenue.\n"It was 35 cars driving together in a row," Boscia said. "People were waving and honking their horns. It was great." \nAlong with simply showing off their cars, participants had the opportunity to test their stereo subwoofers against one another. Shakespearience Car Audio hosted a competition in which a machine measured the decibels each car emitted. \n"Basically, you come up to the machine and see how much sound pressure your vehicle can actually hold. They do it all over the world," said Alex Crowe, owner of Shakespearience Car Audio. \nHe said different factors went into determining the output of a stereo, including speaker types, car size and the materials used in the vehicle. \nDifferent companies sponsored the car show this year, including Ackerman Auto Detail.\nChad Ackerman, owner of the Bloomington-based shop, said although the turnout was not as large as he hoped, it was still a good way to be philanthropic. \n"I give money to a lot of organizations, but this one I can actually be involved in," he said.\nBoscia, however, was pleased with the turnout and said he thought participation had doubled from the previous show. He said the idea of having the car show in the fall instead of the spring made sense to him because it coincided with other University philanthropic events like Big Man on Campus.\n"Today was definitely a success," Boscia said. "It was a great turnout. The music was good, and the food was good. People really enjoyed it"