Allie Smith

MarianFEST 2003, Marian Primetime, took place on Oct. 11 in Marian’s gyms and quad. The night started at 5 p.m. with Mass in the convent chapel and the opening of the silent auction. At 7:30 p.m., the Select Women’s Choir and dance team performed following a gourmet dinner provided by Brandeis Catering Company that was served to all 580 attendees. The oral auction and raffle drawing began at 9 p.m., but the night continued until midnight.

The preparations for MarianFEST started in February 2002 with the appointment of chairs. Mike and Pam Weekly, Mike and Donna Roach, Tim and Joan McGill, Mark and Shellee Kersenbrock, and Bill and Kathy Jurgenson volunteered for the nine-month commitment and helped organize the event along with Mrs. Julie Scrivner, event coordinator, and Mrs. Shannon Brommer, director of development.

Their first task was to decide on the theme for the 22^nd MarianFEST. The committee was open to suggestions from the entire community, but the news idea came from chair, Mrs. Kathy Jurgenson. They developed the idea further and settled on Marian Primetime: Live at Five.

After the theme was determined, it was time to advertise. Postcards, called teasers, stating the theme and date were sent to alumnae, parents of alumnae, parents of current students, and corporations. Following the teasers, 3,300 invitations were sent to reserve seats and dinner for the guests. Each ticket was $100 and each table was $1000. This income, along with all profits made from the auctions, totaled $365,000. All of the money that was brought in is used to finance Marian’s annual operating budget.

Besides providing the money to run the school, MarianFEST has other functions. “MarianFEST is an excellent opportunity for parents to meet other parents and for the community to view Marian at its best,” said Scrivner.

A large portion of the night consists of the silent and oral auctions. Parents, students, and corporations donated a total of 862 auction items. The highest bid of $9,000 was paid for cruise for six on a private 80-foot yacht, and the reserved student parking spots, the oral auction’s most popular item, went for an astounding $4,500 each.

As if all the decorations, gourmet food and excitement weren’t enough entertainment, the Select Women’s Choir and dance team performed a Newsies medley. “I think that it [performing at MarianFEST] was a lot of fun,” said sophomore chorus member Chelsea Huntington. “It was neat to have the dance team on the stage with us at the same time.”

MarianFEST would not have been possible without the services of its generous volunteers. About 536 adults and 170 students contributed their time and effort to make the affair a success.

Mrs. Michelle Delisi was in charge of gathering and arranging training sessions for the student volunteers. Students signed up to be servers, oral and silent auction runners, greeters, raffle ticket sellers, and entertainment. The servers, raffle ticket sellers, and runners underwent special training courses prior to the event to learn their roles.

Freshman Mary Nolan was a server during MarianFEST. “It was really fun, and it’s a good money making opportunity,” said Nolan.

Unlike the students, adult volunteers were more active behind the scenes. Parents and alumnae helped set up, deliver catalogs, clean up and make sure things ran smoothly throughout the night.

“It’s the volunteers who come up with ideas and put forth their creativity to provide the environment. You can’t buy that. The volunteers are everything,” said Scrivner.

With everyone’s help, MarianFEST 2003 was a huge success, collecting $35,000 more than was needed. With few errors to speak of, all of the guests went home happy, and with slightly lighter pockets.

Sophomore Tara Vaughan was at MarianFEST to perform with the choir. “It was exciting to see all of the decorations,” said Vaughan. “It was really cool and I am looking forward to next year!”