By KRISTA PASEK

Special to The Hays Daily News

Children preschool age and older were welcomed to the Fort Hays State University Memorial Union on Nov. 14 by the FHSU Western Kansas String Academy and the Sigma Alpha Iota music sorority for the third annual Stringapalooza.

The event consisted of free music and fun for kids. Cathy Drabkin, executive director of WKSA, said approximately 75 children attended, along with many parents.

Stringapalooza was organized by the SIA fraternity, and Drabkin said in the past two years it has applied to the national SIA Foundation for grants. This year, the grant application was unsuccessful, so Yamaha Strings funded the event.

Ellinwood sophomore Dayna Ball was one of the FHSU students helping with the event.

"I like being able to share music with kids," she said. Stringapalooza "is a place where kids get to come and try different instruments and see what they enjoy most."

Kids could participate in many different activities.

"The Abiyoyo performance was really fun for the kids," Drabkin said.

This activity was a story of how music saved a village. It was composed by FHSU music majors and performed by WKSA students.

"It gave them a chance to work with college students, and it was a good experience with the students and the audience," Drabkin said.

Other activities included fiddling and bluegrass, instrument petting, drumming circle, making a rain stick, electrified strings, preschool song circle and special performer Maria Anthony of Lawrence.

Drabkin said the Kansas Art Commission has an extensive list of performers who are available to participate in different events across the state.

Anthony was on the list and was chosen due to her interest in different cultures.

"I liked the idea of having different cultures combined with what we were doing." Drabkin said. "It also seemed like she was a very cheerful performer."

According to Anthony's My ­Space page, her focus for the past 10 years has been on Celtic, especially Scottish, music and presentation. She said she likes to combine artistic re-creations, costuming, stage design and props with musical performances and programs. This pursuit has its foundation in a lifelong interest and study of Scottish culture and traditions, including the study of the Gaelic language, her page says.

"When I was a teenager, the band Steeleye Span Band, which played Celtic folk rock in the '70s, got me interested in different countries and also in Celtic music," Anthony said in an interview.

Anthony performed twice during the event. The performances consisted of stories, sing-alongs, rhythm, rhyme and poetry. She can play guitar, flute, drums and the sitar, a long-necked Indian instrument.

Anthony said FHSU, to her, has a great awareness of music. There is much appreciation of music and the influence it plays in the lives of all ages here, she said.

Krista Pasek, Russell, is a junior at Fort Hays State University majoring in communication studies with an emphasis in journalism.