Start your engines—the warning light is about to turn green for the Sigma Chi Derby Days.

Sigma Chi’s annual “Derby Days,” the fraternity’s fund raiser for its philanthropy, began Monday and ends Saturday. The Derby Days have been running for about 15 years, Sigma Chi President Bryan Lenci said.

Derby Days kicked off Tuesday with the Derby Hunt, in which sororities go on a scavenger hunt. The winner of each event throughout the week receives points and the sorority with the most points accumulated at the end of the week will receive half of the profits from the events toward its philanthropy, Lenci said. All profits from the “Days” will go toward charity, Lenci said.

Today the Derby Chase gets underway. In this event, sorority members chase members of the fraternity wearing certain derbies to receive points, he said.

The Derby Olympic Games Friday enable sororities to test the obstacle course built by the fraternity.

Although the events have been going on for the past few days, Saturday is the day when all the profits will be made, he said.

Saturday’s shindig will be from 2 to 11 p.m. at the Sigma Chi fraternity house, 910 W. Hillcrest, and will feature two bands, a beer garden, a Marchelloni’s pizza truck and is being sponsored by Amnesia’s.

The two bands playing are Time Lapse, which plays classic rock and Roman Holiday, which is an alternative band, Sigma Chi Vice President Brent Kalka said.

The fraternity also will be selling commemorative cups and T-shirts Saturday.

The fraternity will be donating its profits to a new charity this year, The Children’s Miracle Network, which replaces the fraternity’s old one, The Cleo Wallace Center.

The philanthropy was changed because the new one is more local, he said. About 180 hospitals belong to the network and money is disbursed by region, depending on where the organization that raised money for the network is located, he said.

Sigma Chi Treasurer Mike Dokich said the fraternity’s main point of Derby Days is “to raise as much money as possible for The Children’s Miracle Network.”

Lenci said the fraternity raised about $1,000 last year. “We hope to make more this year,” he said.

Dokich said Sigma Chi chapters across the nation have raised $83,000 for the network in 1993.

Lenci said between 1,500 and 2,000 people attended last year’s “Days.” He said he is expecting more people this year, depending on how cooperative the weather is. Derby Days used to be held in the spring, but because of bad weather, it was moved to fall.