Kappa Alpha Theta, 2239 Knapp Ave., will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at Iowa State Saturday. Alumnae from across the country will be reuniting in Ames for a true Homecoming to their sorority and to the university.

Kappa Alpha Theta’s Gamma Pi chapter, which was founded on May 8, 1948, has had more than 1,200 members who have been active in the chapter, according to a press release.

Although the anniversary date was in May, Homecoming weekend was chosen as a more appropriate time for the celebration.

April Verlo, vice president of public relations for Kappa Alpha Theta and senior in biology, said every alumnae of the chapter was invited back for the celebration.

“A large turnout of our alumnae and their families is expected,” Verlo said.

Sarah Henry, alumnae relations chairwoman for Kappa Alpha Theta and senior in liberal studies, said the chapter has invited more than 1,000 members to attend the anniversary.

Henry added that the sorority compiled a mailing list for the celebration over the last year-and-a-half.

Current sorority members and guest alumnae will be participating in a number of events for the anniversary.

The celebration will begin with a tailgate for the ISU football game, and a recognition reception will follow.

Henry said the chapter will be holding a special ceremony for its founding members, who will be recognized as alumnae of 50 years.

“We’re really looking forward to bringing back some of our special alumnae to meet our new Theta class,” Henry said.

Alison McZaskey, vice president of finance for Kappa Alpha Theta, echoed Henry’s excitement. “Last year was amazing — we’re excited to show off what we’ve done,” she said.

Kappa Alpha Theta added a class of 26 new members last year.

“We almost doubled our size. Something like this is wonderful, but does put some strain on a house,” Henry said. “We had a good year of growth last year after we had a huge class of seniors graduate or transfer.”

The theme of the chapter’s anniversary event is “Why Walk When You Can Fly.” Verlo said the theme relates to the Theta symbol, the kite.

The theme also relates to the song “Let’s Go Fly A Kite,” from Mary Poppins. The Disney movie’s creator, Walt Disney, was the father of two daughters who were members of Kappa Alpha Theta.

Verlo said that by hosting the reunion, her chapter wishes to set a precedent for other houses to follow.