DOWN MEMORY LANE....PANCAKE DAY

Submitted by Past President Joe Niamtu '74-75

 

When Jason McCoy was President of our Rotary Club, he was actively seeking a quality fundraiser that would sustain our charitable fund and promote the fellowship of our members.  As club Vice President, I was assigned the job.  After forming a committee of about a dozen people, one member of our committee, Jack Maxwell, presented a unique way to make money selling pancakes.

 

When Jack worked as editor of the MARION STAR newspaper in Marion, Ohio, it was the Kiwanis Club of Marion that was recognized as the outstanding service club in that city and they had a very enterprising way of selling pancakes.

 

Basically it was an event that provided lots of pancakes and continuous entertainment, attracting people from beginning to end.  The Research Committee and many Rotarians were so interested that we chartered a bus to Marion where it so happened they were hosting their Pancake Day.

 

As we walked into the school building to the dining area, we were quickly impressed with what greeted us.  There was loud band music followed by a choir, followed by a magician, one entertainment event after another.  The venue was filled with families of all of the performers and many other local citizens.  People ate, left and returned later for more food and entertainment.

 

On the way home we continued the fun we had on the way up, looking for Harry Meyers shoes (that's a long story).

 

Committee members took copious notes, which we applied to our Pancake Day.  We were very observant and had learned a lot. 

 

Harry Meyers was our First Pancake Day Chairman and we made money. We achieved our goal of selecting a continuous way of filling our charitable coffers, each year becoming more successful than the preceding year.

 

We also learned that pancake batter sticks to the tile floor like glue, so be careful!