Whether you believe breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day or just a marketing strategy made up by cereal makers, the 68th annual Pancake Day hosted by the College Station Kiwanis Club on Feb. 23 from 8am to 1pm at the Brazos Center has something to offer your entire family.
Pancake Day started as a simple pancake fundraiser in 1952 to raise money for children-centered local nonprofits. While proceeds from Pancake Day still go to local charities for kids, it now also serves as a family friendly opportunity to get involved in the community, according to Tiffany Parker, president of the College Station Kiwanis Club and chief executive officer of the Boys and Girls Club.
Pancake Day provides fun for all ages with live entertainment, demonstrations, face painting, crafts, vision screenings, and activities for kids. A DJ helps create a fun environment, while student organizations, nonprofits, and other community groups provide entertainment.
Tickets to Pancake Day are available at the event and cost $7 for adults, $4 for kids, and are free for children 4 and under. Your ticket pays for your meal; everything else offered at Pancake Day is free. Low costs allow the entire Brazos Valley community to come together for a meal, make new friends, learn new things, and enjoy a sampling of what the Brazos Valley has to offer, Parker shares.
Meeting people the old fashioned way and making friends with people whose paths you likely would never have crossed outside of Pancake Day is one of Parker’s favorite parts of the event, she says.
“You just see this amazing dynamic of different ages and genders and ethnicities and all these people in this space just talking about whatever,” Parker says. “I see a bunch of these little old men and little old ladies sitting up talking to these 20-somethings or even the high school students, and the 20-somethings or the high school students are just soaking it all in because they have so much to share.”
Parker says Pancake Day is similar to an opportunities fair, because it allows organizations to display the unique things they offer.
“If you have a need, you don’t always know where to go to get that need met,” Parker explains. “If you’ve never heard of that organization, but you’re with them in that room, then you have the opportunity to see what they have to offer. While you may not need that particular service, you can share it with someone you know who does. … It really gives some of these other groups the opportunity to get in front of people that they might not otherwise see or have access to.”
Pancake Day also provides an easy way to give back to the community. All the proceeds from your ticket go to the year’s selected charity, according to Parker. This year, a contribution will be made to the Fun for All Playground in College Station. “You’re going to have to eat breakfast anyway, so if you can do that and help an agency in the process then it’s a win-win,” she says.
All food at Pancake Day is prepared on the original griddles from Sbisa Dining Hall at Texas A&M University. Each plate comes with sausage, milk or juice, and a generous serving of pancakes. Gluten free pancakes are available upon request.
Kiwanis Club’s vision statement says they strive to have a positive influence on their communities by helping children. Pancake Day allows the College Station chapter of the Kiwanis Club to work toward that vision and provide a fun and easy way for the Brazos Valley community to join them in making their vision a reality.
“It really is a group of people who all truly have a servant heart,” Parker says. “I believe everybody wants to do something for others. Everybody wants to do something of value for someone else.”
