Press Release From Duane Gordon

Dribble, sizzle, flip, flop. Those are the sounds of yummy making its way to your plate at the 47th Annual Pancake Day hosted Saturday by the Kiwanis Club of Middletown at the VFW Social Center on Coles Road/Central Avenue at Dixie Highway.

Admission to the 6:30 a.m.-1 p.m. event is $5 in advance or $6 at the door on Saturday to fill your belly with fresh fluffy pancakes, steamy sausage, sweet syrup, hot coffee and mouthwatering milk and juice while helping charities in the community.

“Pancake Day has become a Middletown institution,” noted Kiwanis Club of Middletown President T. Duane Gordon, executive director of the Middletown Community Foundation. “Hundreds of people look forward to the first Saturday in November when they may enjoy a hearty breakfast to nurture their stomachs, fellowship with neighbors to nurture their souls and the knowledge to nurture their hearts that they’re helping the community.”

Proceeds from the volunteer-operated annual event, the Kiwanis Club’s second-largest fund-raiser of the year, provide dollars that are used to support college scholarships for local youths, eyeglasses and hearing aids for local underprivileged children, local 4-H sponsorships, free books for local children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, support of local youth sports programs and health and safety events aimed at families, among other projects.

In addition, it helps Kiwanis support its system of local youth leadership programs: Circle K at Miami University Middletown, Key Club at Middletown High School and Bishop Fenwick High School, Bring Up Grades at Middletown Middle School, Builders Club at John XXIII and Highview Sixth Grade Center and K-Kids at John XXIII and Amanda Elementary.

“These student groups are largely like Kiwanis Clubs for kids,” Gordon explained. “Kiwanis-affiliated youth groups are the largest student service leadership programs in the world. They teach children not only leadership skills and how to run meetings, but also why it’s important to give back to your community through service.”

Those who want some entertainment with their food should arrive to hear the Middletown High School Symphony at 9 a.m. and the First United Methodist Church of Middletown Temple Choir at 10 a.m. Representatives from local high schools will compete in a Pancake Eating Contest at 11 a.m.

The Kiwanis Country Store featuring arts and crafts as well as cookies and artwork will also be open during the Pancake Day hours.

For more information on the Middletown Kiwanis Club, Gordon may be contacted at 513-424-7369. The Club’s website is available at sites.google.com/site/middletownohkiwanis/.

The Club meets each Thursday at the Middletown Senior Center for lunch at noon, except the first Thursday of each month being a dinner meeting at 5:30 p.m. Guests are welcome.

For information on Pancake Day, contact Steve Dobrozsi at 513-423-4696.