mmunity gathering.

More than 800 people filed in and out of the American Electric Power building on Third Street Saturday morning for the annual Ironton Rotary Club Pancake Day.

While the smell of coffee and sausage on the grill may have enticed

the crowd in the first place, the sight of normally staid businessmen whipping around in aprons tickled their sense of humor once they were there.

"I came to see Doc (Ray "Doc" Payne) cook," Susie Noble, of Ironton, mused as she finished her plate. "He's a very good cook - but just the idea of it."

For Connie and Jim Adkins, of Ironton, a bit of romance hung in the morning air.

"This is our wedding anniversary," Connie Adkins said. "Twenty-three years."

Although they may have come for their own reasons, the end result was the same. Money raised will help fund Rotary Club service projects throughout the year, such as the city's annual spring cleanup, scholarships and donations to the Ironton City Mission.

"Far and away ,this is the busiest year we've had," said Ironton Rotary Club President Jay Zornes.

"We had a standing-room-only crowd at 9:30. I'm glad the community was so understanding. But the most fun was just seeing so much of the community come and have breakfast together."