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Bill Dingus chats with members of the community while refilling coffee Saturday at the Ironton Rotary Club’s annual pancake breakfast. (The Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer)

Darwin Haynes mans the griddle at the Ironton Rotary Club’s annual pancake breakfast on Saturday. (Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer)

Ironton Rotary Club member Julie Monroe spent Saturday morning manning the mixing station at the club’s annual pancake breakfast. (Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer)

Mitchell Heighton and Annika McCown, members of Scout Troop 106, restock tableware at the Rotary Club’s annual pancake breakfast on Saturday. (The Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer)

Ironton Rotary Club member Julie Monroe spent Saturday morning manning the mixing station at the club’s annual pancake breakfast. (Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer)

Rotary Club’s annual pancake breakfast goes on after equipment stolen

On Saturday, the community came out in droves to eat some flapjacks and chat with friends at the Ironton Rotary Club’s 49th annual pancake breakfast at the Knights of Columbus hall.

Club president Sarah Simmons thought the drizzly 40-degree weather was perfect.

“If it is too cold or too nice, hardly anyone shows up,” she said. “But the weather was just right to put people in the mood for pancakes. We are very busy and running out of table space. We are so excited about the turnout and happy to have so many members of our community sitting around tables and chatting and enjoying pancakes.”

Rotary has been doing the pancake breakfast since 1976 and only missed one year, 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year was a bit tricky for the Rotary because their storage unit was broken into and mixers, coffee pots and a griddle were stolen.

“So, it may have taken a little longer to get the pancakes out this year, but we are still working with what we have,” Simmons said, adding that members brought in equipment to keep the event going. “I brought in my coffee pot and a mixer.”

Simmons, who has been a Rotary member since 2015, said her favorite part of the pancake breakfast is seeing the community rally around the event ,“but then to see so many of our friends and neighbors supporting our efforts to bring scholarships to Lawrence County.”

The proceeds from the event go toward to two junior or senior class nursing students from Lawrence County attain their goal of becoming a registered nurse with a four-year degree.

And, as always, besides Rotary members, members of the Scouts Troop 106 and the Ohio University Southern’s Nursing Program were there taking pancakes, sausage and juice to tables and then cleaning up for the next batch of customers.

“We couldn’t do it without their help,” Simmons said.

Nicole Stumbo, associate professor of nursing at OUS, said the nursing association is always happy to help, because not only do they have fun, “these are the people and the families we are going to take care of. If you’re in the hospital and see a familiar face, it is really comforting.”

Mark McCown, an adult leader of Troop 106, said they are a community minded group and are happy to help.

“One of the tenets of Scouting is helping out your community,” he said. “And we like to instill that in the them and we like people to see young kids engaged with the community.

One new addition this year was the sale of Valentine-themed bears and they were a big hit. They had about 100 of them and at $2 each, they sold out by 10:30 a.m. The proceeds will go to support more of the Rotary club’s community projects.

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