Pancake Festival
Decades of delicious tradition will be carried on as Lifesteps and the Butler Rotary Club serve up pancakes and sausages during their 61st annual Election Day Pancake Festival.
The festival runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Tanglewood Center in Lyndora. Tickets at the door cost $7. Children, ages 5 and younger, are served free. Proceeds from the event benefit Lifesteps' programs for children and families with disabilities.
“What's wonderful about the event is that it's a day to celebrate the American spirit and civic responsibility, and to celebrate coming together as a community to celebrate the children and families that rely on Lifesteps' services,” said Cassandra Kokoski, vice president of development at Lifesteps' central office in Butler.
It will also be a tasty event with plenty of food. Organizers ordered 200 pounds of sausage and 30 10-pound bags of pancake mix. Beverages include orange juice, milk, coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
“Lifesteps and the Butler Rotary Club have been partnering to have this event for 61 years. We like to call it decades of delicious tradition,” Kokoski said.
Money raised at the festival supports programs and services the organization provides in Western Pennsylvania, she said.
“Proceeds from the 61st annual Lifesteps and Rotary Election Day Pancake Festival benefit the Lifesteps Family Caring Fund, which supports essential programs and services for children, families and adults with special needs. Funds raised help programs like Child Check, free developmental and autism screenings for children birth to age 5, as well as Lifesteps Adult Day Health Care for seniors in our community.
“We are grateful to our partners, the Butler Rotary and Tanglewood Center, our sponsors NexTier Bank and Farmers Insurance, and the many businesses, community members and volunteers who help support Lifesteps' mission,” said Karen Sue Owens, Lifesteps president and CEO.
A group of 50 volunteers from Lifesteps and the Rotary Club work in shifts to serve the 1,000 people who typically come during the course of the day.
“We have shifts of volunteers starting at 6 a.m. and they are there until after the event for clean up,” Kokoski said. “Rotarians are the chefs for the day making the pancakes and the sausages. They're wonderful.”
The event has been held at Tanglewood for the past eight years. About 1,000 people attend every year.
Seating for about 100 people will be available, but most of the food will be prepared for takeout, she said.
Lunch and dinner times are the busiest times of the day, she added.
Masks are required.
