Rotary Puts Pancakes On the Griddle Feb. 1 in La Grange

A pancake supper in the elementary school cafeteria is a tradition going back more than 70 years in La Grange.

The tradition continues Thursday, Feb. 1, when the La Grange Rotary Club will be serving all-you-can eat flapjacks and sausage at the cafeteria.

This will be the second year in the new school, which many residents still haven’t actually seen inside, due to pandemic restrictions.

“This will be a great opportunity to see this beautiful new facility, and also to get a great bargain on a meal for the whole community,” said Kyle Hartmann, this year’s Rotary president.

Tickets are $10 each and available from all Rotarians or at the door. Children 5 and under are free for dine-in patrons. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with serving until 7 p.m.

Drive-through plates also will be provided from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Vehicles should enter the drive-through line at the school parking lot on Travis Street, just past the H-E-B.

Those eating inside can enter the main parking lot from Jackson Street and go in the front entrance. Rotarians will be on hand to guide them to the cafeteria.

“This is always such a great time to come together with other community members,” said Don Jones, pancake supper chairman. “It’s usually the biggest in-person meal event of the year in La Grange, and it’s just fun to see so many neighbors coming together.”

The Rotary Club has been holding a pancake supper here at least since 1957. When the club was founded in 1954, the St. James Church Men’s Club was holding a pancake supper at Hermes Elementary School, old copies of the Fayette County Record show. In 1957, the newly formed Rotary Club sponsored a pancake supper at Hermes, with proceeds going toward paying off the debt on the city’s new swimming pool.

By 1958, the paper was calling it “Rotary’s annual pancake supper,” and it’s continued ever since – even though during the COVID pandemic it was “drive-thru only.”

“We will have lots of help in the drive-through lane this year,” said Regina Keilers, who heads up that part of the event. Pitching in to help the Rotarians will be Scouts and members of the La Grange High School Interact Club, sponsored by Rotary.

Tickets in 1957 were $1 for adults and 50 cents for children. Even though they are now $10 each, it’s still a bargain, says John Wied, who was club president in 1985-86 and is the club’s most senior member.

After going through a serving line with pancakes, sausage, milk and coffee, patrons will be served at their tables with all the refills they want, Wied pointed out.

“We really do thank our sponsors, too,” said Mike Coppinger, last year’s Rotary president. He is heading the sponsorship drive this year, and says response has been very good. “Local businesses have been very generous, and we will be thanking them very publicly at the pancake supper.”

Rotary provides grants and contributions to many local causes, including $12,000 or more each year for local high school scholarships, several thousand for EMS scholarships, and youth recreation programs.