Thousands Celebrate Pancake Day!

It’s all about pancakes today in downtown Zanesville.  The 50th annual Sertoma Pancake Day is taking place in the basement of Secrest Auditorium.  WHIZ’s Ashley Drane has the sweet details of an event that raises a lot of money for the community.

Secretary of the club, Mike Maniaci, says it’s all for the kids.

"I enjoy helping to make the community money and part of that goes to help Big Brothers, Big Sisters among other local youth groups," says Maniaci.

Maniaci says it’s a tradition and his family is always here.

"My wife was here and my mom and dad and sister are working there too," says Maniaci.

It takes about 4,500 man hours to put Pancake Day together.  Volunteer Ken Reigle says they will donate all of their earnings, an estimated $18,000 to kid groups.

"We all support a lot of young events or organizations like Big Brothers, Big Sisters.  We support Salvation Army.  The main thing we keep it all in Muskingum County," says Reigle.

The Pancake Fundraiser brings in about 6,000 people and to feed them it takes 1,500 pounds of batter alone.

"We have left over ingredients at the end of the day typically and we donate that to either Christ Table or Salvation Army," says Reigle.

They are bringing in entertainment to help celebrate the 50th Pancake Day and Reigle says it’s not just about the pancakes.

"Tradition, you talk to anybody here and anybody can get pancakes.  It’s not fancy or anything else like that, but it’s just a community thing and it’s so traditional," says Reigle.

Maniaci and his family are proud to live in a community that supports a great cause.  Pancake Day expects to wrap up around 7:00 PM, but will stay open until there is no line.