Lansing resident Tashmich Torok feeds her son Levi, 2, chocolate chip pancakes Sunday morning at Patriarche Park, 1100 Alton Road, during the annual Pancakes in the Park. Hosted by the East Lansing Rotary Club, the yearly breakfast ritual invited members of the Greater Lansing community to enjoy a fully cooked breakfast as well as vote for the best poster in the Remember the Park campaign.
Since it was constructed in 1995, the play structure at Patriarche Park has provided jubilant afternoons of adventure and intrigue for children of all ages.
As the structure begins to show its age, the East Lansing Rotary Club has set the wheels in motion to restore it by raising money as part of its annual Pancakes in the Park event on Sunday at Patriarche Park, 1100 Alton Road.
“It’s a unique event,” East Lansing Rotary Club Member Noah Smith said.
“This is our largest (fundraiser), easily. It’s a few thousand pancakes. I bet we cycle through at least 1,000 people.”
Katie Donovan, a Haslett resident and member of the East Lansing Rotary Club, said the club has been putting on the Pancakes in the Park fundraiser for at least 25 years to raise money to aid in funding community projects. Donovan said the club served 1,200 people at the event in 2010 and came into this year looking to at least double that number in an effort to raise money for the project.
“The whole idea of having pancakes outside makes you think of having a camping trip,” Donovan said. “One of the things that’s really fun is all of the kids that come out — it’s perfect for after church.”
Donovan said the cost to restore the structure as a part of the Remember the Park, Revive the Park project — including supplies and materials for the job — will be close to $90,000.
Although sponsors and volunteers still are needed, donations and events such as Pancakes in the Park have allowed for the East Lansing Rotary Club to be well on its way toward restoring the structure, Donovan said.
Attendees of the Pancakes in the Park event were treated to a preview of the Remember the Park, Revive the Park project, which will take place from Sept. 15-18.
With signs promoting the future event and arrows pointing to the deficiencies and cracks on the play structure, community members were greeted with reminders of where their $5 donation would be going.
As the satisfying simmer of pancakes and sausage filled the air, hundreds of residents lined up to get a stack of flapjacks while donating money to help the community.
Smith said funds raised from the event in the past have helped support various projects in the area, including Haven House, 121 Whitehills Drive, and numerous other local charities.
For community members, the event was as much about donating the money as it was about enjoying the taste of a thin griddle cake breakfast in the park.
Jim Finnerty, an East Lansing resident, said he’s been coming to the Pancakes in the Park event for the past 10 years.
For Finnerty, supporting community projects — along with the pancakes — is what keeps him coming back year after year.
“It’s a cheap meal — $5 is a really good price,” Finnerty said.
“I enjoy donating to something like this where you know the money stays in the community.”
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