The intoxicating smell of sausage, syrup and fresh coffee permeating E. Promenade St. bright and early on Saturday morning can only mean one thing; it’s Pancake Day.

Mexico Kiwanis and Mexico High School Key Club members took over the fellowship hall in the Mexico United Methodist Church at 6 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 to make coffee, start preparing food and set the tables which had been set up by Missouri Military Academy cadets the previous night.

By 7 a.m., plates of pancakes and sausage were flying out of the kitchen to be delivered to the first wave of hungry early-birds.

The iconic Pancake Day fundraiser has been hosted by Kiwanis Clubs internationally for decades, and over 60 years in some communities.

In Mexico, it’s hard to say when the first one began, but it has been a staple since the early 80’s.

“This is our largest fundraiser of the year,” says Andy Craig, this year’s Pancake Day chairperson.

This will be Craig’s second year as a member of the club, but he has been volunteering with Kiwanis for as long as he can remember.

“It’s kind of a family thing,” Craig explains. “My father has been a Kiwanian in the communities we’ve lived in. Growing up, I was always helping him out with stuff.”

Civic duty, one of the pillars of Kiwanis, is something Craig had instilled in him at a very young age and something he hopes to pass along to his children as well.

“My kids will be here later, so it’s fun,” Craig laughs.

Last year, he was cooking sausage, but accepting the leadership role of chairperson has exposed him to a whole new side of the operation.

“I have to make sure we get the food ordered, do advertising, so I was on the radio and getting everything out on the community bulletin boards, getting tickets because all the Kiwanians on the board sell tickets, and we also sell the advertisements on the place mats so that we can build awareness for the community,” says Craig.

Everything raised from Pancake Day goes right back into the Kiwanis scholarship fund.

“We give scholarships out to the high school seniors, so that is what this fundraiser is for,” Craig explains.

Typically, Pancake Day will raise around $5,000 between the silent auction and pancake sales.

Kiwanis and the Key Club work hand in hand throughout the year, inviting select students to lunch to present updates on their community service projects and fundraisers. The Key Club has been an integral cog in Pancake Day operations.

Colleen Galloway was there to oversee over 20 Bulldog volunteers who came in shifts throughout the day. Galloway is the Key Club advisor who serves as the English department chair in addition to teaching.

“We have a pretty good amount volunteering today and some other kids sold tickets and some kids helped prepare the baskets that we have in the silent auction,” says Galloway. “Key Club is like the high school version of Kiwanis, so we focus on community service locally and globally.”

At 8 a.m. the banquet tables in the fellowship hall are about halfway full. Despite this and the steady stream of people, Joanne Nelson, who has been volunteering for Pancake Day for 10 years now, knows there will be more to come.

“Usually we serve 500 to 600 people,” says Nelson. “This is nothing. Give it another hour and every chair will be full.”

The crowd chatted happily in between mouthfuls of pancakes, and many stuck around to see what was on display for the silent auction or to buy raffle tickets for the 50/50

Mexico Kiwanis members continued to pump out platefuls of pancakes and sausage links while Key Club members went table to table, serving food, refreshing drinks, and clearing plates.

“It’s all you can eat, and it’s a fun day,” beams Craig.