"It
was a little cheaper and the pancakes were better,"
says Fred Jones recalling the very first Cumberland Lions
Maple Fest pancake breakfast in 1969. "Other than that
it's pretty well stayed the same just different faces."
As a charter
member of the Cumberland Lions Club, Jones has been to all
50 pancake breakfasts. He can still recall when a local
television station came to cover the breakfast in the early
70s.
"One
of the guys who was stirring the pancake batter was smoking
a cigarette while he was doing it and there was about an
inch of ash on the end just hanging there. It was a different
time back then."
 |
| Cumberland
Lions Club president Betty Shields holds a plate of
pancakes as her fello Lions Club members look on in
the kitchen at the Lions Maple Hall in Cumberland Village,
home of the annual Lions Maple Fest. Fred Sherwin/Photo |
Fran Stronach
has been coming to the breakfast for 41 years. The former
Cumberland municipal councillor was a Girl Guide leader
the first time she came to the Maple Fest and her Girl Guides
were responsible for cleaning the tables. She's kept coming
back all these years to show her support for the local Lions
Club.
"The
Lions do so much for the community, it's important to support
them so they can keep doing what they," said Stronach.
The event
raised just over $6,000 last year which was use to help
fund a variety of Lions charities.
"We
usually serve about 1500 people and at least 50 per cent
comes back for seconds, or thirds, or fourths, so that's
a lot of pancakes and sausages," said Cumberland Lions
Club president Betty Shields during a break in the action.
The event
attracts people from across Cumberland and further afield.
Many former residents make it a point to come back year
after year to take part in what has become an annual tradition.
The pancake
breakfast is always held on the first weekend in April,
so mark in on your calendar for next year and be sure to
drop on by to support a time honoured community initiative.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
MATT LULOFF W/ EDISON RUPERT performing at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. To register your team visit 
OTTAWA CARLETON MALE CHOIR in concert at the Navan-Vars United Church 1129 Smith Rd. in Navan at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door.
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. presents Oyster Wednesdays every Wednesday. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near McDonalds.
BLACKBURN HAMLET COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire community is invited…rain or shine! Please keep visiting blackburn.ca for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.
