Olney Mayor to Visit Liberal

The mayor of Olney, England, and his wife will be in Liberal to celebrate the 60th International Pancake Day Race Feb. 24.

Mayor John Smail and his wife, Peggy, will arrive in time for Saturday’s events kicking off the four day celebration and plan to attend all Pancake Day activities.

Smail, a retired police officer, is in his second year as mayor of Olney and has served on the town council for 12 years.

The Smails have visited the United States before, but this is their first trip to LIberal.

“We are both looking forward to our visit. We have been told by numerous people that the people of Liberal are very friendly. We hope to strengthen the relationship between our two towns, if that is possible.” Smail said.

The Smails have lived in Olney for 45 years. As part of his official duties on Pancake Day, Smail will have the honor of presenting the traditional prize, “The Kiss Of Peace”, to Liberal’s International winner.