Pancake Day festivities will get under way at 9 a.m. Saturday morning at the
Knights of Columbus Hall in downtown Liberal. Pancake Day t-shirts, aprons,
and other merchandise will be for sale, and the flipping and eating contests
will begin at 10 a.m. The winner in the flipping contest is the person who
can flip a flapjack the most times in a three-minute period. (Division I
flips for a shorter time.) This contest is open to all ages, with
contestants flipping in three separate age divisions (I: 7 years and under;
II: 8-13 years; and III: 14 years and older).
The pancake eating contest, set to begin immediately after the flipping
contest is over, requires entrants to compete to see who can completely
consume a set number of pancakes in the shortest amount of time.
The eating contest features the same three age divisions as the flipping
contest.
The flapjacks will be the same size for everyone, about five inches in
diameter. Division I contestants will be required to eat one pancake,
division II pancake lovers will consume three flapjacks each, and those aged
14 and older will be hurrying to down five pancakes each.
Cash prizes of $25 for first place, $15 for second, and $10 for third will
be awarded in each division.
Saturday morning will also feature the Mayor??s Challenge, where Mayor Joe
DeNoyer will face off in a pancake flipping contest with other community
leaders, including County Commission Chair Joyce Hibler, Southwest Medical
Center CEO Norm Lambert, Seward County Community College/Area Technical
School President Dr. Duane Dunn, and a representative from USD 480, to be
announced later.
Contestants must sign up at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 323 N. Kansas
Ave., beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. All contestants must sign up at least
30 minutes prior to the beginning of their division/contest.
The seventh annual Pancake Day cooking and recipe contest, also set for
Saturday, will award cash and prizes valued at $450. The contest is open to
anyone age 12 or older living within a 70-mile radius of Liberal.
As of Wednesday, the cooking contest had only four entries, so there??s
plenty of room for more. Creative cooks can come up with any type of dish,
ranging from main dishes to dessert, and, of course, any and all variations
on pancakes. The recipe must some include type of pancake mix as a main
ingredient and it must be an original creation.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place, with entries
judged on taste, originality and creativity, use of product and appetite
appeal.
First prize is $300 in cash and merchandise. Second prize is $100 in cash
and merchandise and third prize is $50 in cash and merchandise.
Those interested in entering may pick up entry forms at the Liberal
Convention and Tourism Bureau, One Yellow Brick Road. Contestants will be
given a complete copy of the rules when they pick up an entry form. Entry
forms and rules may also be downloaded at www.pancakeday.net
Completed entry forms must be returned to the Liberal Convention and Tourism
Bureau by 5 p. m., Friday. Entrants will prepare their dishes and bring them
to the Knights of Columbus Hall, located in downtown Liberal, Saturday
morning, Feb. 13.
The public is invited to attend and to sample the dishes after winners are
announced.
The Pancake Day British High Tea will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Baker
Arts Center, 624 N. Pershing, in Liberal.
The High Tea offers an opportunity to sample an authentic taste of Olney,
England, with a menu of finger sandwiches, savories and sweets, the three
traditional categories of food served at an English tea.
To celebrate the 61st Liberal-Olney Pancake Day race, the d??cor at the tea
will feature vintage black and white photographs of past Pancake Day events.
Tickets should be purchased in advance, but will also be available at the
door if any remain.
Tickets are available at the Tourist Information Center, One Yellow Brick
Road (across the street from Dorothy??s House).
For more information on the tea or any Pancake Day event, call 624-6423.