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Peddling pancakes
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor.Boardman Rotary president Shelly LaBerto (left) checked on the newest batch of pancakes cooking on the griddle. Fellow Rotarian Bill Trigg easily cooked a delicious batch.
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In the kitchen of the Lariccia Family Community Center, a group of Boardman Rotarians were behind the scenes, providing a delicious breakfast for guests. Helping out with the pancakes were Jay Summer (left), Greg Anstrom, Jeff Michalenek, Dick Dowd, Tea Thornton, Nina Hanna, and Joe Ignazio.
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Sydney Bressler (left) attended her first Pancake Breakfast with her grandma, JoEllen Prymavere, on March 19.
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Nancy Carson (left), Janey Jame, Megan Oxley, and Jess Oxley enjoyed heaping stacks of pancakes thanks to the Boardman Rotarians on March 19.
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Jacob Wright (left) and John Aaron acted in the Civil War reenactments in the nearby Maple Syrup Festival. The actors stopped into the pancake festival to refuel before heading back to their posts.
By SARAH FOOR
The Boardman Rotary sponsored its annual Pancake Breakfast on March 19-20 and 26-27 at Boardman Township Park, where they flipped more than 2,500 pancakes for area residents.
The event, held at the Lariccia Family Community Center, serves as one of the Rotary’s most important fundraisers, raising about $20,000 each year. The Boardman Rotary uses funds from the event to aid community organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Youngstown, the Boardman Speech team, and 24 other local groups.
“We have Boardman Rotary members who have been involved with the pancake breakfast since it began, and the purpose of the event hasn’t changed much in that time,” shared event co-chair Celeste Lisko.
“Our goal was always to give back to the community while also bringing people together. We love that eating a stack of pancakes with family and friends does so much good for area organizations,” Lisko said.
The Rotary’s pancake breakfast also happens to fit perfectly with Boardman Township Park’s Maple Syrup Festival, which offered guests the chance to explore sugar maple season in the park.
“We like that our event ties in with the park activities. Pancakes and maple syrup just go well together,” Lisko noted.
On March 19, guests like Jo Ellen Prymavere and her granddaughter, Sydney Bressler, enjoyed pancakes and sausage together.
“I’ve missed the last few years,” Prymavere admitted, “but I’m glad that the time I came back is actually Sydney’s first pancake breakfast. We’re having a really great time.”