The flapjacks were flipping Saturday in Boardman

March 22, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

Rotary Club of Boardman hosts annual breakfast

BOARDMAN

Those who took part in a pancake breakfast had the triple benefit of enjoying a good meal, contributing to the community and learning more about the origins of the maple syrup they used.

“This is our second-biggest fundraiser, next to the Oktoberfestival,” noted Shawn Golden, co-chairman of the 32nd annual Rotary Club of Boardman’s pancake breakfast Saturday morning in Boardman Park’s Lariccia Family Community Center.

The gathering, which is part of the park’s Maple Syrup Festival, continues from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Saturday and next Sunday in the community center. Admission is $6 per adult, and children age 6 and under are admitted free.

Proceeds benefit the Rotary Club’s charitable community efforts and international projects.

Serving the meals Saturday were Rotary members along with Boardman and Cardinal Mooney high schools’ Interactive clubs.

Last year’s breakfast brought in between $15,000 and $16,000, and this year’s goal is to raise at least $16,000, Golden said. He added the Rotary Club donated $10,000 to build a flagpole at the $3.7 million football stadium under construction at Boardman High off Nisonger Road.

The club has donated to the Boardman schools, raised funds for numerous nonprofit organizations such as Easter Seals, served meals a few times a year at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, rang bells for and contributed to the Salvation Army and helped build homes for Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County, explained Ted Thornton, a 22-year Rotary Club member.

The organization also has taken part in several mission trips, including one to Guatemala. During that effort, Rotarians and an audiologist provided hearing aids to children and adults who were hearing impaired, Thornton said.

“Every single dollar goes to local or international projects, but the bulk stays locally,” he said.

The breakfast also featured demonstrations on the process of extracting and making maple syrup.

The syrup goes into a large warming trough that is part of an evaporator device before being fed into smaller, divided troughs. The equipment controls the rate of water evaporation, noted Pete Cordon, who works in the park’s maintenance department.

Maple syrup is formed when the material reaches 217 degrees or is 66 percent sugar content, explained Cordon, who also had on hand several old metal syrup cans, a grading scale with five flavors and a sap hydrometer to measure the sugar level.

Wagon rides were available to take participants through the park. Along the way, they saw several trees with attached buckets or plastic bags to collect sap.

Also participating in the festivities were members of Boardman-based Boy Scout Troop 60, who brought baskets for collecting funds to go toward Troop operations, noted Scoutmaster Byron Harnishfeger.

A main goal was to raise $1,800 that would be used for equipment, gear and other related expenses, he said.