A tasty Middletown institution returns in less than two weeks for its 46th year when the Kiwanis Club of Middletown hosts its annual Pancake Day at the VFW Hall on Coles Road on Saturday, Nov. 6.

The pancakes will flip ‘till you’re full from 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. accompanied by sticky syrup, juicy sausage, hot coffee, and cold milk. Tickets, available from any local Kiwanian for $5 in advance, will be $6 each at the door on the day of the event.

The popular pancake eating contest for area students returns at 11:30 a.m., while new this year will be entertainment from the Middletown High School Symphony at 9 a.m. and First United Methodist Church of Middletown’s Temple Choir at 10:30 a.m. Also planning her first appearance will be a walking/talking Ms. Pan Cake character.

“It's a day of fun, laughter and teamwork, but more importantly, it's a day to bring the community together and build a bridge to a common goal: the children,” noted 2010-2011 Club President Tammy Robert.

Kiwanis International bills itself as a “global organization dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time,” so it makes sense that the projects of its local club almost universally center around the greater Middletown area’s youngest residents, and Pancake Day is the Club’s major annual source of revenue for those community projects. These include sponsorship of the Middletown Community Foundation chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library book program, the annual Kiwanis Health and Safety Expo for area kids, the Monroe Handicap Fishing Derby, Special Olympics, 4-H, eye glasses and hearing aids for low-income children and college scholarships.

In addition to specific projects, the proceeds help fund several Kiwanis youth leadership development clubs, which act, in essence, as “Kiwanis Clubs for kids:”

* Elementary-level K-Kids, which expanded this year from John XXIII to include Amanda Elementary

* Middle school-level Builders Club, expanding from John XXIII to add Middletown Fitness and Preparatory Academy

* Middle school-level Bring Up Grades (BUG) program, expanding from Verity Middle School to add Vail

* High school-level Key Club, expanding from Bishop Fenwick High School to include Middletown High School

* And college-level Circle K Club, established this year at Miami University Middletown

In addition to food, the event features the newly-rebuilt “Kiwanis Country Store” with hand-crafted knick-knacks, decorations, and edible goodies as well as a few store-bought tchotchkies available for sale. Organizers also plan door prizes, a 50/50 split-the-pot and several themed raffle baskets: Ohio State, Bengals, a children’s basket, “Good Morning,” throw quilts and “Night on the Town.”

T. Duane Gordon, executive director of the Middletown Community Foundation and 2011-2012 Kiwanis Club president, looks forward to the annual event for many reasons.

“As administrator of Dolly’s Imagination Library, I know each ticket sold means more books we’ll put into the hands of local children who need to learn how to read, and we’re also helping several other great causes for kids in the community,” he said. “As president-elect of the Middletown Kiwanis Club, I look forward to the good food, good friends and good fun that Pancake Day always brings. The only thing I don’t look forward to is trying to figure out how I’m going to top it next year!”

For more information on the Middletown Kiwanis Club, Robert may be contacted at tammyl6319@aim.com or 513-649-1752. The Club’s website is available at sites.google.com/site/middletownohkiwanis/.

The Club meets each Thursday at the Middletown Senior Center for lunch at noon, with the first Thursday of each month being a dinner meeting at 5:30 p.m. Guests are welcome.

For information on Pancake Day, contact Steve Dobrozsi at 513-423-4696.

Shown at the 2010-2011 induction of the board and officers of the Middletown Kiwanis Club are, from left, board members Maria Hart, Assistant Treasurer Jeanne Higgins, Secretary Don Imhoff, Letitia Curless, President-Elect/Vice President T. Duane Gordon, President Tammy Robert, Immediate Past President Bill McCall, Betty Wolfe, Matthew Dixon, Henrietta Nye, Guy Stone, Treasurer Gary Gross, and Dan Dobrozsi.