Vol. 5 No. 10
March 9, 2011
Inside This Issue For Signs of Spring ... See Plain Country Section
Who’s Flippin’ Those Flapjacks? By Nancy Huth
O
ne of the pleasures of living in Geauga County is being able to go from one pancake breakfast to another during March and April. When we hold out our plates, say, at Geauga Historical Society’s Century Village in Burton, the faces of friendly volunteers greet us. On each Sunday in March and the first one in April, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can enjoy all you can eat blueberry, apple, or plain hot cakes, sausage, applesauce, orange juice, coffee or other beverages for $7 for adults and $4 for children. A variety of omelets can also be ordered. It’s a deal however you look at it. Pancake breakfast organizer/volunteer Gwen Evans has been doing this for seven years. Gwen’s sister Gerri, another volunteer, starts phoning the pancake troops weeks in advance. Gwen told me approximately 30 volunteers each Sunday served 5,000 hungry people on five Sundays in 2010. At three pancakes each that would add up to 15,000 flapjacks flipped (and we know that for many three is not the limit)! The volunteers, who arrive between 5 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. to get ready, include octogenarians Maurice and Marianne Schwartz and Kit Luoma who’ve been coming for many years. Besides the kitchen duties, volunteers take in money at the door, help people in line, serve coffee and pancake refills, keep supplies handy, set and clear tables – and then when it’s all over at 2 p.m., they stay to clean up. The volunteers whose ages range from 40 into their 80s often return each year to do this tiring but satisfying service for their community. There are also a few teens who help out each year. Flour for making pancakes is purchased at Fowler’s Mills and fresh maple syrup is brought up from the Historical Society’s own sugarhouse under the capable hands of Bill Troyer, who starts tapping trees, gathering, and boiling in February. Fifteen gallons of syrup are consumed every pancake Sunday. Continued on page 2
March Means Maple Pages 1-3
See What’s Happening at Cardinal Schools Page 8
See Which Snowman Won Our Contest! Page 17
At the pancake breakfasts at Berkshire High School you’ll find that John Heller (left) and Sheriff Dan McClelland know just when to flip those flapjacks. Post Photo/Paul Newman.
Dave Brigham (above) pours pancake batter at the breakfasts at Berkshire High School while Tom Buckles (right) oversees the omelets. Post Photo/Paul Newman.
Hopewell Adds Farm & Craft Market
PreSort Std U.S. Postage PAID Middlefield, OH 44062 Permit No. 77
Postal Customer Local / ECRWSS
A OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Middlefield Post P.O. Box 626 Middlefield, OH 44062
At the helm of Century Village’s pancake breakfasts are volunteer cooks (from left to right) Dave Thomas, Ron Blair, Mike Blair, Ronnie Blair, Bret Lillibridge and Tommy Ronyak. Post Photo/Kurt Updegraff.
new stop on Geauga County’s March Maple Madness Tour is Hopewell Farm & Craft Market in Mesopotamia. An exciting new venture for Hopewell, the store is an opportunity for residents, who have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression, to learn vocational skills and earn money for the organization. Hopewell is a 300-acre therapeutic farm community helping residents with a serious mental illness learn to manage their illness and return to a more independent life. The Farm & Craft Market, located in a renovated room inside an existing building, is resident-run and sells Hopewell-produced maple syrup, eggs, and crafts. Garden, farm, and craft teams have worked for several months to build inventory for the store’s opening scheduled for March 10. They expect to add flowers and vegetables as the season progresses. Since Hopewell residents already help grow and harvest farm products for their own meals, they will be increasing production of tomatoes, green beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, gourds, and eggs to sell in the store. “The residents are very excited for the store’s opening,” says Colleen Welder, Hopewell’s Director of Program Services. “They’ve been preparing for this for many months by making products to
sell. Many of them are eager to start working as cashiers or in sales.” Welder explains that the store creates the opportunity for more of Hopewell’s residents to participate in meaningful activities, such as working as a cashier, salesperson, recordkeeping, inventory, and
Continued on page 2
rm Hopewell Fa in t e rk a M & Craft a new is ia m ta Mesopo ar’s e y stop on this le p a March M ur. Madness To