Article published Feb 20, 2007
Annual church pancake dinner honors tradition
By HOLLY RICHARDS
Staff Writer

ZANESVILLE — Rain may have fallen on the city, but that didn’t stop hundreds of pancake lovers from keeping with a time-honored tradition.

The annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper was held Tuesday evening at St. James Episcopal Church, bringing many loyal parishioners and community members together to celebrate a “last hurrah” before the Lenten season begins.

Sherry Gillespie, president of the women’s group, has been involved with the annual dinner for about 30 years. She said the event dates back to the pre-Civil War era.

“It’s a good tradition to have, and we’d like to continue to do it as long as we possibly can,” she said. “We liken it to a family reunion for everybody to get together. We do this with a lot of pride and a lot of love.”

Zanesville resident Mollie Earich has attended the supper since 1979, and it has become a favorite annual event for her.
“I know a lot of people here, and the food is wonderful,” she said. “The pancake recipe has been kept a secret, and it’s good to know that some things don’t change. I applaud the church members for keeping the tradition alive.”

These “secret” pancakes were served as dessert, and the main course consisted of ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and applesauce. Everything at the meal was homemade by the church women.

ZANESVILLE - Fluffy, buttery, syrup-covered pancakes served as tasty desserts were too good for Mollie Earich of Zanesville to pass up at a celebrated supper Tuesday night.

"I've been coming to this since 1979, and I don't feel like I've aged at all," she said. "It's a favorite annual event, and I know a lot of people here. The food is wonderful, and the pancake recipe has been kept a secret. It's good to know some things don't change, and I applaud the church members for keeping the tradition alive."

Earich was among hundreds of pancake lovers who attended the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at St. James Episcopal Church. It brought numerous loyal parishioners and community members together to celebrate a "last hurrah" before the Lenten season begins.

Sherry Gillespie, president of the women's group, has been part of this time-honored tradition for about 30 years. She said the event dates back to the pre-Civil War era, originally beginning as a simple sausage and pancake meal. Now it is a "full-blown" dinner that features ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and applesauce.

The "secret" pancakes were served as dessert, and every morsel was homemade by the church women. Based on past events, she and the many other helpful women can serve 300 to 500 people in an evening.

"It's a good tradition to have, and we'd like to continue to do it as long as we possibly can," she said. "We liken it to a family reunion for everybody to get together. We do this with a lot of pride and a lot of love. This is a 'last hurrah' until Lent's over."

Gillespie said the event is one of the longest-running Shrove dinners in the diocese, as well as a major church fundraiser. The proceeds gained help support the church and community outreach programs such as Eastside Ministries. "This is one of our high holy days," she said.

"This is a nice way to enjoy fellowship," said the Rev. Kathryn Clausen, interim rector, before she made her way to the kitchen. "This has been around a long time, and they (the cooks) know what they're doing."

Jane Price, who has lent her assistance for "many, many years," said the church has only missed two dinners since the event began in the 1860s. The 1913 flood and WW II were the two missed occasions. "People even used to bring their sugar rations during WW II," Price said.

The downstairs dining room was adorned with festive Mardi Gras items, helping attendees get in the spirit of the season.

"The decorations are lovely, and the food is delicious," said Emily Smith of Zanesville. "I like it because it's different, and the service from the young people is excellent."

Smith enjoyed the event next to Zanesville resident Bill Slack, who has been to the annual suppers for about 15 years.

"Everything is good, but the pancakes are especially good," he said.

Margo Burton of Zanesville, a 17-year dinner veteran, also said her top choice was all the pancakes. She went to the event with Richard Maxwell and toddler daughter Jordan.

Jan Evans of Zanesville was introduced to the supper years ago by friend Earich.

"The pancakes are so good; the food's delicious," she said while taking a break from her fluffy meal.

Times Recorder photographer Chris Crook contributed to this story.