Leavenworth Lions Club Breakfast in the Park wraps up successful summer

LEAVENWORTH – The Leavenworth Lions Club, a local chapter of the service organization Lions Club International, celebrated its last Pancake Breakfast in the Park of the year on Sept. 28. 

“The revenue that we get through the pancake breakfast is probably our biggest fundraiser that we use to support the community,” said Lions Club President Tony Maffey.

Leavenworth Lions Club uses this revenue to fund its various local initiatives, such as awarding scholarships to high school students, funding youth diabetes camp and research, providing vision testing in schools, and offering financial assistance for glasses, eye exams, and hearing aids. Each July 4 weekend, the Lions Club also invites the local 4-H Club to serve breakfast, raising money for 4-H.

The pancake breakfast fundraiser, which ran for ten Saturdays this summer, is a Leavenworth Lions Club tradition that spans at least fifty years, according to longtime members Joe and Dorothy Nilles. Dorothy Nilles, who joined in 1996, remembers making pancakes with one of the original members of the club, which was founded in 1951.

“I had poured the pancakes out on the grill, and I kept wanting to turn them…And he said, ‘Wait, wait.’ He kept saying that!….But there's a certain science to it. The bubbles have to start bursting. It has to look a little dry around the edges. So finally, he said, ‘Okay!’” said Dorothy Nilles, laughing. “And there still is a certain science to it.”

Each Saturday the Lions serve the community all you can eat pancakes, eggs, sausages, and coffee out of their building in Lions Club Park. With the exception of a short-lived hashbrown phase and the introduction of scrambled eggs, not much has changed to the pancake breakfast over the years, said the Nilleses.

However, with the Leavenworth Farmers Market returning to the park on Saturdays this year, the Lions Club faced some unknowns for its tradition, fearing that the merging of the two events would drive away its longtime supporters, especially with limited parking.

“We weren't sure how it was going to work for us, [if it was] going to help or hurt in the end,” said Maffey. “But now I can say that, for the most part, all members really enjoy having them here, because it's just a little more festive, a little more going on.” 

“All in all, it turned out to be positive. Our numbers have been better,” said Dorothy Nilles. The Nilleses estimates an increase of about 30 to 40 more plates sold each week with the addition of the market.

As the pancake season closes, the Lions will continue their work fundraising, sponsoring local initiatives, and completing service projects, such as a local food drive, free health screenings, the highway cleanups, and more. 

Additionally, the club participates in a number of global projects, including Lions Club International’s eyeglass recycling program, which sends glasses to developing countries. The club collects old eyeglasses in their drop-off boxes at Marson and Marson, Leavenworth Vision Source, and the Senior Center. The glasses get sent to another club to be screened and sorted, then an ophthalmologist can request specific prescriptions for the places they are needed.

“Not only locally, but worldwide, we do a lot of good health, a lot of good service,” said Maffey. 

The Leavenworth Lions Club is looking for new members. Those interested in learning more about the local chapter can visit leavenworthlions.com. More information about the organization as a whole can be found at lionsclubs.org.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media