CHESAPEAKE — By 10 a.m. it was standing room only at Chesapeake Elementary School for the annual Chesapeake-Proctorville-Rome Lions Club pancake breakfast.

At the griddle this year were Rick Slack, Paul Nathan Hart and Bob Smith, flipping flapjacks as the event drew a record crowd of 350 hungry diners Saturday morning.

“We’ve had a super, great crowd, more than normal,” Paul Hart said. “We have the support of TLC and they are a big help.”

Bussing tables this year were members of the Tidy Up Lawrence County volunteer organization in their lime green T-shirts, this time topped off with the red Lions Club vest.

The Lions Club will split the net profits from the pancake breakfast with beautification organization that is planning to landscape a section of the village near the Chesapeake-Huntington, W.Va., bridge. Also funding the project is a grant from the Foundation for the Tri-State community and donations from the village of Chesapeake and individuals.

Taking a break from clearing tables at the school cafeteria, Kathie Gue said TLC was happy with the new partnership with the Lions Club.

“We’re getting to chat with the townspeople here and be re-acquainted with old friends,” Gue said. “This is a great way for TLC to serve our community.”

The morning was also a chance to see familiar faces in not-so-typical scenarios, like Chesapeake attorney Richard Meyers and Lawrence County Auditor Jason Stephens spraying down a couple hundred dishes, knives and forks at the kitchen’s sinks.

“People come here to support the Lions Club and TLC brought in more people too,” Chesapeake Mayor Dick Gilpin said. “A lot of people come to see friends they haven’t seen for awhile.”

For the family of Carrie Dickson, coming to the breakfast has become a tradition.

“This is wonderful,” she said. “It is a great thing to have the community. We come every year. You get to visit and have good food. It is nice for the community.”