COAL GROVE — “Christmastime is here; our favorite time of year,” sang the Dawson-Bryant Elementary students Saturday during the annual Breakfast with Santa in Coal Grove.

The joint effort by the Coal Grove Lions Club and Coal Grove Betterment Club brought pancake enthusiasts to a packed high school cafeteria for food, entertainment and, of course, Santa Claus.

By 10 a.m., 40 pounds of pancakes and 1,000 sausages had passed through the kitchen to eager diners.

Don Malone, Lions Club president, said joining with the Betterment Club makes the effort possible.

“This is far too much for one group,” Malone said. “It takes both groups, with all the help we can get, to make it enjoyable.”

More than 30 additional volunteers helped the club members prepare, serve and clean, including Leo Club members from the high school and middle school, and Boy Scout Troop 103.

For more than a decade, the Lions Club has offered the Breakfast with Santa to the community.

“For Christmastime, we want to do it free of charge,” Malone said.

Vicki McDaniel, Betterment Club president, said Saturday’s turnout was the largest she has seen in recent years.

The Betterment Club provided treat bags for all the children who visited Santa Claus up on stage in the cafeteria.

“It brings us closer, I think,” McDaniel said of the community event. “As long as we can keep doing it for free, that’s what it is all about.”

The two civic groups are well known in Coal Grove for giving back to the community.

The Lions Club recently did renovation work to the former Deering Schoolhouse, helped form the Leo Clubs at the high and middle schools and provided food baskets for needy families.

In addition to beautifying the village, the Betterment Club puts on the annual Christmas Parade through Coal Grove, hosts Family Fun Days and donates to various causes. Its members will donate to a Christmas Angel Tree at the elementary school as well.