Kirsten Stanley/The Ironton Tribune

COAL GROVE — Organizers of the pancake breakfast at Dawson-Bryant High School said the event has lasted 50-some years because there is a special type of atmosphere. Everybody knows one another and sometimes it’s the only time they get together all year.

Indeed, the Coal Grove Lion’s Club Harold Harney Annual Pancake breakfast is a social event that people flock to and look forward to for months, said long-time Lion’s Club member Tom Carey.

“It’s really a family affair,” Carey said “This is a great time for us and the entire community.”

Carey was at the griddle serving pancakes to about 500 people, both young and old, who came out. More than 350 tickets were pre-sold.

For the youngsters, special bunny-head shaped pancakes were served, with eyes, nose and mouth fashioned from sausage links.

“This is great because it’s a major fundraiser that supports a lot of sight-saving projects that we are traditionally involved with,” Carey said. “We also keep it going on for those who are gone, our founders who started all of this.”

Alvin Boyd, also a long-time member, said the club would not be able to function without the revenue from the breakfast. Yearly projects include buying glasses and providing eye exams to the needy and sponsoring a breakfast with Santa.

Boyd barely had time to slow down Saturday, between fixing to-go orders, serving coffee and keeping the grill stocked with pancake batter.

Another man that was kept on his toes during the breakfast was Tom Lemaster; he was in charge of measuring and mixing the batter. This was the first year Lemaster has been the head mixer, he jokingly said he had to serve an apprenticeship for the past two years.

Hub Rose said the event is a very important way to continue the work of Harold Haney, the event’s namesake. Rose said Haney, who has since passed away, was one of the reasons for the continued success of the club.

“He is the patron saint of the Coal Grove Lion’s Club,” Rose said. “You laugh, but I mean it.”

He said Haney’s ability to sell fruitcakes and pancake-breakfast tickets is incomparable. And, he said, his community-mindedness remains unrivaled.