Paris Kiwanian Phil Payne gets more pancakes ready as the breakfast crowd starts to roll in Saturday shortly after 6 a.m. By the time the doors close at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds, more than 8,000 people are expected to have gone through the line for pancakes, sausage and orange juice and coffee. (eParisExtra.com photo by Charles Richards)
Many Kiwanians have their “job” year after year for Kiwanis Pancake Days. David Patty cooks pancakes as club president Jerry Williams (right) puts more onto the griddle. In the background are Robert High and Sally Wright.
As people go through the line, it’s pretty simple — either hand over a ticket purchased in advance for $5 or pay $6 at the door.
Pancake Days veterans Frank McHam, Peggy Hawkes and Darrell Hawkes know the routine after years and years of being part of the local tradition. In the background are Robert High and Jerry Williams.
Johnny Williams looks like he’s actually enjoying this.
Part of the enjoyment of Kiwanis Pancake Days is the camaraderie with others who show up, including friends you might not have seen for a long time.
This was a rare shot of Pancake Days without big crowds. This was taken shortly after 6 a.m. on a morning when the temperature was 28 degrees. Club president Jerry Williams said when the outside line grows long, club members would break the line up, so people could wait in the building across the street at times to keep them from having to wait in the cold.
Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
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