Annual World's Largest Pancake Breakfast slated for May 16

Date: 4/21/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD -- For the 23rd annual World's Largest Pancake Breakfast, Spirit of Springfield President Judith Matt wasn't taking any risks that the city's elected officials weren't aware of this year's event. At a press conference on Friday, Matt named the entire Springfield legislative delegation as this year's honorary co-chairs.

Present to receive the customary blue jackets were State Reps. Thomas Petrolati, Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, Angelo Puppolo, James Welch, Brian Ashe, Benjamin Swan as well as State Rep. Stephen Buoniconti. State Rep. Sean Curran and State Sen. Gale Candaras could not attend the event.

The breakfast will again set up on Main Street from the intersection of State to Bridge Streets from 8 to 11 a.m. on May 16. For the third year, the Springfield Business Improvement District (BID) will sponsor the event.

Breakfast tickets are $1 for children, $3 for adults and free to area students with a complimentary ticket distributed through area school systems.

The pancake breakfast was developed as one of the activities for the 350th anniversary of the city's founding in 1986.

Arlene Putnam, chair of the Spirit of Springfield and general manager of Eastfield Mall, thanked the BID for its sponsorship "Downtown is where it belongs," she added.

The event had been at Eastfield Mall for several years.

Among the businesses that have contributed to this year's breakfast include Agri-mark/Cabot Creamery, Baystate Health Systems, Costco, Elegant Affairs, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, H.P. Hood, Mansfield Paper Co., Massachusetts National Guard, Mercy Medical Center and Peter Pan Bus Lines.

Mayor Domenic Sarno thanked the sponsors of the breakfasts and the businesses that support it.

"You can not put a price tag on what the Spirit of Springfield does for the morale of Springfield," he said.