July 4 Pancake Festival Moves To VFW

CHATHAM – For nearly 60 years, the annual Fourth of July Pancake Festival has been a tradition for many families. Its location at the Chatham Elementary School, just a block from downtown, made it convenient for families to load up on carbs before the parade and then walk over to Main Street for the day’s main event.

This July 4, however, attending the Pancake Festival may take a bit of planning.

Due to construction happening at the Depot Road elementary school, the festival will instead be held at the VFW on George Ryder Road.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chatham, the Pancake Festival was for most of its history operated by the Kiwanis Club of Central Cape Cod. The festival was canceled in 2013 due to a lack of volunteers, but returned in 2014 for its 50th anniversary, run one last time by the Kiwanis.

In 2018 the Pancake Festival returned, this time under the aegis of the Rotary Club. Other than a year off because of the pandemic, the festival has been going strong ever since, with this year officially being the 57th.

Rotary officials learned they would not be able to use the elementary school when they applied to use the cafeteria, as has been the case for decades.

“The school’s been a great partner for a long time,” said Rotary President Ted Atwood. Its location near the parade route makes it convenient for folks to stop by on their way to the parade, have a bite and then stroll down to Main Street.

Downtown churches and restaurants were all booked up, but the VFW was “more than kind” in offering to host the event, said Atwood.

“It’s not ideal, because people have to drive,” he noted. “But we won’t miss a year.”

The work being done at the elementary school involves replacing floor tiles, some of which may have asbestos in the mastic that adheres them to the floor, according to Superintendent Scott Carpenter. That type of material is present in at least one space, so it’s necessary to seal off certain areas of the school.

“As you can imagine, this adds to the time needed to fully complete the project, as we need all of our buildings ready for students in the fall,” Carpenter wrote in an email. The work is scheduled to begin June 28.

“We are also having similar work being done in part of the middle school this summer, as such we have the buildings largely closed down while this is happening, for everyone’s safety,” Carpenter wrote.

The Pancake Festival is a major fundraiser for the Rotary, with proceeds supporting local programs including scholarships, Monomoy Community Services and the Chatham Food Pantry. The group will also provide its usual donation to the elementary school, which Atwood said supports the school’s annual graduation ceremony.

“We rely on the Pancake Festival because it’s one of the only events of ours that tourists participate in,” he said. Dozens of local businesses also support the festival by buying ads in a section that appears in The Chronicle the week before the parade.

Along with the location, the hours of the Pancake Festival will change slightly this year, Atwood said. Doors open at 7 a.m. and the event will end at 9, an hour earlier than usual. That way Rotary members can make it downtown to see the parade.