Berthoud residents lined Mountain Avenue Monday morning with eager smiles as they awaited free flapjacks given out with the return of a historic tradition revived almost 10 years ago.
City Star Brewing held its annual Flapjack Day throughout Monday morning into the early afternoon, offering residents free pancakes and sausage, beer flights, classic cars, ’50s music and community connection.
“Our community has embraced the event with open arms,” said Whitney Way, co-owner of City Star Brewing. “We have a pretty rich history in Berthoud and a very active Berthoud Historical Society.”
The event was first held in the late 1940s, coming to The Garden Spot in 1948 to celebrate Labor Day and “bring neighbors together and visitors from afar to enjoy one of the simple pleasures in life … flapjacks,” according to City Star’s website. The local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce went on to host the event until 1959, serving up thousands of pancakes for people from all across the town and even the state to enjoy. The event ended in 1959, however, when the chamber decided to cancel it due to the high cost of putting it on.
For more than 50 years, the town went without the event until City Star brought it back. The revival of the event was held in 2015 with the brewery and event volunteers giving away 1,000 pancakes and raising $1,000 for the Berthoud Historical Society. This has continued since then, with volunteers gathering to make pancakes for the masses and raise money for the society.
“We are really honored that the community and the historical society … support us in bringing this event back, which I think speaks to the type of event we host and who we are in the community,” Way said. “When you bring back a historical event there is a lot of expectation that comes with that, and we want to honor what has happened in the past and in town in our community.”
“We, as a society, are so grateful for the partnerships with local businesses who appreciate history,” said Diane Levy, a former historical society board member and current events volunteer with the society, as well as the event’s “Batter Queen.”
As the festivities drew closer, the line for free pancakes stretched down the block as volunteers prepared sweltering skillets with batter pulled from large bowls. With a hearty “yeehaw” as the clock hit 11 a.m., residents were finally able to stack their plates with freshly made flapjacks. Just nearby, those waiting or finishing their free food could enjoy a line of classic cars, varying in make, model and color from across the years.
Tracy Briggs, a Berthoud resident and former museum director, was one of the first people in line to get a short stack and spoke highly of the event.
“I love the pancakes and sausages (and) I love the tradition and sense of community,” she said. “We come here, we see friends and get to look at great old cars. It is a great event.”
“We like the pancakes and it’s a good time,” said Meagan James, who came with several members of her family.
Ruth Fletcher-Carter was raised in Berthoud and recently moved back after having moved away. She said she remembers going to the original Flapjack Day in the 1950s, adding that, as a child back then, she remembers being drawn in by the pancakes, saying her sister even dressed her up to look like a pancake one year.
She added that when the event came back in 2015 she was “absolutely delighted.”I love the people, I love the pancakes,” she said. “I just love the sprit of camaraderie that it brings.” For those involved on the back side of the event, being able to have another Flapjack Day and support the Berthoud Historical Society is important.
Way said the event follows the philosophy that City Star lives by every day, that it is more than just the thing being served, be that beer or pancakes. “People are very important to us, so the people who walk in our door, the people we work with and of course our people, our staff,” she said. “This is another great opportunity to bring people together and have a celebration, have a party within our community”
‘“Berthoud has a wonderful, awesome community and a business community that really understands the importance of the history of Berthoud and wants to preserve that history,” said Andrew Wayland, museum manager for the historical society. “It is wonderful they are raising funds for us because people can spend their money on many things nowadays, but to have people come and support us at an event like Flapjack Day really shows we have an important (place) in our community.”
Levy said that the history of the event and what it meant to Berthoud when it started nearly 80 years ago is something important to remember and continue in the modern era.
“History is happening in the present,” she said. “So what we are doing now will be looked back on decades from now as we do today to the (’50s).”