Great catch! No, we’re not at a baseball game. We’re watching Jacob Van Horn, 12, expertly “catch” pancakes being flipped to him at the free pancake breakfast that has been a signature event of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Festival for more than a half-century in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Frontier Days, celebrating its 107th year, attracts a half-million people to see championship bull riding, barrel racing, country music stars, Western art shows, Native American festivities, and more. I saw license plates from around the country, including Alaska, California, Iowa, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
“We want everyone to see how we live in summer,” said Jacob. “And it’s great to see so many people want to join us.” Others have been assigned as flippers, runners, mixers, and droppers (those dropping the pancakes on the grill.)
“There is a large sense of community,” agreed Rosalie Zubrod, 16, who was also among the many volunteers at the pancake breakfast, held three days during the festival. Some 100,000 pancakes, 9,200 cartons of milk, 520 gallons of coffee. Six hundred and 30 pounds of butter and 475 gallons of syrup would be served.
