St. Jakobi Lutheran Church in the town of Richmond is preparing for the 59th annual potato pancake dinner from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 27.
The dinner includes potato and wheat pancakes along with locally produced maple syrup, apple sauce, grilled sausages, cheese, pies, coffee and milk.
The Men’s Club served the pancake dinner for the first time in 1954 for members only. Grills were borrowed from other congregations in the first years. Church members were asked to donate homemade apple sauce and pies.
In the early 1960s, the church’s Young Peoples Society was responsible for grinding the potatoes. Each member had to grind enough potatoes to fill a bread pan. About that same time the public was invited to attend.
The annual event has continued to grow each year.
About 275 members put in about 750 volunteer hours to prepare and help the weekend of the dinner. It all begins months in advance with planning by the pancake dinner committee. The weekend of the dinner, church members volunteer to set up on Friday night, put the kitchen together Saturday, peel 500 pounds of potatoes, prepare the containers for the takeout orders and par broil the sausages. On Sunday, members are busy frying pancakes, frying sausages, working as hostesses, cashiers, waitress, pie cutters, kitchen help, coffee makers dishwashers, potato grinders and floaters, and cleaning up.
The church is at W8089 County Road A, Shawano.
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