What started as a mere idea in the 1960s has blossomed into one of the community’s most significant events in the fall.

Elizabethton Kiwanis Club is in the process of finalizing the 55th Annual Pancake Day at First United Methodist Church, located on East E Street on Veterans Day – Saturday, Nov. 11.

Community members are invited to take part in the event, scheduled to last from 7 to 10:30 a.m.

Price of admission is $7, which includes a full breakfast.

Active Kiwanian and chair of the event Richard Barker said Pancake Day, which started in 1963 thanks in part to Larry Hite and Don Tetrick, has turned into a massive social gathering and doubles down as the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Elizabethton Kiwanis Club has been active since 1928 and offers Key Club branches to Elizabethton and Unaka high schools. Students that participate in the club are active in multiple community- and volunteer-based programs and have the opportunity to receive scholarship opportunities.

Kiwanis Club is heavily focused on using their resources for children-based programs across the county. All proceeds from the Pancake Day will go to benefit different projects with several organizations, including Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, Imagination Library, Christmas Angel Treat, and Carter County Head Start.

Kiwanians are coming off a success Special Needs’ Picnic, geared to children in the community, and following November’s event, will begin to focus on the annual Chili Dinner in December.

Other projects by the group include Kiwanis One Day, an international service day in October that is used to unify different clubs to tackle community projects.

Individuals wanting to purchase a ticket for Pancake Day have multiple avenues to choose from, Barker said. Along with buying tickets the day of, residents can pick up a ticket from any club member or contact the Elizabethton Kiwanis Club Facebook page for more information.

Visit elizabethtonkiwanisclub.org for updates from the club.