The annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Pancake Breakfasts began this morning at the Cheyenne Depot Plaza at 16th and Capitol Avenue. The breakfast is free to all and will be served between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 23; Wednesday, July 25; and Friday, July 27. This popular breakfast event is sponsored by Grease Monkey and Hormel, coordinated by the Cheyenne Frontier Days Indian Committee, and prepared and served by the Cheyenne Kiwanis Club. The line will accept visitors until 9:00 a.m. Everyone in line by 9:00 a.m. is guaranteed to be served!

The Depot Plaza in downtown Cheyenne provides a perfect venue for this event which includes a free breakfast, music, entertainment, and celebrities. Serving lines begin on 15th Street at Pioneer Avenue and proceed east for two blocks to 15th Street and Capitol Avenue directly in front of the Depot. Lincolnway (16th Street) will be closed between Central Avenue and Carey Avenue each morning of the event until approximately 10:00 a.m. to insure pedestrian safety.

The parking structure at 16th and Carey provides 700 spaces and will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Our local Boy Scouts will be offering additional parking in the large West Depot lot on 15th Street for a small fee as in years past.

Since it began in 1952, the Pancake Breakfast has become a major part of the Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration. In 1968, the Cheyenne Kiwanis Club assumed responsibility for cooking and serving the breakfast, and since then, the crowds have been tremendous. Typical attendance each year is between 35,000 and 38,000 over three days, with a record number served in 1996 at 39,111.

As you might imagine, it takes literally tons of ingredients to serve that many hungry people: 5,000 pounds of pancake mix, 400 gallons of syrup, 720 pounds of butter, 3,600 pounds of ham, 9,200 cartons of milk plus thousands of cups of coffee. In addition the event requires 40,000 paper plates and plastic forks, 42,000 napkins and 25,000 paper cups.

Planning and organizing begins months before the event, but the physical work begins early Sunday morning when the Police Department escorts the Kiwanis' caravan of trucks, trailers, vans and vehicles to the breakfast site. Equipment including grills, propane, tables, cooking pots and pans, batter droppers, trays, coffee pots, and pancake turners are brought in to prepare and serve the breakfast for 10,000 to 15,000 people in a 2-hour period.

CFD Indian Committee volunteers prepare the stage, set up seating, and coordinate the entertainment during the event. This year the Chugwater Philharmonic String Quartet + 1 will again entertain and amuse breakfast goers with their combination of hilarious country humor and wonderful bluegrass music affectionately referred to as "Comedygrass". VIPs will attend the breakfasts including Cheyenne Frontier Day's Miss Frontier and Lady in Waiting, visiting Rodeo Queens from across the United States, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and other dignitaries. Each morning the Little Sun Drum and Dance Group from the Wind River Reservation will perform for the crowd.

The Pancake Breakfast serves a dual purpose as a disaster preparedness exercise. The Cheyenne Kiwanis Club has been designated as a mass feeding unit for civil defense, and they have organized meal production and serving for large numbers of people. The annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Pancake Breakfast is a valuable exercise for Kiwanis in maintaining their equipment and team skills for disaster response.

Lynne Boomgaarden, CFD Indian Committee Chairman had the following to say about this year's breakfast, "No one should miss the pancake breakfasts at the Depot Plaza. They are guaranteed to satisfy your appetite and start your day with a smile."
We hope to see you all this year at the Depot Plaza, Monday-Wednesday-Friday at 7:00 a.m. during the Frontier Days week. Come one, come all!"