ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Lenten season will soon be starting, which means it is almost time for Liberal’s annual Pancake Day festivities.
The biggest part of Pancake Day is the races, and soon, sign-ups will be accepted for the 2025 races.
“Pancake Day 2025 is rapidly approaching, and that will be March 4, 2025, and with that in mind, racers will be required. Sign-ups for all the races will be open Jan. 2 through 16 and can be completed online at pancakeday.net,” Pancake Day General Chairman Mike Brack said. “This is the only way to register for the races, so we want everyone to be sure and take advantage of this easy and convenient option. The categories for 2025 include the Youth Races (ages 3 to 18), the Mascot Race, the Men's Pacer Race, the big International Race, and the new Mother/Daughter Race. We'd started talking almost immediately after Pancake Day 2024 about we could do for the 2025 festivities, and there were a lot of ideas that came up along with the research into whether or not those ideas were feasible as far as volunteers and all of those factors. We did bring back the Last Chance Race for the 2024 festivities since it was the 75th anniversary – it used to be a regular thing, but as time went on, it got to the point where there weren't really very many sign-ups there, so we discontinued it. The Mascot Race has done really, really well for the past few years we've had it, and everyone gets a kick out of that part. The Mother/Daughter race had been suggested before, but there were always a lot of details to consider as far as timing, the level of interest, etc., and we ultimately decided we could maybe alternate the Mother/Daughter Race and the Last Chance Race depending on what sign-ups are like as time goes on. With the International Race application, that will be filled out online, but we want those women to also go to the Pancake Day Hall of Fame to get everything confirmed and get their photo taken to go with everything when we actually put the news release together about who all is running. And anyone needing more information or assistance can visit pancakeday.net or contact me at (620) 482-0466.”
Brack said there were multiple factors that went into the decision to make the 2025 race sign-ups online only.
“Everyone today's either carrying a smartphone or a laptop or tablet, and everyone is also busy with work and life and everything else. Too often, we've had potential applicants want to participate but were unable to get to the Recreation Department and fill out the paperwork there in person,” Brack said. “We decided to have the sign-ups be online mostly out of convenience, so now, anyone wanting to sign up for any of this year's races can do so from the comfort of their home, at any time, while filling it all out online. We've had some issues in the past where forms weren't filled out correctly, and with the Youth Races, there were some times when we didn't know if a child was a boy or girl, and you can't just assume that based on a name. With the online form that's been developed, it can't actually fully go through until EVERY field is filled out, so we're hoping that will help everyone out. If you know for sure you want to participate, or have your child participate, DO NOT put off getting them signed up, because those races do fill up pretty quickly, and each race only has 15 spots, no exceptions. For runners, or even if you're a more casual observer, it's really special to be part of that tradition and history. And especially here in Liberal, I'm sure running in the Pancake Day International Race is on the bucket list for a lot of women. It's all really fun, and I would love to see the International Race spots filled up for this year.”
Brack said he hopes to see a lot of participation in the 2025 races at all levels.
“Pancake Day is such a unique part of Liberal, maybe even the U.S., and we're the only international event of this type in the whole of Kansas. Wherever you go, if you say you're from Liberal, people will mention Pancake Day or Dorothy/The Wizard of Oz or the National Beef plant. Pancake Day is something for this community to be proud of,” Brack said, “It's gotten us some worldwide recognition, even if it seems a little wacky to outsiders. We're determined to keep it going and keep things fresh enough to keep drawing people in year after year, and I'm sure our Olney counterparts would say the same about their leg of the race. There's not going to be too much change as far as the general itinerary, everything will be about the same in that regard. We'll have the flipping and eating contests that Saturday before, and Rine's American Freestyle Karate and McDonald's are wonderful to work with when it comes to all of that. But we are trying to figure out the timings for everything since Seward County Community College is hosting Homecoming activities that weekend as well and we don't want to step on their toes. We'll also be hosting a High Tea that Sunday before, which we also did last year, and it ended up going really well. The Monday before will be the Dignitary Reception, and then everyone will be gearing up for all the Pancake Day races the next day. We'll also be revealing this year's Grand Marshals in the near future, so everyone should keep an eye out for that.”
Overall, Brack said, he is looking forward to the Pancake Day 2025 festivities.
“All the Youth Races typically fill up really quickly, especially the younger age groups, and I would foresee that remaining the trend for this year,” Brack said. “I'd love to see more participants in the high school categories, we don't typically get too many people in that – I don't know if it's because they think they're too cool or if they're just at THAT age, but I would definitely like to see more high school-age students come and participate in those races. It's all about community fun and community support and just being together at such a unique event. I'll definitely also be interested to see who all ends up signing up for the International Race, that's always one to look out for, and I'd love to see another Liberal victory. Again, if you know you're interested, get signed up and get signed up early, because I can guarantee everything will fill up more quickly than you think. Start practicing for everything and make sure you've got your head bandana and apron and are ready to go for Pancake Day 2025!”
