ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The annual Pancake Day festivities are mere weeks away, and Liberal’s sister city, Olney, England, is currently making its own preparations for the day.
As Olney Pancake Day Committee member Ruth Martin tells it, planning across the pond has been going on for multiple months already.
“We start planning for Pancake Day around September, and that's when we all get together as a committee and review all the feedback and everything that happened and then talk about what went well and how to make the next Pancake Day even better. We use that as a kickoff point and then just start putting all the plans together,” Martin said. “We've got some new sponsors on board for this year, which is really exciting for us. Bonne Maman® joins us as sponsor of the children’s races and will be providing a range of their jams and spreads to accompany everyone's pancakes on the race day. Blackstone® will also join us a sponsor of the griddles in the marquee kitchen for our community Pancake Breakfast. Those two companies join our other main sponsors, Francis Jackson Homes, Kingsley Healthcare, and Whitworth Bros. Ltd., and we are very grateful to all of them for their support and making this famous event possible.”
Martin added a full slate of racers has already signed up for this year’s International Race.
“We launched our application online and on our social media pages around the middle of December, because we know everything fills up quickly, and people were able to sign up by either downloading our form or popping in in person at the Olney Pancake Parlour and picking up a form there, so we're well on the way,” Martin said. “So far, I believe we've got 23 racers total, and some of those are running in the three-legged portion of the race. Last year, we had so much interest, we ended up doing two race categories – we've got spots for 25 individual runners and 20 spaces for people to run either three-legged or four-legged. We close the roads for the race, and they can only be closed for so long, so we have the individual runners go first and then the three-legged and four-legged runners are behind them. We've still got a bit of time to go, so we'll have to wait and see what those final numbers are.”
With just a few weeks to go, Martin said excitement for the big day is building in the small community.
“In talking to people at a recent Farmers Market, there's definitely quite a bit of excitement about Pancake Day. We've got some new residents who have never heard of Pancake Day, so it's been fun sharing that information with them and telling the story of how everything got started,” Martin said. “There's definitely a lot of excitement and pride in terms of getting involved with the race and other activities we'll have that day, and that's just great. The next few weeks will be all about crossing those last few things off of the checklist and making sure everything is organized. Given our location, we have to make sure all of the logistics are correct and everything is in place for the race and other activities to go smoothly for everyone involved. Everyone's got their own tasks to do, and everyone is working hard to get everything done.”
And that excitement will continue building until Pancake Day, Martin said.
“We do work with local media quite a bit in terms of sending out press releases and that information, and we also share a lot of information on our social media pages,” Martin said. “We even teamed up with the local farmers' market recently to sell tickets to the breakfast and spread the word about everything for Pancake Day for this year. A lot of our local shops also have posters in their windows and other advertising about the breakfast and everything else that will be going on. Our local schools also have a poster competition every year to see whose will be the official poster for that year's Pancake Day, and in fact, our poster for 2026 is already being designed. Those will all be up in the local library for everyone to have a look at, and people can vote for their favorite, and the one with the most votes is the one that gets used – it's almost like our version of a People's Choice Award. There will also be some members of the team visiting some of our older students currently studying food technology, and those students will also be helping serve our big community breakfast that morning, and it's great experience for them. Ahead of the race, there are many other activities that will be taking place in the Market Place, starting with the breakfast prepared by Ben Francis, head chef of Cherry Tree Pub & Restaurant, and that will be followed by a cookery demonstration. We’re also delighted to welcome Fred, Homepride’s bowler-hat-wearing Chief Flour Grader – he's a character from when I was a little girl, and I feel like it'll make me feel like a kid again seeing him because he's so well known.”
Martin added she feels proud for the Pancake Day rivalry with Liberal to have reached 76 years.
“I think it's brilliant we've reached 76 years of this race. Last year was the 75th anniversary and it was lovely celebrating it with Rex Petty and his wife from there in Liberal, and it was an overall lovely celebration,” Martin said. “I think it's a brilliant link between us and the U.S., and I know there are definitely some raised eyebrows upon hearing about Pancake Day, and there are a lot of people who can't quite believe this has lasted this long. I'm looking forward to the video conference and hearing about everything going on across the pond, and I just think it's brilliant how this event has lasted so long. As for the future, we want to make sure and preserve this tradition while also bringing some modernity to it. Our goal every year is to make sure we keep this tradition alive while also doing a few things to make sure everyone has a great time and has a great day out. One of the things I try to do is spread the word about Pancake Day outside of Olney, and with enough time for them to make plans to visit and experience Pancake Day for themselves, because it is unique. Sometime before my husband and I moved to Olney, we'd taken a day off of work to visit and take part in everything since we'd never heard of Pancake Day before, and then we ended up moving here.”
Overall, Martin said, it should be another successful celebration.
“We typically concentrate our efforts on just Shrove Tuesday, and it's the day before when we're preparing the marquee and everything else in the marketplace. Our ticketed breakfast starts at 8 a.m., with the final serving at 9:30 a.m. Then, the children’s races will start at 10 a.m., and then the main race will be at 11:55 a.m.,” Martin said. “Later on is when everyone will make their way toward the church for the Shriving Service and video call with Liberal. We're also hoping the local radio station will do its morning show in the marketplace and help cover everything, but there are some logistical details that would need to be ironed out in order for that to happen. This will be the church's 700th anniversary, so the Shriving Service will be particularly special due to reaching such a milestone. Last year was a big anniversary since it was the 250th anniversary of the 'Amazing Grace' hymn, but we're so excited to be celebrating seven centuries this year with that church, it's just amazing and it's very special. I love the Shriving Service because it's great to see the church full of people from the community and all the VIPs who make their way to Olney for the festivities.”
