Funds playground Kiwanis Pancake Day is March 13

The local Kiwanis Club’s 83rd annual Pancake Day will from 6 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 13, at the Poplar Bluff Junior High School. Proceeds will benefit the all-inclusive playground at Kiwanis Bacon Park.

Pancake Project Chairman Matthew Sparks recalls pancake day has been a huge family event for most of his life.

“My dad, Dennis Sparks, made me work it 30 years before I was in Kiwanis Club,” said Sparks, adding the local club’s first pancake day was in 1938.

His own sons, Tanis and Rylee, also helped with pancake day until they were old enough to move away from home.

In past years, Sparks recalls, it was not unusual to look at tables with four or five generations sitting together, visiting other family friends.

Club President Steve Whitworth, who recently observed his 16th anniversary as a member, remembers during his youth “back in the day, pancake day was held in the old Dunn Hotel, right across from the steps at the railroad depot when it was the Missouri Pacific. This is a tradition dating back 83 years.”

Serving the children of the world is the goal of Kiwanis International, and the local club cares for the needs of area children.

“The last few years, pancake day been about funding our all-inclusive playground at Kiwanis Bacon Park,” Whitworth said. “We’re the only all-inclusive park designed for children with disabilities between Springfield, Missouri, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and we’re very proud of that. They can play on the same playground equipment as the other kids.”

The idea for the playground came about “a few years ago when Luke Berger, the son of Kiwanian Subrina Berger, asked why some of his friends couldn’t play on equipment at the park,” Whitworth said.

Luke questioned, “why is that, mommy, and she decided it would be great if the Kiwanis could do it.”

“We spent about $50,000 on the first phase,” Whitworth said. “The playground equipment we have in this section has a special poured play surface where it’s very rubbery and bouncy. If you fall off the equipment, you won’t break anything except maybe your pride. It’s just a wonderful, spongy surface.”

While it costs a lot of money, Whitworth explained the club received grants, which he described as “great grants, and we are working to earn additional grants.”

Berger won a contest and received a $25,000 grant from Kiwanis International which Whitworth said, “gave us a big boost. All the money we’ve been raising the last few years has been going to the second phase.”

Whitworth said, “We’ve given financial assistance to many individuals and other organizations. I’m impressed with the giving spirit of our club members and the fact that ours is a model club.”

“One of the things we did as a club,” Whitworth said, “we joined the Kiwanis effort to eliminate neonatal tetanus worldwide with UNICEF. We’re getting close to that goal for children who are born in excruciating pain and then die. With an injection, all that can be avoided. We’ve been very successful in eliminating neonatal tetanus worldwide in countries that have less.”

In addition to the ADA-accessible playground equipment project, Poplar Bluff Kiwanis, Inc., along with supporters, maintains Kiwanis Bacon Park, which is open to the public year-round. The majority of the annual spending goes toward Bacon Park, in ways the public may not notice right away. This includes replacing supports to pavilions, new roofs, new bridges, refill gravel in the parking area (and) repair of existing equipment, benches and signage.

In addition to traditional play equipment, the park has a disc golf course, walking trail, basketball court, football field, softball field, pavilions and grills. The community can reserve space to have birthday parties or events with no cost other than a refundable deposit for the bathroom key.

The local club also donates to the United Gospel Rescue Mission, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Poplar Bluff Boys and Girls Club, Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership scholarship, Boy Scouts, I’m a Citizen Too, Project Graduation, and Key Clubs in Doniphan and Poplar Bluff.

For the past several decades, the event has been in the Poplar Bluff Junior High cafeteria.

As they did last year, the members will take extra precautions to ensure everyone feels comfortable in a clean environment. They will follow social distancing and are offering carry-out meals. Cost is $5 per ticket and includes hotcakes, sausage and a drink.

Those who would like to provide additional support may purchase sponsorships in advance for next year. Sponsorships include two plans. The first is 10 tickets for $100 and a business logo on placemats. The second option is for 20 tickets for $200 and a double logo space on the mats.

To purchase individual or group tickets, contact Sparks at 573-785-3041 or Whitworth 573-686-8202 or 573-785-2023.