With a couple hundred pounds of butter, a thousand pounds of bacon, and at least 500 gallons of pancake batter – downtown Springfield had more than just a light breakfast Saturday.
Thousands gathered on Main Street throughout the morning. The tradition has been going in some form since at least 1986 and doubles as a way of celebrating the city’s founding back in 1636, as well as bringing together locals from across the region.
Feeding them all is a process that starts well in advance, with the pancake batter mixed and tons of bacon fried in the days leading up to Saturday.
Gallons of coffee were brewed before dawn and by 8 a.m. as people started to line up, the batter was hitting the griddles.
Tickets were exchanged for plates at several pancake stations, where crews like the local postal workers pumped out flapjacks all morning.
Among them was Springfield postmaster, Bryan Connaughton.
“Man, I'm just trying not to burn’em, you know?” He told WAMC while armed with a spatula. “It’s looking good, though!”
As the morning went on, lines of locals and visitors alike only grew.
In one case, hundreds of pancake-seekers stretched nearly the length of the MassMutual Center – the convention center and hockey rink overlooking the event.
Smack in the middle was Westfield resident Raymond Brown with daughter Meaghan. Saying it was his first time at the event, Brown described the breakfast as a giant party of sorts.
“You almost can't beat it - you've got entertainment over here, you got a lot of great people waiting in line, having a great time,” he said. “So, why not do it?”
There was plenty of music, too. Playing throughout the morning was the SciTech band from the Springfield High School of Science and Technology, playing covers such as Kool & The Gang’s “Get Down On It.”
For @WAMCNews - it's pancake time in Springfield! SciTech Band has been killing it all morning at the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast downtown. Story to come Monday pic.twitter.com/jc1OAUJFx4
— James Paleologopoulos (@WAMC_J_Paleo) May 18, 2024
In addition to the strong smell of pancakes, there was also a faint whiff of competition.
According to the organizer, the non-profit Spirit of Springfield, the event traces its roots back to when a breakfast on Main Street was held to celebrate the country’s bicentennial in 1976.
A decade later, the city celebrated its 350th anniversary in a similar fashion, but as the breakfast bashes continued, a “friendly competition” with the city of Battle Creek, Michigan emerged.
The cities battled for a “World’s Largest Breakfast” title as a result, with Battle Creek, the home of Kellogg’s, opting for cereal.
The competition seems to have calmed down over the years, but was still referenced by local leaders like state Representative Carlos González.
“Our pancakes are sprinkled with love, are sprinkled with good attitude, are sprinkled with diversity – are sprinkled with some salsa, soul and a little bit of rock and roll - Battle Creek’s got nothing on us,” he said while on stage at the center of the event.
As of Monday morning, Spirit of Springfield has not yet announced attendance numbers but officials did tell WAMC this year’s event was quote “one of the most attended breakfasts in many years.”
