Lynn Swanson doesn’t flip the pancakes at the Eden Prairie Lions Club’s annual breakfast. He takes the money – and maybe a moment to say hello.
These days, you’ll find Swanson at the front table, handling payments with practiced ease. Cash, check, credit card – he’s seen it all, even if he’s not quite sure how to work the card reader. “Luckily, there’s usually someone who does,” he said with a grin.
Swanson, a Lions Club member for about 20 years, chaired the breakfast years ago. Now, he greets early risers and regulars with warmth and familiarity.
“You see the regulars, the families that come year after year,” he said. “One of the most noticeable things is watching the kids grow up – suddenly they’re taller, more independent. Parents and grandparents are aging too, but it’s the kids you notice first.”
This year’s Pancake Breakfast – an all-you-can-eat fundraiser – will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 27, at True Friends Camp Eden Wood, 6350 Indian Chief Road. Tickets are $10 for individuals and $25 for families. Children under 5 eat free.
The event, a fixture in Eden Prairie since the 1980s, raises money for a wide range of community programs. From July 1, 2019, through Feb. 1, 2024, the Eden Prairie Lions Club donated more than $207,000 to causes such as:
• $107,400 for social and community services, including a $50,000 gift to True Friends Camp Eden Wood and $12,300 to the PROP Food Shelf
• $30,750 for public safety, including CPR training mannequins, airway suction devices, and a police drone SUV
• $36,750 in scholarships for local students
All proceeds from the event – every pancake flipped and sausage served – go back to the community. The club covers its operating costs internally.
Barbara Hanson, now in her third year as event chair, has overseen the breakfast’s growth in recent years. Last year, 680 people attended – the second-highest count in recent history, she said.
“It’s just a fun time, and it’s all-you-can-eat for a good cause. It all goes back to the community,” Hanson said.
This year’s menu includes pancakes and syrup donated by the Original Pancake House, sausage, and toppings like whipped cream and chocolate chips. “People love the sausage,” she said.
Rain is in the forecast, but Hanson isn’t worried. “We’ve survived thunderstorms and even snow in the past,” she said. “People still come.”
As for Swanson, he’ll be there early – maybe for a quick pancake before his shift. Then it’s back to the front table, where he’ll welcome the next wave of neighbors, families, and longtime supporters.
The Pancake Breakfast kicks off a busy season of fundraising for the Lions Club, which also hosts Schooner Days from May 30 to June 1, a beer and wine service during the city’s Fourth of July festivities, and both the Corn Feed and golf tournament in August.
“It’s a community thing, like Schooner Days,” Swanson said of the breakfast. “People like to come out, visit, and do something together.”
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