Full Slate Of Pancake Day Festivities Begin Saturday

Liberal, Kansas—Pancake Day festivities will get under way Saturday morning with pancake flipping, eating, and cooking contests at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 323 N. Kansas Avenue.
Saturday Morning: Eating, Flipping, Cooking
The eating and flipping contest winners will receive cash prizes and there is no entry fee. Registration for the eating and flipping contests will be from 8-9:30 a.m. Saturday. The flipping and eating contests will begin at 10 a.m. The winner in the flipping contest is the person who can flip a flapjack the most times in a three-minute period. (Division I flips for a shorter time.) This contest is open to all ages, with contestants flipping in three separate age divisions (I: 7 years and under; II: 8-13 years; and III: 14 years and older).
The pancake eating contest, set to begin immediately after the flipping contest is over, requires entrants to compete to see who can completely consume a set number of pancakes in the shortest amount of time.
The eating contest features the same three age divisions as the flipping contest.
The flapjacks will be the same size for everyone, about five inches in diameter. Division I contestants will be required to eat one pancake, division II pancake lovers will consume three flapjacks each, and those aged 14 and older will be hurrying to down five pancakes each. There is no entry fee for either contest.
The annual Pancake Day cooking and recipe contest, set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, is open to anyone age 12 or older living within a 70-mile radius of Liberal.
Those interested in entering may pick up entry forms at the Liberal Convention and Tourism Bureau, One Yellow Brick Road. Contestants will be given a complete copy of the rules when they pick up an entry form. Entry forms and rules may also be downloaded at www.pancakeday.net < http://www.pancakeday.net > .
Completed entry forms must be returned to the Liberal Convention and Tourism Bureau by 5 p. m., Thursday. Entrants will prepare their dishes and bring them to the Knights of Columbus Hall Saturday morning. More than $400 will be awarded in prizes to the top three winners in the cooking contest.
The public is invited to attend and to sample the dishes after winners are announced.
Saturday Afternoon: Pancake Chase
Can’t get enough of the races? A Pancake Chase is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, sponsored by the Liberal Parks and Recreation Department. The Pancake Chase is a 5K and 1-mile walk/run prediction. Registration will begin at 1 p.m. at the Hall of Fame, 318 N. Lincoln Ave. The race will start at 2 p.m. followed by a 1mile walk/run prediction at 3 p.m.. The fee is a $5 donation for LPRD Youth Scholarships Programs. T-shirts will be on sale for $15. Advance registration is encouraged. For more information, call the recreation office at 626-0133.
Saturday Evening: FFH in Concert
Saturday will wrap up with a live concert by FFH, a contemporary Christian vocal group widely known for numerous hits such as "Fly Away" and "Watching Over Me," which hit the number one spot on Adult Contemporary radio and the Top 5 on Christian Hit Radio.
The concert is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday in the James Maskus Auditorium at Liberal High School in Liberal. Tickets are $10 or $8 each for groups of 12 or more and may be purchased at the Tourist Information Center in Liberal or at the door. Tickets may also be purchased for $8 online at www.fsbcliberal.com. All seating is general admission. For more information, call 620-624-6423.
Pancake Day merchandise
Pancake Day merchandise, including t-shirts, breakfast buttons, aprons, tote bags and more, will be for sale at the Knights of Columbus Hall Saturday morning, as well as tickets for the Christian Artist Showcase, featuring FFH, and the Talent Show.