Graafschap's delicious Fourth of July tradition still going strong

Sentinel Staff
·1 min read
Members of the Graafschap Fire Department serve up breakfast to hundreds of people on Monday, July 4, at the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4534 60th St., Holland.
Members of the Graafschap Fire Department serve up breakfast to hundreds of people on Monday, July 4, at the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4534 60th St., Holland.

LAKETOWN TWP. — Bright and early on a holiday morning, members of the Graafschap Fire Department served pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee to a hungry crowd of hundreds in a popular annual tradition that goes back more than 50 years.

The fire department's Fourth of July pancake breakfast is both a fundraiser and a community celebration, time to get to know the fire department staff in a non-emergency setting and learn what the department does every day.

Members of the Graafschap Fire Department serve up breakfast to hundreds of people on Monday, July 4, at the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4534 60th St.
Members of the Graafschap Fire Department serve up breakfast to hundreds of people on Monday, July 4, at the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4534 60th St.

The event raises several thousand dollars every year, which the department has spent on furniture, kitchen appliances at the station, staff apparel and equipment for the firefighters in the past. Funds also have been donated to area charities including Hungry for Christ, Shields of Hope, Girls on the Run and The American Cancer Society.

The pancake breakfast was started in 1968 by the Graafschap Civic Club, at the time as a fundraiser to build a ball field. The Graafschap Fire Department took over putting on the pancake breakfast in 1991.

Members and family members of the Graafschap Fire Department serve up breakfast to hundreds of people on Monday, July 4, at the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4534 60th St., Holland.
Members and family members of the Graafschap Fire Department serve up breakfast to hundreds of people on Monday, July 4, at the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4534 60th St., Holland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Graafschap's delicious Fourth of July tradition still going strong