Pancake Day

Pancake Day

Between February 3 and March 9; Shrove Tuesday

For the people of Olney, England, and Liberal, Kansas, Pancake Day is more than another name for Shrove Tuesday. The old custom of making pancakes on the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday has survived in the form of a Pancake Race. Ladies of both towns run a 450-yard course, flipping pancakes as they go. Participants must wear a skirt, an apron, and a headscarf, and must toss their pancakes in the air three times as they run. The winner of the Kansas race is announced by a transatlantic phone call to Olney immediately after it is over.
The Olney race dates back to 1445. According to the legend, a housewife who was making pancakes heard the bell summoning her to church and was in such a hurry that she ran along the road with the frying pan still in her hand. The Liberal, Kansas, race has been run since 1950. It only lasts about a minute, but it draws a good deal of media attention and is followed by pancake-eating contests, a parade, and children's races.

CONTACTS:
International Pancake Day Inc.
P.O. Box 665
Liberal, KS 67905
620-626-1320; fax: 620-624-9639
www.pancakeday.net
Town of Olney, The Olney Centre
High St.
Olney, Buckinghamshire MK46 4EF United Kingdom
44-12-3471-1679; fax: 44-12-3424-1107
www.olneytowncouncil.co.uk

SOURCES:
BkHolWrld-1986, Feb 25
DictDays-1988, p. 87
DictFolkMyth-1984, p. 842
EncyEaster-2002, p. 442
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 96
OxYear-1999, p. 607