Prepare your belly and taste buds, it’s time for the annual Bessie Pancake Supper! The well-known Bessie Fire Department (BFD) fundraiser of all-you-can eat pancakes and whole hog sausage is set for Monday, March 7 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Bessie Gymnasium. Tickets are $13 for adults and $7 for kids.
There will also be a drive through lane located on the west side of the Bessie gym where to-go boxes can be purchased for $13. However, the drive through is not all -you-can eat.
Look for the signs, to-go traffic will flow from north to south. The famous pancake supper has been serving Bessie and surrounding areas since 1958 and continues to draw people from all over western Oklahoma.
The original fundraiser was for the March of Dimes, a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies, and it was held in the basement of the ‘old school’ in Bessie.
“When the Bessie school consolidated with Cordell in 1970, that is when the Lion’s Club took over the fundraiser until around 1979/1890,” said Bessie native Matthew Goeringer.
When the Lion’s Club disbanded, it was turned over to the BFD. This fundraiser is to help the BFD purchase the necessary equipment, bunker gear and machinery to efficiently serve and protect their community as well as themselves.
The fire department has been running the Pancake Supper since about 1980. Preparations for this longstanding community-based event start months ahead of time.
“I do a little bit of everything to help with preparations. My grandfather was actually on the school board when this originally started and then my dad, Leo Goeringer, was on the original fireman’s group that started the pancake supper. I have been helping basically for as long as I could help hold a bowl of sausage. I’ve been working at the pancake supper since around 1987,” stated Goeringer.
Without fail, this event is always held on the first Monday of March. Geoeringer went on to say that they follow a schedule of what is to be done every day the week before the event. It is a lot of work, but the support from the community and the outpouring of enthusiasm for the Bessie Pancake Supper makes it all worthwhile. “Market 54 out of Weatherford have greatly saved us a lot of time and helped us out so much,” mentioned Goeringer. With the assistance from Market 54 and the volunteers, the fundraiser aims to have around 10,000 pounds of sausage for Monday’s supper.