Volunteers served pancakes and sausage to crowds nearing 1,000 people at South Middle School.
Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, his wife, Tricia, and their son, Thomas, join the nearly 1,000 people partaking of the annual Chamber of Commerce pancake breakfast on the lawn of South Middle School in Westfield Thursday.WESTFIELD - A change of venue for the annual Chamber of Commerce pancake breakfast Thursday had little impact on attendance.
Neither did a week-long heat wave, thanks to overcast skies that kept temperatures tolerable for the outdoor event.
“I am very pleased,” said chamber Director Lynn F. Boscher as volunteers served pancakes and sausage to crowds nearing 1,000 people mid-morning Thursday.
The breakfast, regularly held at Park Square Green, was relocated to the front lawn of South Middle School on West Silver Street to avoid an on-going $14.4 million road and green reconstruction project in the immediate downtown area.
“Good, it doesn’t appear to have hurt,” said Boscher about the move.
“We missed the real heavy heat also,” he said looking to the overcast sky.
Owen Sheaffer, 3, of Westfield, digs into his pancakes.Breakfast-goers seemed to like the temporary location, noting parking was easier and there was less activity and noise than experienced on the green.
“Very good,” said Gerald Nadeau, of Westfield, when asked about breakfast. “I couldn’t have done better myself,” he said.
Nadeau and daughter Susan M. Osowski said they attend the event every year.
“This was easier to get to and to park,” said Osowski.
They were joined by a granddaughter and niece.
Also finding the breakfast “relaxing” was Jennifer T. Dolan of Westfield and her three sons Ethan, 10, Liam, 7 and Mason, 4.
“The overcast makes it very nice and this place has better parking,” said Dolan.
Liam and Mason didn’t care for the sausage but enjoyed the pancakes. Ethan, liked both.
“Real good,” said Ethan.
Ronald R. Rix, principal of South Middle School, offered the lawn area “and we thank the school,” Boscher said. “The state (Department of Transportation) and the contractor helped us by keeping the dust to a minimum,” he said of the nearby road construction.