The Pancake Breakfast at the Fire Hall

On the first Saturday of every month, our volunteer fire department serves an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for five dollars. It's the most popular event in town, and I've been going since I was a kid.

The firefighters work the griddles in their station T-shirts. Their spouses run the coffee. The kids of the firefighters bus tables, very seriously, in tiny helmets. The fire chief walks around with a pitcher of orange juice, refilling everyone's glass and asking about their families.

Afterward, kids can climb on the fire truck and try on the gear. My son, who is four, sat in the driver's seat for twenty minutes and refused to get out until a firefighter gave him a plastic badge.

All the money goes to buying new equipment. I'm pretty sure everyone comes for the pancakes, though. And the hugs. The chief gives very good hugs.