Courtesy photo
Grand Lake resident Frank Appelhans knows the meaning of the word dedication. For nearly five full decades now, Appelhans has held the unique distinction of being the man who cooks pancakes for Grand Lake Rotary Club’s annual Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast.
“I was 28 when I started doing this,” said the now 73-year-old Appelhans. “It is special for me. It is just exciting, to see all the people coming in, everything is popping. It is an exciting time of year and an exciting day.”
This year will mark Appelhans’ 45th year serving up pancakes for the annual breakfast. He has participated in the event every year since its inception with the exception of one year when he was in Europe on an extended vacation. For Appelhans, a Denver native who moved to Grand Lake in the early 1970s, participation in the annual pancake breakfast has also become something of a family affair, as his son now mans a grill beside the elder Appelhans each year at the pancake breakfast.
“He might be able to take over for me when I can’t walk anymore,” Appelhans joked.
The Grand Lake Rotary Club’s annual Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast is set to begin at 7 a.m. at the Heckert Pavilion in Town Park Square. Rotary will be dishing out pancakes and sausages all morning until 11 a.m. All proceeds from the event benefit the community of Grand Lake.