The Kalona Volunteer Fire Department will hold its annual pancake day breakfast on April 10 from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. After having to cancel the event last year due to the onset of the pandemic, the department is looking forward to the return of the fundraiser, even if things might look a little different than in years past.

This year the event will be carry-out only.

“We’re still going to be serving it fresh off the grill, it’s just going to be in a carry-out situation,” chief Jerry Zahradnek said. “As much as I would love to go back to the old way, it looks like we can do that next year. We thought that this was the way to handle what we have going on right now.”

“This is our main fundraiser and the only fundraiser we do every year.  The community support is phenomenal. When it comes to serving between 2,500 and 2,600 people in seven hours, the community comes out to support us,” Zahradnek said. “With it being carry out this year we’ve gone to a free will donation as opposed to a per-plate charge because it’s just going to be different for everybody.”

A standard plate at the breakfast will be three pancakes, three sausages and two eggs, but since the department wont be able to serve seconds, Zahradnek said diners shouldn’t hesitate to ask for extras.

“I want to make sure that everybody gets enough to eat,” Zahradnek said. “We’ve always been big on serving seconds and making sure nobody goes away hungry and I want to make sure that continues.”

Proceeds from pancake day will go to replace turnout gear, the coat and pants the firefighters wear, which have to be replaced about every seven to 10 years.

Pancake day will also be an opportunity for the department to showcase its newest truck, a 2020 Ford grass fire truck that was purchased right before the pandemic hit last spring. The truck is unique because it can spray water while moving and has a remote-control nozzle on the front bumper “so we can actually drive through cornfields and put out fires while still being in the truck,” Zahradnek said.

The new truck will replace the department’s 1970 Chevrolet C60, 1,000-gallon tanker, which the department is currently auctioning off to a member of the community.

“The truck runs very well. The tank did have a leak but we had it patched and as of right now it doesn’t leak,” Zahradnek said. “It’s time to retire it and as a fire department we don’t have a place to maintain an antique, 50-year-old firetruck so we’re going to allow somebody in the community to own it.”

More information about the truck is available on the department’s Facebook page. Bids and questions can be sent to KalonaTanker9@gmail.com.