4-H Breakfast: View From a Table
The 4-H Chuckwagon Breakfast has been a part of our community life for a long time. The various 4-H clubs around the area purchase tickets based on how many they think their club members can sell. These funds then provide the money needed to operate an active club for a year.
The 4-H members compete for prizes for the most tickets sold. The ticket purchasers get a hearty pancake breakfast, complete with coffee, milk, orange juice, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and even a prune or two. The greatest benefit of attending is the people watching. You’ll have plenty of enjoyment observing the kids and parents interacting with the community enjoying their breakfast.
The parents man the spatulas, to flip pancakes on several rows of griddles. Their young 4-H member watches them take their scheduled turn on the cooking line. Whether they consciously recognize it or not, they know their parent is helping them in a joint effort to support 4-H. The parents also help with the various projects the members carry. Therefore, 4-H is a family operation. For a member to be successful, it often requires parental involvement in many ways, and on multiple levels.
Next to the hot griddles, older members in 4-H uniform, serve the scrambled eggs, sausage, and with the help of a younger member who hands out the prunes. Breakfast is served from 6:00 to 10:00 AM. The members and parents sign up for various time slots so nobody has to work too long.
With loaded breakfast plates the crowd moves to the tables and benches, many marked with signs displaying the name of the various clubs. Since we live in Springville, we sat at their table.
Moving between the tables, the older members (junior high age range) offered to fill a cup with coffee or orange juice. When a family with youngsters sits down, a young member, often one with a brand new 4-H hat on their head, (first year member) arrives with a serving tray containing both white and chocolate milk for the youngsters.
Behind the scenes, the high school age members mix large kettles of pancake batter and water. Others pull carts, loaded with the refilled kettles, to the cooking and serving line, ready to re-supply the spatula-wielding folks at the griddle. Others in this age group made huge pots of coffee and hot chocolate, in order to keep the pitchers full for the coffee and chocolate servers.
Sharon and I both went through the ranks of 4-H, from elementary to high school age. I showed steers, hogs, and sheep. I also carried entomology one year. Sharon was a seamstress, making many different outfits for herself. She won many ribbons with her sewing project. She even made us matching outfits for Blossom Day after we started dating. We know our 4-H experiences had a positive effect on our growing-up years.
As we ate our pancakes last Saturday, one young man attracted my attention. He proudly wore a new 4-H hat, which was probably given to him early that morning by his adult leader. He carried a serving tray with four white milks, and 4 chocolates. Any more would have been too heavy for his young arms.
When we first sat down at the Springville table, he came by several times to make sure we hadn’t changed our minds and now wanted some milk. By the time we were on our second cup of coffee, he’d slowed down. He was both walking slower, and carrying the tray lower. I spied a woman, I assume it was his mother, who followed along several feet behind. The young server would pause to talk on his trips up and down between his assigned tables. He was getting a little weary. Mom would lovingly urge him along, and off he’d go again. She didn’t make him feel as if she were following him, but was always close at hand to help him remember his duty. She was proud of her 4-Her. He was proud to be a member with an important job.
Before we finished our breakfast, two people came to the Springville tables who were in Springville 4-H when I was an active member. We reminisced about our time helping with the breakfast.
It used to be held on the parking lot in front of Smith’s Market at Olive and D Streets, then moved directly across D Street in front of what is now Quality Cleaners. Finally it was held at the old fairgrounds at Olive and Plano for many years, before it was moved to the new fairgrounds. When the breakfast ended in the parking lots at Smith’s, the fire department arrived. They fired up their pumps and hosed the area clean so Saturday business could resume.
As is so often the case when we attend community events, a wonderful conversation resulted when two strangers sat down across from us. Several cups of coffee later we parted ways. Even if there were no other value to attending the 4-H Chuckwagon Breakfast, which there most certainly is, making new friends is most assuredly worthwhile.