BREMERTON — Another year, another annual pancake breakfast to be prepared by the Central Bremerton Lions.

Almost nothing has changed for nearly six decades. And that trend will continue Saturday May 19 when the Central Bremerton Lions Club serves another one of its well-known pancake breakfast events just before the Armed Forces Day Parade in Bremerton.

Over 1,200 eggs and sausages, about 600 people and too many pancakes to count. That’s what will go down from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. right smack-dab in the middle of 4th St., between the Avenues of Pacific and Washington. And as for the quality, Central Lions President James Lamb said you won’t be disappointed.

“I like to tell people we’ve perfected the recipe now that we’ve done it for 56 years,” he said. “The pancakes are so light and fluffy that we have to work to keep them from floating off the grill.”

Lamb, who joined the Lions Club in 1976 after his Commanding Officer in the Navy sent him off to be more involved with the community, said he’s probably served at roughly 40 of the pancake breakfast events. This year, he’ll be the assistant to the chairman, meaning he’ll be doing just about everything from handing out coffee and scrambling eggs to flipping pancakes.

It can be hectic with 600 people shuffling through. And just like the parade which proceeds the annual breakfast, it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or sunny, Lamb said. He expects 600 people will be ready for the breakfast to start their day just ahead of the parade. Interestingly enough, the pancake breakfast has been around longer than the Armed Forces Day Parade.

Originally called the “Stampede Breakfast,” Central Lions were asked by the Armed Forces Day Parade Committee decades ago to move the event to Armed Forces Day, Lamb said. The concept of serving the community is the same as it has always been, but a partnership was born when the Central Lions moved their event.

That partnership has spurred tradition.

Lamb said organization is always a unique challenge with this tradition because “it’s a big project.” That entails using seven grills, a motorhome and preparing the night before. Then, the early-morning setup comes into play.

“We [have] to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning to start the coffee pots,” Lamb said. “It takes 100 minutes to brew 100 cups of coffee.”

For $5, not only will you be able to grab some grub before the parade, but you might meet local politicians, Lamb said.

“It’s an election year, so we’re going to have Derek Kilmer and a number of state officers coming in to pour coffee, greet customers and maybe even flip some flap jacks,” he added.

Others that will likely be serving the community include the student ambassadors as well as Miss Kitsap and her court.

Other than the annual pancake breakfast, the Central Lions Club is preparing to serve the community in with a few other events this year like the Beep Baseball Game on June 2.

“The purpose of this event is to demonstrate to the public that non-sighted people can do amazing things, and to divert people from the idea that they are largely disabled,” according to the Central Lions website. “The Seattle South King Sluggers — a team made up of blind and near-blind athletes will take on a team made up of First Responders from the Kitsap County.

— Jacob Moore is a reporter for Kitsap Daily News. Contact him at Jmoore@Soundpublishing.com or follow him on Twitter@JMooreKDN.