Published in The BANAR February 2025
Don Kelly, Event Coordinator
A much-anticipated annual BCA event, Santa’s Pancake Breakfast, was held on December 7 at our Community Hall, where hundreds of residents of all ages came to enjoy a tasty pancake breakfast, a visit with Santa and some holiday fun.
To comply with our fire regulations, attendance was limited to 100 people at any one time. The change from previous years resulted in a new format for the event: three separate sittings at 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00am, with all three sittings reaching capacity through pre-registrations.
The star of the event, the guy in the red suit, was a favourite among children at all three sittings. He also gave out some early gifts donated by the BCA, Blackburn Pharmacy and our local Metro. Although the postal strike didn’t allow letters to be sent to the North Pole from the breakfast, Santa posed for many photos and made note of all their wishes.
Our exceptional kitchen team, led by chef Paul Vanbruinessen and his support group of Auramarina and Aaron Sawyer, Jim Margeson and Javin Massey, served over 600 buttermilk pancakes and 500 sausages to 300 guests. Gallons of coffee, hot chocolate and Timbits, generously donated by Shelley Seward-White, owner of our local Tim Hortons, added to a delightful meal. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Councillor Laura Dudas, and Ottawa Police Officers Marc Leroux and Mike Gatti were part of the outstanding volunteer support team. Hall decorating team Angie Jodoin, Nina Ryan and Michelle Levac created an incredible Christmas setting. This year, a special addition was Leora Nauta Haines and her choir, who sang Christmas carols in English and French. The BCA thanks Leora and her choir for providing delightful music that radiated throughout the hall.
It is thanks to the efforts of volunteers that these events are so successful, and the BCA is grateful to the contribution of all our volunteers. If you can, sign up as a BCA volunteer, see our website for details.
The BCA and Santa look forward to seeing everyone next December!
