Many people are familiar with Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday celebrations on the day before Lent begins. But in Liberal, Kansas, the day before Lent means just one thing — it's Pancake Day!
We were proud to sponsor the 2022 International Pancake Day, a time-honored tradition that has spanned the Atlantic Ocean to the town of Olney, England. Since 1950, residents of Liberal and Olney gather in a friendly race, as they carry a frying pan 415 yards down the streets of town flipping pancakes. It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.
In Olney, England, the Pancake Race tradition dates back nearly 600 years to 1445. A woman was engrossed in making pancakes to use up her cooking fats before Lent. When she heard the church bells ring, she grabbed her head scarf and ran 415 yards to the church, frying pan and pancake in hand. In later years, neighbors joined the tradition, and it became a race to see who could reach the church first. Today, the race has expanded into an all-day festival to celebrate pancakes.
Support Specialist Elyse posed for a picture with Festival Chairman Gary Classen before helping make the international phone call to compare race times with Olney, England. Liberal’s Whitney Hay won the Pancake Rase with a time of 1:07.54 and Onleny came in close behind at 1:10.83.
We partner with our communities and customers, providing the kind of energy that fuels those areas and the lives of those we serve. Feel free to share the stories and photos. Make sure to tag us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Positive Energy
-
Black Hills Energy employees and families in Castle Rock, Colorado, are back in the parade business. Several of our gas technicians marched in the Douglas County Parade, which kicks off the annual Douglas County Fair. The community event is a tradition dating back to the 1950s. To mark National… -
Employees from the Council Bluffs facility volunteered their personal energy at the United Way of the Midlands’ Shine Bright event in August. Every child deserves to feel confident and ready to learn at school, however, for many this is not the case. Thousands of local students across the Omaha-… -
Congratulations, Joey, PE, director of operations in Arkansas, for being recognized by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal as a distinguished member of the 2022 class of Forty Under 40. According to the Business Journal, this year’s Forty Under 40 class includes men and women who have already… -
Our team in Arkansas finished off a recent work week with a “Feed the Funnel” party at the Pack Shack, a non-profit organization in Cave Springs, Arkansas, that packs meals for families in need. About 30 employees answered the Black Hills Energy Ambassadors’ call for volunteers, packaging 7,500…