On March 4, 2021 we celebrate National Pancake Day! In Batesville, the word “pancakes” may bring to mind the well-established Kiwanis Club Pancake Day. The following excerpt is from an article by Dr. O.E. Jones in The Batesville Daily Guard on October 8, 1971:
“In July the Board of Directors of the Batesville Kiwanis club approved a move to change the name of the Kiwanis Pancake Day to Chubby Menard Day in honor of the man who brought more innovative ideas to Kiwanis in Batesville than probably any other man in the club’s 43-year history . . .
Chubby will be especially missed at the Pancake Day by his many friends. He was a super pancake ticket salesman, and he always had some scheme for one of his fellow Kiwanians whereby he could good naturedly swindle you out of your tickets and resell them—always for the benefit of Kiwanis Boy’s and Girl’s work.”
Kiwanis Club breakfast. Jim Edwards is on the left, cooking pancakes. Polaroid picture. Conner Collection. (Powell-Guard Collection # 1771)
Chubby Menard is in a happy mood as he reports to the shirt-sleeved Board of Batesville Chamber of Commerce that Ten-Cent Ball put the club in the black for the year (September 1941 meeting). (Estate, Bess Wolf collection)
: Menard Grocery # 1 with Chubby Menard in front. This building currently houses Big’s of Batesville restaurant.
