Jessica Campbell HEARLD ARGUS
Aero Club Readies for Annual Pancake Breakfast
August 5, 2015
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  • LA PORTE — About 250 pounds of pancake flour will be kneaded and baked into delicious pancakes this Sunday.

    At 7 a.m. hungry city residents will be lining up at the La Porte Airport to fill their plates with freshly cooked breakfast foods, prepared by the La Porte Aero club.

    According to Neil Straub, a long time member of the Aero Club and the pancake breakfast chairman, the line of people waiting for breakfast could last a bit. Be prepared to stand and wait he warned, but the food and cause make up for it.

    “Last year we served 1,153 breakfasts, which is quite a few,” he said chuckling. “We are expecting between 1,000 and 1,200 people. That is the usual number.”

    Plates will be loaded with plain or blueberry pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and hash-browns, all cooked to perfection by the club’s members. There will also be white and chocolate milk, orange juice and coffee for the guests Straub said.

    While waiting in line or after the meal is over, customers can read posters about general facts on the club and aviation, observe the planes and helicopters on display and even have a ride in one of the club’s planes.

    This breakfast is the only fundraiser the Aero Club hosts during the year, yet it has been going on for more than 20 years with huge success to the club.

    Straub said the breakfasts were being held every year before he was even part of the club. Straub joined in 1990, and helped a team of members build the clubhouse from scratch in 1991.

    The maintenance of the clubhouse, like repairing floors, is one of the items benefited by the fundraiser. The majority of the proceeds collected funds two to three scholarships for students enrolling in some sort of aviation schooling.

    The donation of his plane and hangar to the club after the death of John Young in 2009, contributed greatly to the club’s monetary fund as well Straub said.

    “Young was a big donator,” he said. “His donations help us sustain the scholarship fund and allows us to donate to other aviation organizations.”

    The club Straub describes is just a social club, where they meet and talk about planes and general aviation. As of now, there are 75 members. The breakfast is a good way to remind folks in the area that the club is open to anyone —not just those who are pilots or own a plane.

    Over the years, the price of the pre-sale ticket, now $7 for adults and $4 for children under age 12 has slightly increased, but the community interest has grown every year.

    “They just keep coming,” Straub said. “I don’t know why. The town likes it, and it keeps growin’ and growin.’”

    The breakfast will last from 7 a.m. to noon. Straub said they rarely have any left-overs.

    “We are about at our max,” he exclaimed.

    Tickets can still be purchased at the airport terminal. or call (219) 363-3785 for more information.

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