JORDAN TOWNSHIP -- The opening of rifle deer season is Monday. Every year, a fire company in Lycoming County holds an all-you-can-eat fundraiser the weekend before opening day.
It was all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage at the Unityville Volunteer Fire Company near Hughesville. It's the fire company's 55th annual buckwheat pancake and sausage dinner, but some just call it the hunter's breakfast.
"If you go away hungry, it's your fault," said George Watts of Jordan Township.
"Stop in, fill up. We don't usually eat before we leave the house. It takes less than two hours for us to get here, maybe another 40 minutes to get to the cabin," said Maureen Long.
Bob and Maureen Long are from Hershey. They stop every year before making the trip to their cabin in Sullivan County for the start of rifle deer season.
"We enjoy it. We just talk to people we meet here. We've actually met people here that are from our area here that we didn't know," Bob Long said.
The fire company serves sausage, pancakes, potatoes, and baked beans around the clock all weekend.
Fire Chief Tim Mordan says the company hopes to raise about $25,000 from the dinner that is run entirely by volunteers.
"Without them, we probably couldn't serve the 4,200 to 4,800 people on average we get through here in this weekend," Chief Mordan said.
The chief says there is always someone flipping cakes the entire 62 hours, and when they get really busy, they can cook up to 1,200 cakes an hour.
"The boys, they have a contest with how many pancakes they can eat," said Pamela Fry of Jordan Township.
Families who live in the Hughesville area come out for the all-you-can-eat fundraiser, too.
"This is our family tradition to gather the family here every year."
"This weekend is our weekend and we're real proud of it."
The buckwheat pancake and sausage dinner ends Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Unityville Volunteer Fire Company.
