WEEDSPORT - As far as traditions go, Kathy Blumer and her family have one of the tastiest. For 40 years, members of the Blumer family have been filling their bellies at the Whitford Airport Fly-In Pancake Breakfast.

And Sunday was no different.

It is a tradition started by great-grandparents Vernon and Kate Blumer and Francis Sullivan and continues down to little baby Francis Mary. Every other Sunday during the summer, there are four generations of pancake-loving Blumers eating among the airplanes with the rest of the community.

"It's just fun to come and see the neighbors and the relatives," said Kathy Blumer, mother of six. "The kids and grandkids like the planes."

Kathy and her husband Jerry own and operate the dairy farm right next door to the Whitford Airport. Many in the family find the time to not only eat, but also help when different parts of the community host. Vernon and Kate Blumer help out with the Methodist Church, and Kathy#'s son, Jeffrey, volunteers with the Weedsport Winter Wanderers snowmobile club.

"A lot of these groups have been doing it for many many years," said John Whitford, who was a little boy when his father Joe started the breakfast.

If it's the Blumer family's tradition to eat the pancakes, it's the Whitford family's tradition to provide the pancakes, but they don't do it alone.

For a fee and the cost of supplies, the various church groups or clubs in Weedsport can host a breakfast and take part in the tradition. An average Sunday could bring in about 500 to 800 people and raise around $1,500. The breakfasts are held from Memorial Day through September when the warm sunny days allow people to simply fly in and fill up.

Joe Whitford created the first runway in his field in 1950 after learning how to fly his Piper J-3 plane. As the years passed, more and more local aviators asked to use his runways and hangers, slowly expanding the airport. In the early 1960s, Joe conceived the idea of the fly-in pancake breakfasts and the tradition was born.

"It brings people to the airport; it gives people an excuse to get out and socialize,#" said John Whitford, who manages to find the time to sit down and chat with all of the regulars and newcomers.

Last year, John bought the business from his mother, Letha, and now runs the airport and the breakfasts with his wife, Rose, and their 10-year-old daughter, Angelina. A proud father, John lets his daughter manage the sales and hopes that she'll someday continue the family tradition.

"It's part of my life, like something along the lines of a farmer," said Whitford, who plans to continue for as long as he can. "If people didn#'t enjoy it, we wouldn't be doing it."

The only real concern in running the pancake breakfast comes from local competition, but on the best days of summer not even that is a problem. Two weeks ago, the Whitford's pancake breakfast was scheduled the same day as the Cato Legion's pancake breakfast. But with the sun shining and the people hungry, both received larger than average crowds.

To some families, like the Blumers, the Whitford breakfast is as traditional as any other Sunday event.

"We can stand there cooking and tell when church lets out," said Whitford. "We get a rush."

Set-up begins the day before, and breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m. until noon. For all-you-can-eat pancakes, it's $5 for adults, $3 for children and children under 5 eat free. They might even be able to ask for the special SpongeBob pancakes, though the recipe seems to be a closely guarded secret.

The host of the day provides most of the supplies and must adhere to that all-important rule at the Whitford Fly-In Breakfast: tradition. Everyone must use real butter, Golden Griddle syrup, Hudson Farms eggs and New Hope Mills pancake batter.

"Every organization that comes in to use our facilities must also use the same supplies," Rose Whitford said. "So the customer can expect the same goodness every week."