JORDAN - Whether it is Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, or just plain old Pancake Day, the Tuesday before Lent is a time to indulge a little in the finer things in life. At the First Baptist Church of Jordan, the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper has been a staple of that idea for more than 40 years.

While Lent is traditionally a season of abstaining from various indulgences and also a time of fasting, during which only the plainest foods are eaten, Shrove Tuesday is one more chance to stop and enjoy heavy creams and syrups and sweet, sugary rich foods.

“That is just what is eaten on Shrove Tuesday,” said Dorothy Lee, who co-chaired the supper along with Michelle Phelps. “We've been doing this for many years and it has just become something to do for fun and to get the public out.”

Residents of Jordan and the outlying communities have made this dinner a success.

“We get people from all over,” Lee said. “The community is very supportive of this. We get people from here, Weedsport, Elbridge, all over that come out for this dinner, it is a real nice time.”

Whether it is at the table or in the kitchen, the dinner is well supported.

“We have a lot of volunteers here to do the cooking,” Phelps said. “Everybody knows their job and everyone gives us so much support in the kitchen and helping put all this together, all the volunteers are such a big help and a big part of making this possible, they just give us so much support. It is really appreciated.”

Pancakes may be thought of as breakfast food, but for many of those that have made the dinner a tradition, they are just as good at night as in the morning.

“We really like pancakes,” Don Bard said. “It is different. A lot of people think they are only breakfast food and won't eat them any other time, as far as I'm concerned they are good anytime and these are some really good pancakes they make here.”

While the pancakes and sausages are a big draw, there is also another element at play in making this such a big event.

“It is something different,” Phelps said. “It is a different kind of dinner with pancakes and everything. But by this time of year I think a lot of people have cabin fever and just want to get out and see other people and talk and see their friends and have a good time.”

Sitting at the long tables in the church dining hall and sitting back full of pancakes and conversing with friends is something that Wanda Bard said she looks forward to every year.

“We come to lots of the church dinners,” Bard said. “The food is good, it is close to home and there are so many people here we know. It is the camaraderie that is really nice to sit and talk and catch up with friends that is the best part for me.”