By Mary O’KEEFE

Pancakes, sausage, orange juice and great music is planned for Rosemont Middle School Music Department’s Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday.

This is the third year the school’s music department will be sponsoring the fundraiser. The pancake tradition was handed down to them after Rosemont history teacher Lynn McGinnis retired. For about nine years McGinnis held the breakfast as a fundraiser for his department’s history trip to the east coast. Not wanting the great pancake fundraiser to end, he passed it along to the music department.

“For years, our kids used to sell lollipops,” said Rosemont music director Rod Yonkers. “My whole music room was [paid for] with lollipops.”

But with the state ruling limiting sales of sugar on school campus, the lollipops had to be put aside. The pancake breakfast is now the department’s biggest fundraiser.

Due to the restrictive education budget most of the music department relies on community support and fundraisers to continue the program. The funds raised will go toward buying new instruments and repairing old ones, as well as purchasing everything from sheet music to music stands.

Throughout Saturday morning Rosemont music students will entertain their guests.

The band will get a chance to see what it is like to be in the Crescenta Valley High School band on Nov. 11 when it has an opportunity to play side by side with the high school band at a football game. Rosemont band members also play at several events around the community including the Fremont Elementary School pancake breakfast and the Prom Plus Holiday Home Tour.

Tickets for the pancake breakfast are $5 and are being sold by Rosemont students and at the door. The event is in the Rosemont Middle School cafeteria, 4725 Rosemont Ave., La Crescenta from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

  Mary Okeefe