La Corey – The Willow Prairie Ag society hosted Santa Claus for their December pancake breakfast, complete with sleigh rides, a decorated stage for photographs, and a donation drop-off for the food bank at the Bonnyville Community Church.
The ag society hosts a community breakfast every third Sunday of the month, and Jackie Maruniak, vice president of the ag society, says they have been hosting the community breakfasts for a couple of years.
“The board came up with the idea at a meeting. We never intended it to be a fundraiser. We did it to bring the community together,” said Maruniak.
Tammy Brundige has been organizing the community breakfasts for over a year and emphasizes how family-friendly they make the events.
“It’s about the community environment and making sure we involve the kids. We have cupboards under the stage that kids can pull out and find a bunch of toys. As long as they don’t go in the kitchen, we are more than happy to have them running around and being kids,” said Brundige.
The December pancake breakfast included a buffet style spread of eggs, hashbrowns, sausages, fruit, pancakes, and all the fixings. There was a coffee and juice station with hot chocolate and marshmallows added for Christmas.
“It’s all about the people,” said Brundige, who feels the event is a welcoming and affordable way for the community to come together and socialize over a nice hot meal.