It wouldn't hurt if you knew how to be a short order cook.
I was looking at a postage stamp of Iceland of Dr. Kristjan Eldjarn. He was the third President of Iceland, from 1968 to 1980. My thoughts drifted back to a warm August long weekend in 1975. We had been preparing for some time for the 100th anniversary of the founding of New Iceland. I had been the under study to the pancake breakfast chairperson Marge Alexander for the past two years. Now I was the Chairman along with other responsibilities. Anticipating a record crowd, we had set up two gas grills and an electric grill on the west side of what is now the Art Club. We had bought at an auction for $200 over 50 small tables. Kardy Geirholm brought us chairs from the Gimli Park. Paper table clothes gave the scene a homey feel. My wife Eve-Anne and daughters Carolyn and Holly were recruited to mix the batter by hand. We did not have the modern facilities that the new Horizons have today but we made do.
The electric grill was manned by my lake neighbour Dave McNabb. My best friend Johnny Kressock and I manned the 2 gas grills. Our plan was to open for business at 8 o'clock. Problems began almost immediately. We tried to make coffee and run the grill at the same time. Instant blackout. Fellow committee member Zeke Valgardson quickly came to our rescue. By 7:00 am we were making coffee, setting up the condiments when our first customers started to arrive. Luckily Marge and her daughter were early risers and they quickly pitched in.
The gas grills kept going out. A persistent west wind was getting under the griddles. A quick consultation with family members Hannes and Eddie Kristjanson, determined we needed a hoarding arrangement. Gimli Lumber quickly donated the plywood. This solved the problem. As a side comment, I laughed to myself at the Pancake Breakfast at the New Horizons that their gas grills had plywood hoardings around them.
A never-ending line of hungry fair goers kept us hopping. All patient and polite. All waiting for our delicious fluffy delights. A sudden commotion broke my concentration. Coming through the crowd were two R.C.M.P. Officers along with my father and the President of Iceland, Dr. Kristjan Eldjarn. He wanted to view the pancake breakfast firsthand. After quickly explaining what we were doing, I asked him if he would like to cook a pancake. He was a real gentleman. Quite serious and courtly of manner, he seemed over whelmed with the huge crowd. He politely declined. My father then said to him in Icelandic, “You know, my new found friend, this politician business might get nasty at some point and you will have to emigrate to Canada. Wouldn't hurt if you knew how to be a short order cook.” With that, to the cheering of hundreds of on lookers, he cooked a prize-winning pancake.
Dr. Eldjarn would go on stage at the Gimli Park the next day to a record crowd, and deliver an incredible speech on behalf of the people of Iceland. His message was as warm as the pancake he cooked. Tasteful and sincere.
For our part we continued with our breakfast. Shutting down at 11.30. Replacing the table cloths in preparation of the noon opening of our beer garden.
“This Blue's For You”
March 2013
