Joan McKillop and I prepared an exhibition of Pancake Day Memorabilia timed to coincide with the annual reopening of the Museum and the famous Olney Pancake Race. As well as tracing the history of the race, it highlighted the American connection with Olney.
The origins of the race go back to medieval times, starting in the year 1445. In preparation for the fasting season of Lent, it was common practice to clear the larder of delicacies such as eggs and butter the day before it started, Shrove Tuesday. The eggs and butter, along with milk, flour and salt, were made into batter and cooked in a shallow pan. By tradition, the race in Olney started when a young woman who had just finished making her pancakes heard the church bell tolling for the start of the shriving service. She stopped everything, took up her frying pan with a pancake in it, and ran to the church. The custom died out but was revived in 1924, becoming a well-known event by 1939. It was suspended during the war years but restarted in 1948.
In 1949 Mr R.J. Leete, the President of the Jaycees in Liberal, Kansas, read an article in a magazine about the Olney Pancake Race. He cabled Canon Collins, the Rector of Olney Parish Church, challenging the housewives of Olney to race against the housewives of Liberal. The resulting international race, held on both sides of the Atlantic on Shrove Tuesday and decided by comparing the winning times in each town, has been held every Shrove Tuesday since 1950.
The exhibition included memorabilia such as a collection of souvenir belt buckles marking the 40th anniversary of International Pancake Day in Liberal, and a collection of commemorative badges. A variety of photographs dating from the 1920s, 1940s and 1950s encouraged older visitors to try to identify faces from the past. There were also articles from the American magazines Runner's World (March 1993) and Country (March 1997), with the headlines "Flipped Out" and "Flip, Flip...Hooray!" The latter described ""this tasteful race" as a real "Breakfast of Champions".
The exhibition was very well received and was enjoyed by many residents of Olney and visitors to the town
Copies of a recently published book The Story of the Olney Pancake Race, a pictorial archive portraying the history of the race, by Graham Lenton, are available from the Museum, price £8.95, or mail order to UK addresses for £10.40. Overseas orders on application.