What better way to start off Veishea weekend than with the smell of maple syrup and the sight of pancakes flying through the air?

The Annual Pancake Breakfast will be from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. south of the Campanile Saturday. Tickets are $4 for all-you-can-eat pancakes, as well as sausage, juice and coffee.

Chris Cakes, owned by Greg and Donna White of Rolfe, will cater the breakfast. Not only will they serve up unlimited hotcakes — they’ll find unusual ways of getting them to your plate.

“It’s like they are putting on a show,” said Molly O’Brien, pancake breakfast chairwoman. “They see how high they can flip them, how many you can catch on your plate at once, how fast you can catch them. All kinds of things to make it fun.”

The pancake breakfast serves as a fund-raiser for the Veishea Scholars program. Last year’s event raised between $700 and $800.

Jennifer Spencer, Veishea Special Events co-chair, said the breakfast has increased in popularity because of its move from Sunday to Saturday morning a few years ago.

“It’s wonderful having the breakfast at about the same time as the parade,” said Spencer, senior in journalism and mass communication. “So many people are up early, preparing for the parade and the open houses. Why not serve them breakfast?”

O’Brien, junior in civil engineering, said she hopes efforts to make the breakfast more of a community event will pay off.

“We’ve advertised in the dorms, local churches, bulletin boards all over campus and different places downtown,” she said.

Spencer promises a good time, even if you’re not a morning person.

“You don’t think you can have that much fun at 7 a.m.,” she said. “But it brings out family and friends, and it’s a great way to start the day.”

Tickets will be available at the door but also can be purchased in advance by contacting O’Brien at 292-9359.