It was the third Sunday of the month, and at 8:30 a.m. in Clearwater, that means the Legion is the place for breakfast.

 

Guests line up at the door to enjoy a big omelette breakfast and share good conversation.

 

“I’m usually here collecting the money,” said Sylvia, the cashier who has  been greeting the guests for years, not only for the omelette breakfast on the third Sunday of the month, but also the first Sunday.

“That’s what we call the made to order breakfast,” she says.

 

That Sunday, guests order anything they want - waffles, French toast, pancakes, biscuits & gravy, hash browns, an egg of choice and either bacon or sausage. Of course, she says, the beverage is included in the price of $9.

 

“It’s a good deal,” she says.

 

By 11 a.m. last Sunday, over 115 guests had already sat down for their omelette breakfast. That meal included a three-egg omelette with all the fixing’ anyone could desire: tomatoes, green peppers,  green olives, jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives, sausage, ham and bacon. 

 

It also included toast, hash browns, sausage, salsa or sour cream and of course, a beverage.

 

Sylvia says Sunday’s big turnout was partly because it was Father’s Day and families wanted to start the day off with a special meal.

 

“We’ve had as low as 40 before,” she says. “That usually ends up being mostly just the people who are working here. But one time we had 172. That was busy. We figure if we can 100 we’re doing well.”

 

It was busy enough Sunday that for a brief time, they ran out of eggs. Someone wasn’t prepared, said Dan Watson, one of the chefs who was making the omelettes Sunday. He and Tanya Olin, both from the Clearwater Legion Riders,  took orders and cooked on hot skillets right in front of the guests.

 

With Coborn’s right across the street, the egg shortage was solved in a hurry. Everyone works together to make sure things go smoothly.

 

The Legion breakfasts are not only a tradition, but also a way for local community groups and organizations to raise money.

 

Each month a different group helps out - making coffee, serving guests, clearing tables and anything else that needs to be done.

 

Last Sunday it was the Knights of Columbus. Other months it’s been the boy scouts, Friends of the Library, Clear Lake and Annandale Youth Baseball Associations and other non-profit groups.

 

Even though breakfast officially ends at noon, Sylvia says lots of people come in just before then when they get out of church.

 

“If I go out and go to church, I’m not going to go back home and cook,” she says. “I’m going to go out and eat someplace.”

 

She says lots of places that serve Sunday breakfast have long lines and slow service.

 

“They’re standing and waiting for a table,” she says. “Not here.”

 

“I think this is a great deal.”