The Atmore Lions Club sold more than 400 pancake dinners Monday evening, and the proceeds will be used to purchase needed band instruments for Atmore’s public schools.

Buck Powell, a member of the Lions Club who served as the project’s chairperson, said the band programs have grown in popularity at Escambia County Middle School and Escambia County High School. The Lions wanted to come up with a way to help meet the band program’s need for instruments, and decided to hold a pancake dinner.

“We were originally going to just do a club donation to the program or something like that,” said Powell, a former coach, principal and superintendent. “Then (Lion) Patty Helton Davis came up with the idea of having a pancake supper and everyone agreed it would be a great idea.”

David’s Catfish House furnished the space for the supper, which was held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. Powell said that Lions Club members and band students sold tickets ahead of time and there were also many tickets sold right at the door. He said the exact amount made had not been calculated, but there were more than 400 tickets sold.

“It was just a good night,” he said. “I was extremely proud of the turnout. I’m very thankful to everyone who bought a ticket. It shows that there is some real support for our public schools here.”

Band members served the meals, and nearly every member of the Lions Club assisted with the project in some way, Powell said.

“The band students were just excellent and were really hard workers,” he said. “We probably had a dozen of them running around and taking orders and getting the pancakes, and then they also stayed around to help clean up.”

Powell said there was already a line of patrons waiting to buy pancakes right at 5 p.m.

“We didn’t have any practice or anything to show the band kids what to do ahead of time,” he said. “They just jumped right in and did whatever was needed to be done.”