Festivities to return, along with the buzzards, March 20

by Chris Studor

Buzzard Sunday is back in a big way this year after taking a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce have been working around the clock over the past several weeks to organize many of the community’s favorite festivities to welcome the buzzards back to their roost after a long winter on Sunday, March 20.

There are a number of theories surrounding the “arrival” of the buzzards, otherwise known as turkey vultures. The most popular theory can be traced back to 1957 when Walter Nawalaniec, a patrolman for the Hinckley Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, told an area newspaper reporter that the buzzards returned to the Whipp’s Ledges area on March 15 like clockwork, much like the annual return of the swallows to Capistrano.

When word first got out, thousands of people swarmed the township on Buzzard Day, which was initially prepared only for a small crowd. However, it didn’t take long for the township to capitalize on the idea and soon after, Buzzard Sunday was born.

Die-hard buzzard fans still gather on the “official” Buzzard Day, March 15, at the Buzzard Roost in the Hinckley Reservation in hopes of being the first to spot the buzzards’ arrival.

Along with getting a peek at the famous birds, Buzzard Sunday festivities traditionally start with a pancake breakfast, which will experience a change in format and venue in 2022. The event itself has been relocated to the new Hinckley Elementary School, located at 1157 Ridge Rd., and tickets for both dine-in and takeout orders are available exclusively on a pre-sale basis.

Chamber President Melinda Swan said Chamber is testing the pre-sale system this year as a better way to gauge how much food to purchase.

Adult tickets are $10 each, which includes two pancakes with endless refills for dine-in orders and four pancakes for takeout orders. All meals come with two sausage links. Tickets for children 10 and under are $6 each, which includes one pancake with endless refills for dine-in orders and two pancakes for takeout and one sausage link. Additional sausage is available for an additional charge.

The sausage, made locally by a Cleveland family, is also being sold prior to the event. The cost is $38 for a 5-pound box, which includes approximately 30 links of uncooked sausage that can be cooked immediately or frozen in airtight containers. Like the pancake breakfast tickets, sausage must be purchased in advance.

Ticket information is available on the Hinckley Chamber website pages at https://hinckleyohchamber.com. For those who do not have access to a computer, checks for the pancake breakfast and sausage can be mailed to the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 354, Hinckley, Ohio, 44233.

Those paying by check are asked to take a photo of their check on their phone to show at the door. Those purchasing tickets from the Chamber website are asked to print out a copy of their receipt.

The deadline for pancake breakfast ticket sales is Friday, March 4, and the deadline for sausage orders is 5 p.m., March 11. Pre-sale sausage can be picked up at the new Hinckley Elementary School on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m.-noon.

Guests are asked to note that parking at the school will be for handicapped individuals only. Additional parking will be available at Hinckley Town Hall, Hinckley Post office, the old Hinckley Elementary School and Precision Dental. Two free shuttles will make continual trips to transport guests between the school and town hall.

Additional festivities will include a craft show in the school gymnasium, entertainment by Nate the Great and the Buzz Carnival, which will feature games and family activities, at the former fire station in town hall. A live buzzard will be looking for admirers at the township pavilion or in case of inclement weather, in the Senior Room near the fire station bays.

Guests do not have to attend the pancake breakfast to enjoy free festivities at the school or the Buzz Carnival, Swan said.

“We are happy to be including the Buzz Carnival at the township where local businesses will have a lot of activity going on for children, as well as a pet show,” Swan said, noting that the chamber is still in need of volunteers and those interested can sign up for a shift on the chamber website. “Everyone at the chamber is excited to be bringing back the long standing tradition of Buzzard Sunday.” ∞