The Marietta Community House is a nonprofit organization with a mission of supporting the community. Now you can support that mission in return by attending Flapjacks & Friends: A Community Pancake Breakfast.

The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Marietta Community House, 264 W. Market St. The menu will include pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee and tea.

The breakfast was the brainchild of a new board member, said Joe Clark, president of the board of the Marietta Community House.

"We added board member Dave Sadler, and we were looking for ideas, mainly for community outreach," Clark recalled. "He said, 'Why don't we do a pancake breakfast?' This isn't a big fundraiser, but it's an outreach program."

Several of the men on the board, including Clark and Sadler, will serve as cooks for the meal. "The ladies on the board will bus the tables and clean up," Clark said. "The breakfast will be a good opportunity to meet our board members, put faces to the names behind the scenes and learn more about our exciting plans for the future."

Built in 1871 by Dr. John Huston for his nephew, the home remained a private residence until 1909, when it became a sanitarium that administered rabies vaccines to children. In 1919, as World War I was ending, Mr. and Mrs. Henry S. Hiestand purchased the building and donated the house to the community of Marietta, dedicating it in the memory of their son, Lt. Benjamin Hiestand, who had died while serving in the military. Over the years, the building has housed an American Legion post, a public library, a well-baby clinic, a soup kitchen and the Pennsylvania School for the Arts, among other organizations. It now serves as a wedding and special event venue, with a focus on a variety of community events throughout the year, including an annual Veterans Day celebration and a garden tour.

Proceeds from events such as a pancake breakfast are used for house maintenance, Clark said. "There is always something that needs an update or a repair," he noted.

He encourages everyone to come out for the breakfast, which will be held inside the historic site.

"The Marietta Community House serves the people of Marietta," Clark said. "We hope people will come out and enjoy breakfast and support our mission."

Tickets for the breakfast will be cash only and will be available at the door. There will be separate prices for adults and children under age 12.