Four-hundred and fifty pounds of batter. Hundreds of people lined up. And 12 hours to serve.

That all equals the Austin Noon Lions’ Pancake Day.

The 51st annual breakfast feed was held Thursday at First United Methodist Church from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Lions treasurer and event coordinator Mark Marreel said the group was hoping to draw 2,000 guests. Last year, about 1,800 people showed up, which made the Lions $5,000.

By 11:30 a.m. Thursday, this year’s event looked well on its way to the goal, with a hungry line stretching from the grill all the way out the door.

“This is great,” Marreel said. “A typical noon hour.”

One such hungry guest was Dewey Noel. The 84-year-old church member said he’s been going to the breakfasts since they first started.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “They do such a good job.”

Harold “Matt” Mattfeld, 98, has also been to all 51 pancake days. On Thursday, the 65-year veteran of the Lions club helped out by pouring coffee for people throughout the dining hall.

He said the crowd Thursday was nice, but nothing new for him.

“It used to be lined up all around the block,” Mattfeld said of the crowd in the early days of the breakfast, when it was held at the armory.

In addition to Mattfeld’s hot coffee, guests were treated to traditional breakfast favorites — pancakes, of course, and also French toast and sausage links.

Donna DeFor, who’s been to nearly 20 Lions breakfasts, said the French toast is her favorite fare.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “Plus, I don’t have to cook it.”

Marreel said he’s unsure of the exact origins of the annual event, but he knows the Lions simply wanted a winter fundraiser to raise money for local youth groups and other organizations.

And, Marreel added, there’s no better way to do that than with a hot breakfast on a cold day.

“Everyone likes pancakes, sausage and French toast,” he said.