Free pancakes, fire hose demos, and firetruck tours packed Newton Fire Department headquarters on Sunday, June 28, as the department's annual Pancake Breakfast drew a large crowd to 1164 Centre Street in Newton Centre.

The event ran from 10 a.m. to noon. Elected officials served pancakes with all the toppings to a line of hungry neighbors, according to Fig City News, which described the turnout as "very large" with high demand for the free food.

Among the officials spotted at headquarters: Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Newton Mayor Marc Laredo, and Newton Fire Chief Gregory Gentile, all photographed together during the morning.

Kids lined up for hands-on time with the equipment. Children handled fire hoses and climbed into the cabs of firetrucks parked at the station, a highlight of the annual event that gives families direct access to the people and tools that protect their neighborhoods.

Ryan posted about the breakfast on X, calling Newton's firefighters "essential partners in protecting the safety of our cities and towns."

@damarianryan: "Local fire departments are essential partners in protecting the safety of our cities and towns. This weekend I attended the @NewtonFireDept Pancake Breakfast to celebrate the community of #Newton and the Department's continued public service"

The pancake breakfast is an annual tradition at Newton Fire headquarters, one of the department's most visible community outreach efforts each year. The event gives residents a rare chance to walk through the station, meet firefighters in a relaxed setting, and see the apparatus up close rather than racing past with sirens on.