MARYSVILLE – If the annual Oyster Run in Anacortes is the self-dubbed “Largest Motorcycle Run in the Pacific Northwest,” the annual Oyster Run Pancake Breakfast at Sound Harley-Davidson in Marysville is the appetizer before the big rally.

The popular all-you-can-eat fueling stop hosted by the Marysville Kiwanis Club and Sound H-D drew cycling clubs and hundreds of riders to the Marysville dealership for pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy and more. All proceeds benefitted local kids programs and scholarships.

The low hum and rattle of revving engines at the breakfast was loud even pitted against decibel levels on I-5 mere yards away, but the volume is nothing compared to the 10,000 to 20,000 motorcycles that descend on Anacortes each year.

This year, Kiwanis served 312 customers in a two-hour period, netting around $4,000 in donations, including $1,000 from Sound H-D and $250 from the Marysville Scout Troop 80/Ventures group. Young volunteers with the Scouts and Kiwanis Key Club played a big role in helping at the breakfast, serving platefuls of food to hungry riders and busing tables.

Sound H-D Marketing Manager Kari Cannady said the dealership has been hosting the breakfast since they opened their doors in 2006, and the event has been a win-win for them and Kiwanis.

This was Denny Lathrup of Seattle’s fourth Oyster Run.

He and his buddies got off I-5 to stop at the pancake breakfast before continuing on toward Anacortes.

“There is nothing like the Oyster Run, man,” said Lathrup, who plans to switch to beers and oyster shooters later in the day. “You’ve gotta see it to believe it. It’s awesome and crazy, with street after street packed with motorcycles and people everywhere. I love it!”

Some riders from the Eastside and Bellevue area got an early start in thick fog, while others met earlier up under black clouds that produced a monsoon-like downpour. By the time they rolled into Sound H-D, the weather was mostly blue sky with a few cotton puff clouds.

“Nice day for ride,” said Nate Roone of Bellevue after loading up a buffet plate with pancakes, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy.

“I’ll be back,” he announced. “I’m going to eat, eat, and when I’m done eating I’m going to eat some more.”

In addition to scholarships, some funds will go toward the Marysville Community Food Bank holiday Toy Store and for Thanksgiving baskets, as well as the YMCA after-school program.