An hour into Edgecomb Fire Department Auxiliary’s pancake breakfast Saturday, firefighters had already cooked an estimated 100 pancakes, eight pounds of bacon and four pounds of sausage patties, Auxiliary President and Assistant Fire Chief John Potter said as attendees continued to arrive.

They were liking the pancakes. Zip Kellogg of Newcastle said they might have been the best pancakes in the universe.

Potter said the breakfast at the station on Route 27 became an annual fundraiser five or six years ago, timed with Windjammer Days Festival in Boothbay Harbor to help maximize turnout. The donations people give for the meal help buy items outside the department’s budget; the auxiliary also does a Christmas party for the department, so the funds can help with that, too, he said.

Edgecomb’s Ruth Bryant likes to come to the breakfast to support the department. “It’s a small department but it’s there when people need it,” she said. Joining her for breakfast was her sister, summer resident Joan Myatt of Amory, Mississippi. Sue and Thom Sikes wanted to support the department, too. And she didn’t feel like cooking, Sue Sikes added.

Some of those interviewed said events like the breakfast are a way for townspeople to gather in a town without a downtown. “Edgecomb is so spread out, it’s important that people get together, to get to know the community and their neighbors,” said Edgecomb Community Church Pastor Kate Pinkham, also the department’s chaplain.

The breakfast drew 107-plus people and raised $768, about the same as past years, Potter said Sunday.

The department has 16 members and five junior members, officials said. If interested in joining, call 882-9618 or 232-6742.