Penza, 14 March 2016. PenzaNews. The governor Ivan Belozertsev, the city head Valery Savelyev and the mayor Victor Kuvaytsev personally baked several Russian pancakes (blini) for the citizens to eat during the public celebrations of Maslenitsa at the Penza Belinsky Central Park on Sunday, March 13.

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Before the cooking, each official donned a brightly-colored apron decorated with Russian matryoshka dolls.

While making pancakes, Ivan Belozertsev told the citizens that he associates them with his childhood.

i“I was born and raised in the country. I liked blini very much. But making them every day is difficult: you need to chop firewood, prepare the dough on the evening before, get up early and heat up the stove. To motivate me for studying well, my mom was telling me: ‘If you bring home an A, I’ll be making blini on the next day’,” the head of the region shared his memories.

Also, Ivan Belozertsev asked the celebration organizers about the ingredients used for the dough: in return, they assured him that all the products used were made in Penza.

The citizens quickly queued up to taste a traditional Maslenitsa meal made by the top city and regional officials.

Elena Savelyeva, director of the Belinsky Central Park, was helping Ivan Belozertsev, Valery Savelyev and Victor Kuvaytsev give away the blini. According to the citizens, not a single one had been spoiled during the baking.

Moreover, the governor, the city head and the mayor took an opportunity to visit the craftsmen fair during the celebration, where they bought a number of souvenirs and danced khorovod with the citizens.

Throughout the celebrations, the crowds were entertained by performers and solo singers, as well as contests by organizers.

The traditional Russian game “Reach For the Rooster,” where a contestant tried to climb a thick and tall wooden log pole to reach for its top, was one of the more popular entertainments at the Maslenitsa celebration.

The bystanders eagerly showed their support for every man that braved the climb, and winners received dashcams, Penza foodstuff baskets, and other prizes.

Hungry visitors enjoyed blinis, pirozhkis and Eastern sweets, as well as beef kebab that was sold in the park.

The celebrations concluded with a traditional burning of the Maslenitsa effigy that many people filed on their mobile phones, the bright fire looking particularly bright in the dusk.