Catfish love water. That may explain why it’s rained both years at the Rotary Fish Fry.
Saturday’s event made it almost till the end before a sudden downpour abruptly halted festivities on the West Lawn of Security Federal around 6:30 p.m. But the rain couldn’t wash away what was a successful event where an estimated 500 catfish dinner plates were served.
“It seems like we’ve found an event that works and gets people out,” said Noon Rotary president Dan Bryant. “People seem to like fried catfish and hush puppies.”
The event was a joint effort between McMinnville’s Noon and Breakfast Rotary clubs. In addition to the catfish dinner, the event featured entertainment from local group Thunder Creek and two inflatables for the kids.
“I’ve heard a lot of great feedback,” said Breakfast Rotary president Leann Cordell. “Several people told me the fish was excellent, that it was cooked to perfection.”
Cordell says there is some talk of moving the event to the fall so the weather might not be so much of a factor. Rain has interrupted the fish fry both years it has been held in the spring.
Rotary donates to a number of worthy charities, but the bulk of the money generated from the fish fry will benefit the Governor’s Books from Birth program, according to Bryant. Books from Birth started as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and has since been adopted statewide. Funding is used to send books in the mail on a monthly basis to children under age 5.
“Last year, as a first-year event, we had several glitches, which is to be expected,” said Bryant. “But this year we worked through those glitches and everything went a whole lot smoother. The two clubs really worked well together.”
At $10 a plate, the fundraiser will gross around $5,000. While a number of items were donated, Cordell said there are some expenses that will subtract from that total.