By Chuck Sterling
Editor
For the first time in 73 years, the South Haven Sportsmen’s Club will hold its annual fish fry in a place other than the city hall on Friday, April 1.
Club members will begin setting up the event in the fire hall by the middle of the week since the city hall has been closed as a safety precaution.
The fish fry has been held in the city hall basement on the first Friday of April every year since 1938, and it may be the longest continuously running annual fish fry in Central Minnesota, if not the state.
But the city locked up the 77-year-old Main Street building in September after it was declared potentially unsafe because of structural problems.
The club had considered canceling the event but decided in January to move it to the fire hall and keep its consecutive-year streak alive.
The fish fry is a South Haven institution that attracts more than 1,000 people to town, and the club promotes it as “the granddaddy” of fish fries.
“It’s kind of been a community effort,” club treasurer Jack Sunderland said of the location switch.
“Everybody pitched in and helped so it’s been really great,” he said, citing assistance from the fire department, municipal liquor store and city council.
“It’ll work. It’ll be a learning experience,” Sunderland said. “We’ve got it figured out.”
The club has had a couple of special meetings when all the members got together with tape measures and made a blueprint of how they’ll set it up, he said.
The fire department has made a great effort to arrange to move the fire rigs out of the hall Friday, Sunderland said. “We sure appreciate them doing that.”
Firefighters who live nearby will each take a truck home so they can respond quickly if necessary.
A few firefighters will also help with the setup and at the fish fry to see how it works since they’ll use the hall for their annual smelt fry in May.
Because the fire hall doesn’t have enough cooking equipment, the club bought three new deep fryers and the fire department bought three more at a total cost of about $4,700. The club also bought four new electric roasters for about $170.
Sunderland said he believes a proposed community building is more than a year away and that the 74th annual fish fry will also be held in the fire hall.
The municipal liquor store bought four banners to advertise the fish fry, he said. Two will be placed at each end of town and another will be hung in the middle to notify the public that the event is still on and will be held in the fire hall. Another banner will be placed somewhere out of town.
Sunderland estimated anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 people will attend the fish fry, which is scheduled to start at 4:30 and end at 9 p.m.
For the first time in 73 years, the South Haven Sportsmen’s Club will hold its annual fish fry in a place other than the city hall on Friday, April 1.
Club members will begin setting up the event in the fire hall by the middle of the week since the city hall has been closed as a safety precaution.
The fish fry has been held in the city hall basement on the first Friday of April every year since 1938, and it may be the longest continuously running annual fish fry in Central Minnesota, if not the state.
But the city locked up the 77-year-old Main Street building in September after it was declared potentially unsafe because of structural problems.
The club had considered canceling the event but decided in January to move it to the fire hall and keep its consecutive-year streak alive.
The fish fry is a South Haven institution that attracts more than 1,000 people to town, and the club promotes it as “the granddaddy” of fish fries.
“It’s kind of been a community effort,” club treasurer Jack Sunderland said of the location switch.
“Everybody pitched in and helped so it’s been really great,” he said, citing assistance from the fire department, municipal liquor store and city council.
“It’ll work. It’ll be a learning experience,” Sunderland said. “We’ve got it figured out.”
The club has had a couple of special meetings when all the members got together with tape measures and made a blueprint of how they’ll set it up, he said.
The fire department has made a great effort to arrange to move the fire rigs out of the hall Friday, Sunderland said. “We sure appreciate them doing that.”
Firefighters who live nearby will each take a truck home so they can respond quickly if necessary.
A few firefighters will also help with the setup and at the fish fry to see how it works since they’ll use the hall for their annual smelt fry in May.
Because the fire hall doesn’t have enough cooking equipment, the club bought three new deep fryers and the fire department bought three more at a total cost of about $4,700. The club also bought four new electric roasters for about $170.
Sunderland said he believes a proposed community building is more than a year away and that the 74th annual fish fry will also be held in the fire hall.
The municipal liquor store bought four banners to advertise the fish fry, he said. Two will be placed at each end of town and another will be hung in the middle to notify the public that the event is still on and will be held in the fire hall. Another banner will be placed somewhere out of town.
Sunderland estimated anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 people will attend the fish fry, which is scheduled to start at 4:30 and end at 9 p.m.