Each year Christians practice Lent, a period of fasting in some form or another that begins on what is referred to as Ash Wednesday and runs through Easter.
This year, Lent began on Feb. 24 and runs through March 28, and a common feature of Lent for practicing Wisconsinites is, of course, the Friday night fish fry. In Waunakee and Monona, two organizations recently prepared and served the final fish fry dinners for Lent.
On the afternoon of March 9, American Legion Post 360 in Waunakee hosted their second to last fish fry for their season, which runs from October through April and takes place on the second Friday of each month.
The post has been hosting the dinners for 35 years, and proceeds have gone to a number of good causes. Bob Schwab, a long time member, explained a bit about how it works.
“The whole deal is set up by repeat volunteers,” said Schwab. “We shift them on and off on a rotating basis during the season. We take the proceeds and use them to support the community in different ways– some of it goes to the schools, some goes to veteran organizations and food pantries in the area.”
The menu consisted of cod, which can be ordered either baked or deep fried in what Schwab referred to as their “secret recipe.” The fish comes with a side of either coleslaw, french fries, a baked potato, or beans. For dessert are cookies and milk with coffee. Whatever the secret recipe is, it was certainly popular. The volunteers of Post 360 served 358 patrons at $13 a plate, making it a successful evening.
“The best part of the fish fry is bringing people together,” Schwab said. “All the members of the post show up, a lot of people from the community come out as well. It’s good for the Legion too, and just an overall good community event with good food.”
In Monona, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School hosted their fish fry on the afternoon of March 15 in the cafeteria. According to Marc Laudonio, who works for the church and volunteered to work the fish fry, some 250 people showed up in the first hour, and they expected to get at least 900 people by the end of the night.
All proceeds from the dinners go back toward the school and the church. Heidi Walters, the cook for the school, explained a little more about how the fish fry operates.
“We’ve got about 85 volunteers helping with every stage of the process,” explained Walters. “We ordered 450 pounds of cod and perch, and the volunteers all worked together from prep to cooking to serving. The fish are hand battered and fried in batches that take about 10 minutes at a time to cook.”
Other items on the menu included french fries or a baked potato, applesauce, tartar sauce, and a roll. This reporter has never been a fan of cod — that said, the battered and fried cod at the Immaculate Heart of Mary was nothing short of delicious.
For more information about upcoming events at the school, check out their calendar online at their website.
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