Camaraderie, friendship play role in fish fry-days

It’s the time of year that for many signals a Friday evening dinner of fried fish, hushpuppies and other appetite-quenching foods.

One place to locate the fried aquatic creatures is the fish fry at the Scott City Knights of Columbus.

Gary Ziegler, a former grand knight of Knights of Columbus, said the event usually serves around 500 to 600 people.

“Friday morning about 7:30, we get here and we cut our cabbage, we cut our peppers and our carrots. And we grind it all up and we make our own slaw. People really like that,” Ziegler said.

The homemade hushpuppies and slaw as well as the “real American catfish” are some of the aspects he said keep people coming back.

Rose Kern, left, and Irene Blattel, sisters from Scott City and Kelso, Missouri, respectively, chat while collecting tickets during a fish fry Friday at Scott City Knights of Columbus.Jacob Wiegand

The all-you-can-eat menu also includes items such as baked beans, fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. Other than the chicken, Ziegler said everything is made on site.

“You can pile it on and you can go back for seconds and thirds,” he said.

“How good it is” is what David Glastetter, a Knight of Columbus originally from Kelso and now of Cape Girardeau, said draws in the diners.

“And they want to support the Knights of Columbus,” Glastetter said. “We’ve got five parishes that we serve.”

Donna Anderson, a parishioner of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City, said friendship, camaraderie and fun are commonplace at their fish-fry events.

“We seem to have some faithful customers and we seem to have those who come in to try it,” Anderson said. “But we do have really, really good fish.”

There are two more Fridays, April 5 and 12, to make it out to the Scott City Knights of Columbus. The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Adults are $11, children 6 to 11 are $5 and those younger than 6 eat free. Carry-outs are available.

Other upcoming fish-fry events, according to www.semoevents.com, include:

• The Cape Girardeau Knights of Columbus hosts fish fries from 5 to 7 p.m. April 5 and 12 in the lower hall. Adults are $10 and children 5 to 12 years old are $5. Carry-outs are available.
• The Jackson Knights of Columbus hosts fish and chicken fries from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 5 and 12. Adults are $10, children 6 to 12 are $5 and 5 and younger eat free. For more information, call (573) 243-5464.
• The Oran Jaycees hosts fish and chicken fry events from 5 to 7:30 p.m. April 5, 12 and 19. Adults are $12, children 6 to 12 years old are $6 and kids younger than 6 eat free. Call (573) 262-2215 for more information.
• A fish fry will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Bloomfield, Missouri, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 5 benefiting the Larry & Kathy Jones Family H.O.P.E. Campaign. Adults are $15 and children 10 and younger are $10. To-go orders are available. Tickets may be purchased at Allen Christian Buick GMC in Dexter, Missouri, or from the Jones family by contacting Lora Jones Galati at (314) 402-7777, Kyle Jones at (573) 820-7033 or Joe Galati at (314) 952-9127. For tickets through the mail: send payment, number of adult and children tickets requested and your mailing address to: Larry & Kathy Jones Family H.O.P.E. Campaign. P.O. Box 1785, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

Fish fries and other events can be submitted to www.semoevents.com by visiting the website.

jwiegand@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3643