Even a ground blizzard couldn’t keep people in the Clearwater community from attending the 62nd annual American Legion Post 323 Fish Fry Sunday morning.
Winds of up to 50 miles per hour whipped snow into drifts that blocked driveways, caused drivers to navigate deep snow on roads and covered many parking spaces around the Legion Hall.
But the turnout was surprisingly strong.
“It’s been pretty steady,” said Legion Commander Ron Lashinski at about 12:30 p.m. Lashinski stood inside the vestibule, holding the inside door open and greeting guests as they entered and left. “Hopefully this keeps up.”
Ninety minutes into the event, 175 guests had already bought a ticket for the meal - fried fish, beans, cole slaw, a dinner roll and a beverage.
They also had a chance to win a prize at a meat raffle bid on over 100 silent auction items donated by the community. Some of those items included an Eagle GPS system, backpacking equipment, tabletop soccer game, American Flag plaque, rice cooker, baseball cards, lots of camouflage hats and shirts, Sam Adams gift basket, cooler, poker set, towel set, knife set, serving dish, rotary tool.
Then there was the live auction, which featured five signed prints by well-known artist Jim Hansel, a friend of one of the Legion members. There were also a number of appliances, including a blender, electric skillet and barbecue set, a denim jacket decorated with an American Flag, an eagle print by Hugh Hirtle, a fishing trip to Red Lake and a custom-built log bench.
Lashinski said the live auction brought in almost $5,000. The silent auction made about $1,300. By the end of the day, almost 500 people attended the fish fry, a bit more than the 470 last year, which was low after a 10-inch snowfall the evening before. Two years ago in good weather the number reached 750.
“We did pretty well, considering the weather,” said Lashinski. “The communities here are very generous.”
The annual fish fry is the only fundraiser that supports the Legion by adding to the general fund to pay operating costs.
