ELIZABETHTOWN — More than 1,500 fish plates went through Shriners’ hands last week, when the group held its bi-annual fish fry in Elizabethtown.

“I am well pleased with the support from the community and the results of the fish fry,” said Shriner Phillip Little. “The weather was perfect; we couldn’t have asked for a better day — cool and no bad weather — and there was a constant flow of people coming to pick up. It was a good day.”

The only hiccup in the day came when protesters showed up.

“They had seen the Smithfield rig and showed up to protest, but once we told them who we were and what we were doing, nothing came of it,” Little said. “Other than that, it was uneventful and went very well.”

Though the group did not sell tickets for this year’s fish fry, keeping up with the plates revealed that somewhere between 1,500 and 1,600 people enjoyed the fish the Shriners cook up.

“That’s a little better than we did at the April fish fry last year,” Little commented.

Things went so well, in fact, that at 6 p.m., the group was frying up the last of the fish.

“We set a time, but we have to quit when the fish runs out,” laughed one of the workers.

Helping out was a large contingent of cadets from the Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy, fresh off the win of the national title at the Pershing Rifles competition.

Despite selling out, Little said there was one small disappointment.

“The fish were a little smaller than I would have liked for them to be, but we’re kind of at the mercy of the provider and market on that matter,” he said. “They were really good, though, and we got good feedback on them.”

The meal was the first of two such events the Shriners hold annually.

“We’ll be doing another in October, so we hope you’ll join us,” Little remarked.

Proceeds from the plate sale benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children, which has 22 locations around the country. Known especially for their Orthopaedics, Burn Care, Spinal Cord Injury, and Cleft Lip and Palate departments, the non-profit hospitals provide research and care regardless of patients’ ability to pay.

Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163 or emailing ccarroll@bladenjournal.com.

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Chrysta Carroll

Bladen Journal