It is with sadness we announce that because of the pandemic, the Fin and Feather will not be held this year. Many of you will recognize this of the annual fundraiser of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.
It was over thirty years ago when the Mission chairperson – the late Bill McMamara – came up with the idea to have a fish fry, to raise funds for missions. A number of folks who helped back then have joined the church triumphant and are sorely missed. Members came together, worked hard, cooked some of the best food and had great fellowship as well as raised needed funds for the community. Volunteers and patrons came from miles around. Local businesses supported us and it is a genuine community event. Along the way, local musicians joined us to provide top notch entertainment.
I have been blessed to be part of this tradition for the past three events. It takes much preparation to set up things just right. On the day of the event, the men batter and fry the fish to perfection. The coleslaw, tartar sauce are homemade and the desserts the women make are divine. Over the years, grilled chicken was added for those who preferred fowl over fish.
I am usually the first one in line to try the hush puppies. If you have ever wondered how many hush puppies it takes to hush a preacher, the jury is still out.
One of the blessings of the Fin and Feather are the proceeds are used in the community. From supporting local scouts, our schools, offering college scholarships to our high school seniors – as well as providing holiday meals for families on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas – the Lord multiplies the fish and hush puppies to satisfy many folks and fulfill a lot of needs.
For a number of years, church member Brian Fredrick has led the United Methodist Men and our church members in this annual event. While the men of the church often get the credit for the fish fry, we couldn’t accomplish this without the help of the women of the church.
For many years, the women’s organization in the Methodist church was called the Women’s Society of Christian Service or the WSCS. WSCS became loving known as, “We Serve Church Suppers.”
Today, they are simply called the United Methodist Women.
There is a well-known story about the Fin and Feather. One year, the flyer and advertisement in The Graham Star stated, “Robbinsville Methodist Church Annual Fish Fry, all the Chicken you can eat.” I do not know who sent it in but It was picked up by late night host David Letterman, who shared it on his “Small Town News” segment of the Late Show.
I can only imagine what his comments were. Certainly, it had to be the profitability of selling all-you-can-eat chicken tickets to a fish fry.
Our prayers are our world will overcome the virus and we will be able to gather together again next year to celebrate the 31st annual Fin and Feather.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.