Cedars on the hook for Fish Fry

When Halloween’s frightening festivities come to an end Oct. 31, the Longboat Key Historical Society will keep the spirit of season alive.

The group will hold its annual Fish Fry event from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at Cedars Tennis Resort, 645 Cedars Court — a first for the fundraiser.

“It is going to be at a lovely new venue,” said Historical Society President Shirley Beachum.

Fish fries were held annually on the Key in the 1950s to raise money for the Longboat Key Volunteer Fire Department, which started out with 15 volunteers but no fire truck or building. The community began holding fish fries as a fundraiser in the area where the former Longbeach Chevron is located.

The events helped the department buy its first truck, “Red Maria,” and build its first firehouse. The tradition fizzled over the years, but the Historical Society resurrected it in 2005; it held the event annually at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub until this year.

Now, the event raises money for the Historical Society, to fund its speaker series and storage costs, along with working toward the long-term goal of eventually reopening the group’s museum.

This year’s event will feature a menu of grouper and other fried fare, Caesar salad and corn bread, and music by Blues Pig.

Raffle prizes will include gift certificates from Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant and Design 2000, along with several prizes from Cedars, including a lesson with a tennis pro, a yoga lesson and dining memberships.

Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the gate.

Tickets are available at the Cedars Pro Shop; the Centre Shops at Steff’s Stuff and First Bank of Longboat Key; Mediterranean Plaza at the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce and MIC Insurance; and Whitney Beach Plaza at Design 2000.

2014 Lecture Series
The following speakers are scheduled to give presentations to the Longboat Key Historical Society in 2014. Lectures take place at 7 p.m. at Christ Church of Longboat Key, Presbyterian, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

H. Terrell Griffin, Jan. 18: The Longboat Key author will take a trip down memory lane that will probably include several stops at Tiny’s. He’ll discuss Longboat Key’s many colorful characters.

Dora Walters, Feb. 20: The Longboat Observer’s longtime senior editor retired last year after a career in journalism that spanned more than six decades. Walters will take the audience back in time for a look at all the hot topics she couldn’t put in print.

Jeff Rodgers, March 20: Rodgers is the director of education for the South Florida Museum and director of the Bishop Planetarium. He will discuss Florida’s deep roots, including its plate tectonics, geology, paleontology and archaeology — and how this affects how its cultural, political and economic history unfolded.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]