Fish Fry to net good old time

Longboat Key got hooked on fish fries back in the 1940s when locals needed to raise money for area organizations. It became an annual fundraiser sometime after 1953, the year the Longboat Key Volunteer Fire Department formed, then faded away over the years until 2005, when the Longboat Key Historical Society revived the tradition.

This year, the fish fry is back, and we’re sure Longboaters are ready to take the bait. The festivities begin at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, 760 Broadway, with dinner served from 6 to 8 p.m.

What’s new this year?

Well, last year’s “Pioneer Day Fish Fry” monicker is gone, and the “Old Time Fish Fry” title of years’ past is back.

But, aside from that, the event will be the same fishy fundraiser that has netted hundreds of attendees for the past seven years.

Tickets are $30, which will get you a fish dinner of your choice of grouper and mullet, along with all the other fish fry favorites, two drinks and entertainment by Blues Pig. A raffle will also take place.

The fundraiser helps the Historical Society pay for its museum at Whitney Beach Plaza, along with its lecture series, which will consist of four programs between January and April, at Bayfront Park Recreation Center.
For many residents, the fish fry is the Key’s unofficial welcome-back party for those who headed north for summer.

“The Fish Fry is always so much fun because that’s when we get to see all of our friends who we maybe haven’t seen for a year or more and enjoy the good music and food,” said Shirley Beachum, president of the Historical Society.

But the Fish Fry isn’t the only fundraiser on the Historical Society’s plate.

The inaugural Centre Shops of Longboat Key Fall Festival, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, will also be a Historical Society fundraiser.

IF YOU GO
Old Time Fish Fry
When: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19; dinner served from 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, 760 Broadway

Where to buy tickets
Tickets for the Friday, Oct. 19 Old Time Fish Fry can be purchased at the event or at the following locations for $30:
First Bank of Longboat Key, 5390 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, 5570 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, 760 Broadway
Steff’s Stuff, 5380 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 101