- April 25, 2024
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George Rauch runs the fryer.
Before the fish was served, attendees loaded up plates with appetizers.
Joyce and Bill Wartinbee at the fish fry.
The long table of appetizers set the stage for the fish.
Michael Chester, Kirt and Mary Ann Bopp connect before the meal.
Ravi and Shirley Venkataraman sat with Holly and Fred Finks at the fish fry.
Tom Cleveland and Bill Wartinbee serve up the fish filets.
Jackie Dixon shows off her loaded plate.
Karen and Rob Jennings wait in line for their turn for food.
Kirt and Mary Ann Bopp sit next to each other to eat.
There was certainly no shortage of food.
The room felt full with the chatter and friendship of members of the congregation.
Alexa Lowrey and Michele de Lucca-Lowrey pose at the fish fry, days before Lowrey heads off to college for the first time.
Kirt Bopp goes back for seconds on the plentiful table.
Not a single filet was left over.
A full table chats together during dinner.
Paul Groen goes back for his second filet.
Fish fry-day was actually Saturday at Christ Church of Longboat Key. About 75 members of the congregation came together at the end of summer to share dinner together away from the heat and inside the church’s hall.
The fish fry, typically with fish sourced from members who go fishing for the event, was affected a bit by last summer's red ide outbreak. Paul Groen, who led the attendees in a pre-dinner prayer, thanked all of those involved with gathering the fish, whether it was via the Gulf of Mexico or the grocery store.
George and Sally Rauch, along with Tom Cleveland, were flinging the fried fish filets for everyone throughout the evening, though everyone insisted George Rauch was the head cook and the mastermind behind the crispy, golden filets.
Alexa Lowrey attended the fish fry days before heading off to her freshman year at New York University, and many members of the congregation pointed her out with glowing words of pride and support.
Overall, though the summer season shrinks the congregation, those who are on the island over the summer made the room feel full with chatter and camaraderie.
