By Frank Lewis
There are few things that people line up to enjoy, but the annual Rotary Fish Fry, Friday, Sept. 4, on the Roy Rogers Esplanade in Portsmouth, is one of those events. It is one of those times when people are glad to spend time meeting with friends and co-workers, while, at the same time, enjoying a warm fried ocean fish filet sandwich, crispy fries, coleslaw and a choice of beverage.
“We officially open for service at 11 a.m.,” Stan Jennings of the Portsmouth Rotary Club said. “But if people have take-out orders, if they will tell us beforehand we will start frying fish earlier than that. It runs until 7 (p.m.) and throughout the day the whole process is to see the Rotarians in their ‘not normal’ mode, frying fish and doing things like that and interacting with the public and it’s a great time.”
Jennings said Fish Fry tickets are $6 and available from any member of the Rotary Club, at the Elks Club or the Daily Times.
“The Rotary has been very good about supporting local education,” Jennings said. “We’ve supported PAAC (Portsmouth Area Arts Council) and a few of the others.”
Jennings, said the Fish Fry is one of two large events staged by Rotarians each year, the other being the rose sale.
“Our scholarships for our locals, those kinds of things for our kids, the money all goes into that,” Jennings said. “We also have the regular pieces where we put in money for a polio cure and those kinds of things as well.”
Jennings said local clubs, such as the Rotary Club, are about putting back into the community.
“It allows us to focus our enrichment toward causes,” Jennings said. “We’re trying to bring everybody up. Every club that we have (locally) has, at the heart of it, is what we’re supposed to be doing, which is to help the community.”
Jennings said information on how people can become members of the Rotary Club is available on line by simply Googling the Portsmouth, Ohio Rotary Club. James Bussa is the current president of the local chapter. The club meets on Mondays from 12 noon until 1 p.m. in the Micklethwaite Room on the campus of Shawnee State University.
Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.
