It was cold and wet for the 5th year of the Maryhill Heritage Park Recreation Committee’s annual Good Friday Fish Fry. It was a huge success and getting better each year as more than 600 people were served this year either by take out or sit down in the hall.
Work always starts on the Wednesday, with the picking up the bags of potatoes, cabbage, etc. On the Thursday it was the setting up of tables, the cleaning of the potatoes, shredding the cabbage and making coleslaw, making the tartar sauce, checking the salt and pepper shakers and setting out, getting take-out boxes ready and many, many other tasks.
In the shed the men were cutting the potatoes for French Fries and getting the 6 fryers ready . Because it was so windy the tarps didn’t get put up until Friday morning so those working the fryers would have protection from the rain and wind.
On Friday the doors opened at 12 noon and there was a steady stream of people until 7 p.m. You could eat in with no reservations and no one had to wait very long. You could order 1 or 2 pieces of haddock fish, hand cut fries with coleslaw, tartar sauce and lemon. Desserts and bar refreshments were available. Coffee and tea were included in there meal and with the nasty weather outside the containers were often filled.
Everyone has their specific jobs on Friday and everything goes like a well-oiled machine, both in the hall, the foyer and outside with the fryers, although it looks like chaos in the kitchen everything is under control.
