FREDERICK – Due to the unavailability of fresh oysters from the Gulf Coast this season, the Frederick Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fantastic Oyster Fry and Craft Show has been changed to the Fish Fry and Craft Show.
The fish fry will be from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the Prather Brown Center Cafeteria, 211 South 13th Street. The craft show is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Frederick Middle School gym, located next door to the Prather Brown Center.
“We weren’t able to get oysters this year due to bay closures, so we decided to still have an event, just with a fish fry,” said Jessica Sanders, Chamber of Commerce executive director.
Advanced tickets are now available for $15 each. They can be purchased from various Frederick merchants including BancFirst, Frazer Bank, Frederick Ace Hardware, Bo Inc., Howard Chiropractic, and Quality Implement. Tickets purchased at the door will be $20 each. The ticket price includes fried catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw and beans.
Frederick 4-H Club will be selling desserts during the Fish Fry as a fundraiser.
Sanders said the Frederick High School Jazz Band is tentatively set to perform around 1:30 p.m.
Despite the changes, Sanders hopes local and area residents will come and enjoy the cuisine, entertainment and craft show, following a one-year absence of the annual event. The 2021 Oyster Fry and Craft Show was cancelled due to lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – the only year the event was not held, in its entire 70-year history.
“We’ll still have the same atmosphere as in past years and still have a good time with the community coming together,” she said. “We want to get our community back into the swing of things. We’ll have local vendors for our craft show selling items such as Girl Scout cookies, barn quilts and handmade items such as rugs and crochet.”
This year’s Fish Fry and Craft Show is the continuation of an annual event held in Tillman County since 1952. It was originally staged in Manitou for many years but moved to Frederick in 1990.
About 140 gallons of oysters are served during the fry each year. After being brought from Port Lavaca, Texas, they are picked up by members of the Oyster Fry Committee. Once transported in two broken-down freezers packed with ice to Frederick, the oysters are breaded and fried.
The event is the Frederick Chamber of Commerce’s largest annual fundraiser.
Sanders said she and the Chamber hopes the Oyster Fry will return in 2023.
“We’re looking at the possibility of scheduling the event earlier and seeking various other locations from where we can get fresh oysters,” she said.
Oyster Fry and Craft Show Committee members include Georgia Jackson, Twyla Elsener, Cordelle Keller, Dr. Greg Howard, Louis and Betty Box.
For further details, contact the Frederick Chamber of Commerce at (580) 335-2126 or check out the Chamber’s Facebook page.