Marching band flying their colors!

Pageants, parades, catfish races- yes, catfish racing is real!; mule pulls, carnival amusement and good times highlight the annual Paris Fish Fry.

With participation from many areas of West Tennessee, from Hardeman County, McEwen, to Martin, Dresden, Puryear, Jackson to Henry County and points in between; Paris, Tennessee staged the 56th running of the annual Fish Fry. This event has enjoyed recognition by the Guinness Book of World Record organizations as the largest continuous public fish fry to be documented anywhere in the world.

Henry County Sheriff Deputies ready for crowd control

There was a palette of activities to whet the appetite of any festival aficionado. Beauty pageants directly tied to the fish fry were staged earlier in the beginning of the year. In addition to the two pageants staged in Paris, there were at least a dozen other beauty pageant winners greeting well-wishers at the Saturday parade. Junior and Senior High School bands from many communities of West Tennessee, along with banner flag and rifle teams all participated in the 200-plus unit community pageantry spectacle.

Add to that the roving vendors selling everything from bottled water and other refreshments, carnival souvenirs and blow-up toys, to scout troops passing out fliers for future cultural fairs and events for later in the year along with emergency response vehicle entries. Among the public notables in this year’s parade were Rep. Sammy Goldstein as Grand Marshall, Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey representing Governor Bredesen, along with  Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate Kim McMillan.

Pageant Royalty abounds in the parade

Other elements in the parade included local, regional and state level politicians, political party officials, classic and antique cars, 4-H type youth groups, various ‘little tykes’ pageant winners, clowns, civic groups, Henry County Medical Center, the Humane Society, Dresden’s Iris Festival, the Strawberry Festival, hot rod and drag racing teams, veterans organizations, church groups, coon hunting club dogs, rodeo riders and show horses and law enforcement elements from Martin, Henry, Jackson and Dover in their own vehicles or riding on donated all-terrain sports equipment and the participation level surpasses 280 units associated with the parade. Even at this level of participation, locals told this reporter that this was a smaller parade than in years past when the parade easily  lasted three or four hours. As it was this year’s parade was an hour and a half of street festival of spectacle, people watching and cheering!

The conclusion of the parade unleashed the full-fledged barrage of attendants onto  the festival grounds. There, the carnival attractions, arts and crafts vendors tent  and rodeo grounds awaited the day’s visitors. Visitors were to be seen everywhere taking advantage of the vast variety of attractions, distractions and enticements offered on the fairgrounds.

Thrill ride at the festival grounds

Games of skill, bungee cord somersaulting, a carousel and a Ferris wheel, children’s dragon roller coaster and mini-train and along with several G-force intensive thrill rides competed for the attention of fair attendees. Tilt-a-Whirl, Spinning Cups, The Floor Drop and Vertical Rapid Descent were all part of the varied rides that tantalized the more adventurous. Little ones and young people of all ages filled the fairgrounds with their laughter, greetings and good fellowship that abounded at every turn. Families were readily visible enjoying the delights to be had and the camaraderie that these good times produced. With all this activity to be had, refreshment stands were seeing a brisk business as lemonade coolers sold steadily and funnel cakes also proved quite popular.

The fish fry operation itself was in full swing, having started at 10 AM and would continue to 9 PM.  The ten dollar all-you-can-eat ticket price entitled you to hush puppies, white beans, your choice of either an excellent vinegar slaw or mayonnaise slaw, french fries and a heaping helping of fried catfish fillets and your choice Pepsi product beverage, iced tea or bottled water.

With the amount of food consumed in the three days of fish fry operations, it’s easy to see how such a record was established.  Here are the statistics from last year’s event upon which this year’s food preparation projections are based.

• 10,000 pounds of catfish fillets
• 2,460 pounds of white beans
• 1,250 pounds of mayonnaise slaw
• 1,250 pounds of vinegar slaw (from Knott’s Landing Restaurant)
• 3,900 pounds of french fries
• 500 gallons of vegetable cooking oil
• 8 gallons Hot Sauce (10 oz. bottles)
• 48 gallons Tartar Sauce
• 630 pounds of Ketchup
• 8,000 pounds of Ice
• 6,000 gallons of Pepsi Products
• 3,000 pounds of Self-Rising Corn Meal
• 3,000 pounds of Self-Rising Flour
• 400 pounds of diced onions
• 81 gallons of buttermilk
• 1,500 eggs

The man who oversees the ‘prep’ teams and all food preparations is Tater Hayes. The prep teams have horned their process to a finely tuned production line. The ladies prep teams prepared the hush puppy mix by hand until last year when they finally got a professional-grade mixer. They prepare ten- forty quart plastic tote- batches of hush puppy mix per hour; each batch yields between 200-300 hush puppies. Twenty-eight hours of fish frying yields a ton of hush puppies. An interesting side note, each 40 quart tote mix uses thirty-six eggs.

The cooking team consist of at least two men, using melon ball scoopers, to immerse the hush puppies into the cooking oil. Two other men wait to scoop them out as they bob up on the surface for a continuous production process. The target cooking temperature for the hush puppy oil is 310 degrees F. According to Jeff Morris, head of the hush puppy cooking squad, the batches are ready in five to seven minutes.

Tater said the catfish fillets thaw in a running water water bath of 300 pounds at a time for forty-five minutes to one hour per tub. Two tubs are in operation through  out the cooking day. The fillets are then drained and breaded. Ten to fifteen pounds of fish go into each fry pot once the oil reaches the target temperature of 325 to 350 degrees F. This drops as the fish is added but returns as the fish cook for fifteen to twenty minutes until golden brown. The french fries are cooked in separate fry pots at 350 degrees F. They generally cook up in ten to twelve minutes.

Tater's fabled Foil Ball!

Another interesting side note to the fish fry lore is “Tater’s Aluminum Foil Ball.” Every night at the end of cooking, the fry pots are drained, cleaned and filled with fresh cooking oil. Then they are covered with foil to keep the oil fresh and ready for the next day’s start. Ten years ago, Hayes balled up a sheet of this discarded foil and began to collect the remaining sheets, adding them to the soon growing ball. Ten years later, the ball has become a feature of the parade where it is displayed in the back of one of the all-terrain utility vehicles used in the parade. It has grown to an impressive height and girth and weight. See the accompanying photo.

Finally, it was time to sample the fish fry’s claim to fame. Hushpuppies, white beans, french fries, Knott’s Landing Vinegar slaw and catfish fillets filled my plate. Special note is given of the hushpuppies as deliciously seasoned, the vinegar slaw was wonderfully delicious, and the fish fillets were golden, fully cooked and lightly but fully seasoned.

To anyone who has not yet attended, make this a ‘Must Do’ for 2010 and beyond. You won’t be disappointed.

View more photos of the 2009 Worlds Biggest Fish Fry at our Photo Gallery

This is a sure winner!

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. That title is correct. At the Annual Paris Fish Fry, renowned as the world’s biggest fish fry, catfish do indeed compete to cross the finish line! The entrants vary in size and temperament and some coaxing is attempted with varying degrees of success. It’s all part of the diverse attractions associated with the world’s biggest annual fish fry. There is one side benefit for the racers- lose or win, they don’t become part of the dinner plate in the big dinning hall.

An entry in the Children's Parade at the Paris Fish Fry

Day Three of the festival starts off with the ‘Children’s Parade’ around Public Square. Floats, pull wagons, Big Wheels, clown pulls, Shetland ponies, marching young children groups, church child pre-school groups, and individual family entries all participate in this happy, noisy spectacle. Cameras click and family and friends cheer as their personal faves pass in review.

After the Children’s Parade, everyone converges on the west side of the square to watch the heralded ‘Catfish Races!’ There are three main heats that make up the races. Before the actual races begin however, there is the hilarious spectacle of ‘tall tales story-telling.’ The sponsors of the race entrants vie for the honor for best story of either how their fish came be to considered for the race or how that particular catfish came by its name. Ladies and gentlemen, be forewarned, there’s some seriously tall-tale telling going in this competition. A vivid imagination is definitely a prerequisite for this segment of the fabled catfish races. The winner of the best ‘tall tale’ gets a gift certificate to a local business and a plaque proclaiming their storytelling skills. Braggin’ rights are included.

"Our legal advice is work that tail!"

Anyone can enter the races simply by sponsoring a fish for a twenty-five dollar fee. You can appoint a stand-in or actually handle your own catfish. Several local businesses formed teams to cheer their fish, to varying degrees of success, but always great fun! A law firm, a Chinese restaurant, several elementary and middle school classes and a pizza shop all sponsored entries this year. There was one very special entrant. A very well fed but lean, healthy looking catfish, supposedly trained on a special blend of Java and kept in a specially rigged ice chest with extra oxygen enriched cooled water, proved a real showstopper! The supposedly java-laced water looked like regular water from where I stood but the catfish did move quite lively in his race trough.

The winner gets his prize.

After the opening preliminaries which saw some twenty entries vie for semi-finals status. the real elimination rounds got under way. The original twenty-four entries were trimmed down to ten semi-finalists. These contestants were further trimmed down to a final five contestants. And yes, that java-juiced behemoth made the count. In fact he was the ultimate finalist, winning the 2009 Catfish Races Championship for his sponsor. The sponsor won a commemorative trophy honoring his entry, a certificate declaring him grand champion, gift certificates to several restaurants and businesses, and having his name added to the rooster of Catfish Race Champions.

There is a striving side venture of souvenir caps, t-shirts and aprons for sale at the races to complete the festive atmosphere of the day. A great day’s fun and all money raised goes to support the Henry County Literacy Program. Once the races are complete and prizes awarded, the crowds move to the carnival grounds to partake of the amusement rides, arts and crafts vendors hall and that world famous all-you-can-eat catfish dinner. This year there was also a rodeo show added to the line-up along with a mule pull.

The entire fish fry is a family-friendly affair. Young and old, everyone came to the carnival grounds, cruised around the arts and crafts bazar, many rode the rides and other attractions and everyone seemed to eventually go into the dinning hall and settle down at one of the many dinning tables with a heaping plate of good eats. The ten dollar ticket price is a bargain for the return. If you’ve never attended this fun-filled spectacle, do make plans to get here next year. And bring your hardiest appettite. Bon Appetit!!

View more photos of the 2009 Worlds Biggest Fish Fry at our Photo Gallery

[Photos by Turner McCullough Jr.]

At first glance it might seem like a stretch of the imagination, but all you have to do is drop into Paris, Tennessee, in the early spring to know that this annual festival lives up to its proclaimed title.

To begin with, Paris, Tennessee, welcomes visitors to the city with a huge sign and a sculpted catfish — a declaration that fishing and the prospect of Cajun catfish or any kind of catfish fillets are big business here.

Yes, it is about the fishing. And the people who fish. And the people who have businesses that either supply the fisher-folk. And it is about everyone who simply wants to have a good time. Paris, a West Tennessee country community at the edge of Land Between the Lakes, has created an increasingly complex and continually growing festival to supply some very simple down-home fun. It’s fairly obvious that the entire community is behind this event… eagerly awaiting the fairs, the parades, and the infamous “catfish races.”

So where did it all begin?

“Mule Day.” That was a 1938 event sponsored by the Post Intelligencer, the city’s daily newspaper. “Mule Day” picked up on a tradition where farmers came to town on the first day of April to trade mules and farm products, shop, and enjoy a social reunion with friends and neighbors.

Some fifteen years later, with tractors gradually replacing mules in this rural community, the Chamber of Commerce stepped up to the plate, searching for a new venue to replace what was becoming an out-of-date event.

Thus, in 1953, the Chamber sponsored the first Fish Fry., with less than stellar results. The fish fried were not culled from Kentucky Lake, and failed to please the palates of the locals.  The parade fell short as well.  This original iteration was held on a single day at Barton Field.

The event survived, though, and through the 1950′s began to grow. In the Camelot days of 1961, the Paris-Henry County Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) took over the event,and the “World’s Biggest Fish fry” was born.  In those early days the “fry” consumed 1600 pounds of fish, an amount that pales in comparison to today’s five tons of deep fried catfish. Yes, FIVE TONS. Cooked and dished up at the “Bobby” Cox Memorial Fish tent.

Another batch of Hush Puppies...keep 'em coming!

Community and business involvement in “World’s Biggest Fish Fry” brings the community together through many events: beauty pageants, parades, a country fair, tractor pulls, dances, a carnival, Catfish races, and the fish fry itself.

With the 2009 edition of the World’s Biggest Fish Fry just weeks away,  the Jaycees expect to continue the trend of “bigger and better’ every year. The fair has exploded from its “one day” origin to a full week of festivities, and some winter events like the beauty contests that feed into the final “Fish Fry” product.

Meanwhile, the Paris-Henry County community is waiting for more of that southern catfish and some flavorful hush puppies on the side. Me? Well, even though I am a newcomer, I hope to be wrangling a catfish in the races on a Saturday morning in April.

This year’s Fish Fry runs from April 20-27. For more information, visit the website: World’s Biggest Fish Fry.