Arbala VFD to hold annual fish fry

Arbala Volunteer Fire Department is gearing up for their annual fish fry, which Chief Brian Fairchild calls, “the most important fundraiser of the year.” 

The event will take place on June 6 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. If social distancing measures are still in place, the station will hold drive-though service, the VFD stated. If social distancing measures are lifted, the station will hold the fish fry as normal, the VFD said. 

“If the lockdown is lifted, we encourage you to come inside and make a plate,” the VFD said. “We still do drive-thru/ to go orders for those who want to do that.” 

The catfish is fresh from Lake Fork, the fixins are included, and Fairchild says the money raised during the fundraiser helps sustain the department for the whole year. 

“It’s [the fundraiser] not for a certain thing, it’s to be able to function,” Fairchild said. “It’s what gets us through the year. We’ll buy bunker gear with it, we’ll do maintenance, repairs, buy tires, all that stuff. We need this to make it through until the next one.” 

Arbala VFD has applied to several state and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant programs, but Fairchild says he is unsure if they will receive funds given that hundreds or thousands of fire departments also apply for the grants. For this reason, he says, local fundraising is critical to volunteer departments.