65th annual World’s Biggest Fish Fry kicks off in Paris

PARIS, Tenn. — A premier event for the city of Paris kicked off its 65th year. The “World’s Biggest Fish Fry” is being held at the Henry County Fairgrounds, featuring all-you-can-eat catfish and much more.

Organizers kicked off the World’s Biggest Fish Fry with a hush puppy toss.

“We expect to cook somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 pounds of hot, fresh catfish,” Fish Tent Chairman David “Tater” Hayes said.

Hayes said along with catfish they probably will serve around 58,000 hush puppies.

“We’re doing hush puppies, and it takes lots of us to do that,” fish fry cook Jeff Morris said.

Along with the food, there are plenty of carnival rides and sweet treats for the kids to enjoy. Some say the fish fry is a chance to reconnect with people they have not seen all year.

“All the people back there serving the fish, cooking the fish, we’ve all done this for years, so it’s just kind of like a big family gathering. Everybody loves to come out and hang out,” Hayes said.

One attendee said the catfish in Paris is something special. “I love the fish here, and I don’t like fish,” attendee Roxann Mayhew said. “I love the fish here. That’s like the only fish I eat, so I would say it’s pretty good.”

Several members of the Buchanan Masonic Lodge are holding it down in the fish tent, making sure everyone is fed.

“We don’t look at it as a chore or a job,” Morris said. “Fish fry week comes around, we all know we’re going to be here, we know what we’re going to do, and it’s just fun.”

The fish fry will run from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. until Sunday. All-you-can-eat fish for adults is $12 and $8 for children 6 to 10 years old.

Also, don’t forget about the annual World’s Biggest Fish Fry Grand Parade starting at 10 a.m. Friday.