Back in the 50's (probably started sooner!), the entire Harmony (no "town", just a scattered gathering of families) community would go down on the creek (Town Creek?) and set hooks and noodle. Saturday afternoon, the entire community would gather and have a huge fish fry!
Woodrow Wall was the "cook". I can still see Woodrow tending his two huge cast iron kettles under the post oak trees.
The women would bring him paper sacks filled with mealed fish which he would carefully add to the boiling cauldrons on hog lard!
Inside the community center, long tables filled with cole slaw, fries, hushpuppies, catsup, tartar sauce, pickles, onions and whatever else someone thought would go with fish.
The west wall was another set of tables filled with desserts! Pies, cakes, brownies, cookies and just about any type cobbler you could think of.
Fill your plate and take it out to Woodrow! He would load it (if there was any room left) with fresh, piping hot fried fish!
Didn't take long to be able to identify Aunt Maggie's hush puppies! Delicious!
Aunt Mamie's blackberry cobbler was almost better than Woodrow's fish!
As long as there was fish, Woodrow would seine piping hot, floating fish onto your plate.
Woodrow was soft spoken and very kind to kids. Quick to smile and laugh as he tended his kettles.
Only after Woodrow passed did I find out that he was a WWII vet with a Bronze Star w/oak leaf cluster.
