South West Illinois News

The Knights of Columbus is in the middle of its Annual Fish Fry season and will hold its next Fish Fry on March 4 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, with proceeds benefiting CASA of Jefferson County.

“We have five fish fries each Lenten season and partner with a church/community group with each one,” Lloyd Reinkensmeier, chapter president of the Belleville Diocese, told Southwest Illinois News. “An incentive is built into the fish fry by dividing the profits based on the number of meals that are sold for that particular fish fry. The more patrons an organization can bring to the fish fry, the larger of the amount of dollars they will receive.”

The fish fry includes all-you-can eat fish, hush puppies, french fries, coleslaw, dessert, tea and lemonade for $10 for adults and $6 for children. Attendees can also purchase an eight-piece shrimp dinner with sides for $10, 1 pound of fish for $10 or a bowl of clam chowder for $4.

“We decided the past four years to partner with organizations within our community to give them an opportunity to get some money,” Reinkensmeier said.

Reinkensmeier said each partner helps by promoting the event, and providing desserts and manpower to help out at the Fish Fry.

“Each year we donate thousands of dollars to charitable causes," he said. "We have anywhere from 200 to around 250 patrons (supporting) the fish fry, but we would like to see more."

The next Fish Fry will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Center Gymnasium.

The last Fish Fry for the season will be on March 11.

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men’s charitable organization that provides volunteer service and financial support for the church, family and community. Some of the programs the organization supports are CASA, Life Boat Family Shelter, Angels on Assignment, Intellectual Disability golf scramble, Special Olympics, Trunk or Treat, and Coats for Kids.

Anyone interested in becoming more involved with the Knights of Columbus can contact any officer at the local council in Mt. Vernon, or may visit KofC.org for more information.