August 24, 2005
Fish boil hooks diners
Grand Traverse Heritage Center serves up traditional community meal
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
A traditional fish boil has a rhythm to it: heat a large pot of water and add the potatoes. Then a bit later, put in the onions followed shortly after by the corn. The fish, the star of the show, goes in last.
When the pot boils over, sending up hisses of steam, everything is done and ready to eat.
Dipping into beach repasts of a bygone era, 90 people showed up at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center Saturday for a plate of white fish, sweet corn, new potatoes and onions. The fish boil was part of the center's Recreational Fishing display, which runs through the end of September.
The morning's gloomy skies chased the picnic indoors but the cooks stayed outside under a tent. Afternoon sun allowed the band White Pacific to perform sets of classic rock 'n' roll hits in front of the museum. Children fished for a variety of Great Lakes fish in a plastic swimming pool; one small girl eagerly 'fried' each of her catches on the sidewalk.
Bob and Nancy Doughty of Elmwood Township attended their first fish boil and also enjoyed the exhibit on recreational fishing.
"The food was good, I'm not sure whether he was kidding or not when he said he caught the fish this morning," said Bob Doughty of the cooks. "I went to a lobster boil once in Maine where they had lobsters, clams and corn."
A trio from Hockey Heroes performed the culinary (and teasing) honors for the event, steaming 75 pounds of - purchased, not caught - white fish in three hours. The cooks used turkey roasters for pans and heated them with propane in place of a fire pit.
Despite never having attended a fish boil before - either as a cook or diner - they picked up the basics quickly.
"The key to a fish boil is that you have to cut the whole fish into steaks," said Dan Bloomquist, a manager at the restaurant. "If you use fillets, the fish falls apart and goes all over the place in the boil."
The event raised $400 for the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, money that will go toward general operations. Saturday's mission extended beyond the money, noted Dan Truckey, executive director of the center.
"We thought it went well and were very happy with the turnout - a lot of [our events] are friendraisers as well as fund-raisers," he said.
The Recreational Fishing display includes information on Great Lakes fishing history, identifies threats to the lakes that started last century and what is being done to solve these problems. A timeline illustrates the decline of fish population in the lakes, pointing to causes such as over fishing, wetland destruction and dredging, pollution and invasive and exotic species.
The exhibit also showcases antique tackle, including reels, nets, children's equipment, hooks, lures, fishing baskets and knives. Cases feature items on loan from the local collections of George Richie of Honor, Walt Feiger of Traverse City and William Steffler of Grawn. Larger items include a lake trout fishing rod, a spring gaff, a whirlway rod and reel and a fish spear.
Future exhibits at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center include the annual Heritage Days on September 16 and 17 plus an exhibit of photography by S. E. Wait, which will open October 1.
The Adams Fly exhibit will be available through December and the Recreational Fishing display will be shown through the end of September. The Grand Traverse Heritage Center, 322 Sixth St., is open on Tuesday through Friday from noon-4 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission is by a suggested donation. For more information, call 995-0313.