The herring fry had been circled on my calendar for weeks, but Saturday pulled me in another direction. So I did the next best thing: I sent spies. My parents were already planning to go, making them perfect agents for the assignment.
The 5th Annual Herring Fry & Oktoberfest took over the Green Door in Beaver Bay from 11 a.m. into the late afternoon. Ten dollars at the door bought you all-you-caneat herring, locally sourced from the Beaver River and cleaned and prepped by the Maxwell crew. It came with housemade tartar sauce and potato chips, while hot dogs and sausages covered anyone who wasn’t feeling fishy.
Mom wasn’t there for the herring; she was there for The Northwoods Band, who provided the music. She’s a fan. Dad reported that their repertoire was wide, which is my favorite kind of repertoire. As for the food, he admitted he’d only ever eaten pickled herring, but he was willing to give the fried version a try.
In full grandma mode, mom paid attention to the kid scene. She said the giant bouncy house was busy all afternoon, with a steady rotation of children tumbling in and out.
The line for food never seemed to shrink. People were getting their fill, and the weather helped. It was one of those warm, bright October days when “leafers” pack Highway
The Green Door leaned into the Oktoberfest side of the celebration with beer games and a meat raffle hosted by North Shore Area Partners. Outside, a tent and fire gave people a place to gather and roast complimentary s’mores. With music, food, sunshine, and neighbors settling in for the afternoon, the event felt like the whole North Shore had come out to enjoy the season.
My spies also reported on the steinholding contest. The men went first, followed by the women, with each contestant holding a full stein of beer straight out in front for as long as possible. Dad said the men lasted longer. I told him the women probably realized they had better things to do, like drink the beer.
I was disappointed to miss it, but glad to get some work done while my super-secret spies gathered the scoop. Their report: fried herring, live music, s’mores, sunshine, and a crowd made for a beautiful October day in Beaver Bay.
