When the Decatur County Fair comes to town every year, residents look forward to different things. The children look forward to rides and games, 4-H students look forward to the livestock shows, and the adults, for the most part, look forward to the food.

And no where is fair food more popular than under the awning surrounding the Letts Fish fryers.

The fish from Letts has become a staple of the Decatur County Fair, and something citizens excitedly expect every year. Established and put on by the Letts Volunteer Fire Department, the event has garnered a unique reputation around the county for delicious fish and low prices.

Letts Fire Chief Matt Morrow has been presiding over the fish fry for 16 years, though the inaugural fish fry took place exactly 25 years ago.

“Twenty-five years ago, it started out in a tent with 300 pounds of fish,” Morrow explained. “Now, we go through 300 pounds of fish in half a day.”

The fish fry has become an event unto itself. The department now goes through more than 5,000 pounds of fish during fair week, according to firefighter and event treasurer Rob Baltus. In addition to the massive amounts of fish, the Letts firefighters also distribute approximately 1,200 pounds of tenderloin and about 3,600 pounds of frying oil to make the meals.

Morrow attributes the continued success of the fish fry to many things.

According to him, there are not many fish places in town. The Letts Volunteer Fire Department provides delicious fish for a good cause, Morrow said.

The fryers usually start up around lunchtime, but Morrow noted that when customers come earlier and ask for fish, he cannot deny their request. But the biggest crowds always come during noon hours and the dinner rush, he said.

The funds generated by the fish fry will all go to help purchase new equipment at the fire house in Letts. The fire department’s stand at the fair has about 2,000 people a day going through the line, so the fryers stay very busy, Morrow said. With customer numbers reaching into the thousands, the fire department often calls on volunteers to help out.

The department has 36 firemen, Morrow said, but many of them work during the day and cannot make it out to the fair.

“If it wasn’t for the community support, we couldn’t do it,” Morrow said.

There are about 80 volunteers that help out throughout the week, and it is something both the volunteers and the fire department look forward to.

“The biggest thing is the people that come and help us out,” Morrow explained. “It’s unbelievable.”

The help is especially appreciated when the lines get long and demand for the fish is high. Westport resident Denise Butler noted, just before she bit into her fresh fish sandwich, that she comes to the fish fry every year.