Fish Fry evokes flashbacks

One city council member’s vote was all that saved the Lions Club Fish Fry this year — a far cry from the days when Charles TeWinkle and the other four members of the council were all Lions, promoting the event from their seats of municipal power.

Back in those days, the fry had a big, well-attended parade down Harbor Boulevard and a Miss Costa Mesa beauty pageant. Everyone who was everyone in the city came down, as shown in pictures and video at the booth sponsored by the Costa Mesa Historical Society at this year’s fair.

Even Betty Ford’s team of black suit-clad secret service agents made an appearance at the fry in the ’70s, but Ford herself never made an appearance, organizer Mike Scheafer recalls.

Conrad Scheafer, Mike’s dad, was president of the organization back then, and he was all set to meet Ford on the stage, “but she was too inebriated to come out,” Mike said. “She was taken to rehab in the naval hospital in Long Beach the same day.”

And thus the Costa Mesa Fish Fry was indirectly the impetus behind the Betty Ford Center, and the impetus of one of Mike’s favorite stories.

Since those days much has changed for the 61-year-old festival. No parade, no beauty pageant. The old metal military aircraft with wires hanging out and sharp edges has been covered with cement to make it less dangerous for the kids who play on it.

But thousands still come with their families and enjoy fried fish sticks and carnival rides.

Dirk Wilson was doing just that Saturday afternoon, sitting at the wooden park benches with his wife, Sharie, and his father, Bob. He’s been coming to the event since he was a child, since the ’50s, and says it still has the same friendly atmosphere.

“[The fair] probably hasn’t changed, but I have,” Dirk said, remembering how he liked to play the ring toss and ping-pong toss, in which you throw a tiny ball into a cup of water to win a goldfish.

Kids ran around Lions Park playing those same games and many others Saturday. Scheafer estimated a turnout of about 5,000 people for the day, which he said was an impressively high turnout for a Saturday.

Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions membership has dropped in the recent years, but other organizations like the local Boys & Girls Club and Sea Scouts have stepped up to volunteer as fish chefs and organizers, said five-year Lion John Taylor.

“We support them, and they support us,” Taylor said, pointing out that money raised by the event benefits local charities.

Maybe the Lions don’t have the Stone Mason-like status that they were once legendary for, running the city with impunity, but the Fish Fry is still a Costa Mesa institution.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.