08/24/2026
We’re still trying to wrap our heads around just how incredible Saturday was.
Our first big event is officially in the books, and the Johnny’s Community Fish Fry went better than we ever could have hoped. We learned a whole lot—what worked, what didn’t work quite as well, what we’ll do differently next time—and most importantly, we learned all over again just how incredible the people of Long Lane and the surrounding communities really are.
We are humbled, grateful, exhausted, and probably going to be finding stray spiral potatoes for the next six months. 😂
A huge thank-you to our awesome vendors!
Ekernel Bliss came out with some absolutely delicious kettle corn and cotton candy—the kind of nostalgic goodness that makes you forget you’re a grown adult until you’ve eaten roughly a five-gallon bucket of it and start questioning your life choices.
And Iced Up kept everybody cool and refreshed through the chaos. We’re still not sure whether the guests or the Johnny’s crew drank more of those drinks, but we are pretty sure we could survive indefinitely on that lemonade.
But we also need to give a very special thank-you to some folks who weren’t scheduled, weren’t asked, and sure as heck weren’t getting paid—but saw that we needed a hand and jumped right in anyway.
Kendall Moore, who hauled in what felt like the majority of the venue on a truck and trailer, then jumped right in helping us unload and get everything set up.
Kevin & Sherry Bennett, who not only showed up with another cooker, but proceeded to help cook an actual mountain of food.
Eric Cook, who showed up early with one question: “How can I help?” Then spent the day being a walking representation of Semper Fi.
Jeremy Evans, who whirled taters like nobody’s business and, as always, helped get the word out and make sure people knew what Johnny’s had going on.
And to every single person who grabbed a trash bag, carried a table, handed out a plate, moved a chair, hauled something, cleaned something, cooked something, or simply saw something that needed doing and did it—thank you.
That part means more to us than we can properly put into words.
Yesterday wasn’t just a successful fish fry. It was a reminder of why we love this place.
There’s something special about a community where people don’t just show up to eat—they show up for each other.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Long Lane. Thank you to everyone who drove in from the surrounding communities. Thank you to our vendors, our volunteers, our friends, our families, and every person who spent part of their Saturday with us.
We’ll take everything we learned, keep the good stuff, fix the rough spots, and make the next one even better.
But for our first big swing at something like this?
Y’all made it one heck of a day. ❤️
— The Johnny’s Crew
