[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6058]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             THE WORLD'S BIGGEST FISH FRY, PARIS TENNESSEE

  (Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
World's Biggest Fish Fry, which happens to be this week in Paris, 
Tennessee. Each year at the end of April, people from all across the 
country travel to west Tennessee to take part in a week-long 
celebration that includes parades, a carnival, rodeos, dances, catfish 
races, and much more.
  The Fish Fry, as folks call it in west Tennessee, originated in 1938 
as one of the many ``Mule Days,'' when farmers gathered to trade their 
products, do their shopping, and enjoy the fellowship of their 
community.
  By the 1950s, the tractor replaced the mule, so the good citizens of 
Paris and Henry County started a new event that is now known in west 
Tennessee and around the country to be ``The World's Biggest Fish 
Fry.''
  The festival ends with the main event this Friday, April 28, when 
more than 5 tons of catfish will be cooked, leading up to a grand 2-
hour finale of parades.
  I thank the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce for their 
leadership in preserving this great west Tennessee tradition.

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