Salmon Supper a labor of love

PAYSON — Feeding the 4,000 who attended the 56th annual Salmon Supper on Friday was a labor of love for dozens of volunteers.

Tuesday, two shifts of more than 30 volunteers had each scrubbed 4,000 potatoes in Payson Junior High's cafeteria. Then on Wednesday as many volunteers pitched in again to pack 4,000 containers with coleslaw. The volunteers, hungry to help, include high school cheerleaders, the football team and the Paysetters drill team, who use the supper as a fund-raiser.

"The whole community gets involved," said Coralee Wilson, the city's event coordinator. Many come every year.

"They love it, It's the craziest thing," City Councilwoman Jolynn Ford said.

Thursday night the scrubbed spuds went into the bakery ovens at Payson Market, initiating an all-night vigil. Volunteers also prepared corn on the cob and rolls and cookies from scratch for the expected 4,000, many of whom arrived in chartered buses from around the state.

Friday morning the Payson High School Lions football team jogged from the high school more than a mile away to Payson Memorial Park, the traditional site of the feast, to set up 1,200 chairs and 150 tables. It took about an hour, Wilson said.

"Then they jogged back," she said.

For several years the city's Parks Department handled that task, which took all day.

The main course — salmon from Washington State — arrived packed in ice in time for at least 20 firefighters to fire up a long line of barbecue grills. The wood of choice: apple wood that's collected all year from local orchards.

"They're in full gear because of the heat," Ford said. "That's really the fun part — watching them. I'm from the Northwest and this is the best (salmon) I've ever had."

Firefighters keep a fire truck on hand, just is case, she said.

For Wilson, getting the event ready started last spring with rounding up the volunteers and selecting the entertainment.

Entertainment this year included the IMB belly dancers from Santaquin, a performance by Miss Payson, Jamie Stanton, and her attendants and a pair of vocalists, all donating their time.

Salmon prices have been rising because of a fish disease that began in Chile in 2007. The earthquake in Chile last February also hurt the industry, Wilson said. Chile produces much of the world's salmon, she said. So when the industry is hurt there, prices rise worldwide.

For the Salmon Supper that meant about a dollar increase per pound over last year. The total spent on the salmon this year totaled about $27,000, she said. All told, the supper cost some $40,000. The city charges $15 for each dinner, with volunteers eating free of charge.

Traditionally The Salmon Supper raises money for the parks department, although last year the city budget fell short, so the parks realized nothing, said parks director Gordon White. This year the departments hope to raise as much as $8,000, Ford said.

"I'd like to put it toward new park tables," White said.

Email: rodger@desnews.com