Moline's Croatian Crest Club has served up its final fish fry.
On Friday, April 3, 2015, the club closed its doors after 40 years of operation. Hundreds of members, longtime guests, and hungry Quad Citians packed the building on the Rock River for one last fish fry.
Shortly after 5 p.m., the line stretched out the door.
"Wow, we've got a big crowd tonight," remarked Fred Polich, who's been active in the club for the past three decades.
Friday, there was no shortage of happy memories, either.
"One year, they had this big ice jam on the river. The sheriff's department came in here and said everybody's got to evacuate. People were carrying their food out with them. One gal, she poured her drink in a plastic cup, she's hauling it out of here, too," laughed Polich. "Yeah, it was too good to leave behind."
The club was forced to close due to a lack of new, younger members. Bookings for weddings and parties were down, too, as people worried about spring floods. Running the club had simply become a lot of work, Polich explained.
"It's all gotta come to an end, you can't go on forever," said Polich. "But oh, it's been a good run."
Sylvia Penca and Helen Yakovich sat around one table, reminiscing about the club's glory days.
"Oh, all the picnics and Christmas parties, weddings and dances," said Penca. "At the fish fry, the gal would bring her old concertina, and we'd all polka around here."
"Oh gosh, there's so many favorite memories. But we got old, that's the trouble," laughed Yakovich.
In the kitchen, Carol Simatovich fried the fish, expecting to go through all 240 catfish by the end of the evening. Like many at the club, she was saddened to see it all end.
"We won't know what to do with ourselves on Fridays," said Simatovich.
With the help of hundreds of old friends, though, Simatovich and the rest of the Croatian Crest Club were able to celebrate four decades of family and memories.