Pay It Forward Vets and Baudette Community Walleye Fry
It’s starting to become a tradition. For the third straight year, the 60 veterans, gold sponsors and guests who are part of the Pay It Forward event at Lake of the Woods will travel into town Saturday night to hang out and break bread with residents of Baudette, MN at the Lake of the Woods County Fairgrounds. “It is really special to bring veterans from around the U.S. to Baudette. This is small town America and everyone is so nice and appreciative of the veterans,” explains Joe Henry, Director of Tourism for Lake of the Woods. “There is something special when the community rubs elbows with our veteran guests and vice versa.”
It is no surprise the meal will be walleye fried to a golden brown, after all, this is The Walleye Capital of the World. In addition to walleye, guests will enjoy some of the traditional fish fry fare such as baked beans, cole slaw, dinner roll, corn on the cob and bacon. This year’s meal again will be a “good will donation”. All proceeds go towards funding the Pay It Forward event.
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The City of Baudette Municipal Liquor Store will provide a bar, volunteers will be frying fish and the Knight Lighters will be playing music all at the Fairgrounds. In addition, there will be some great speakers including Deven Schei of the Wounded Warrior Project. Deven was wounded in the military when he was struck with four 80mm rockets. He has endured 17 surgeries and brings a message of hope and life beyond the military.
Pay It Forward is an event in which 60 injured and disabled veterans are treated to a 3 night / 2 day fishing extravaganza on Lake of the Woods. The purpose of the event is to honor, celebrate and recognize veterans for the purpose of happiness and healing. Generous resorts, businesses and individuals donate lodging, charter boats, captains, food, and certainly finances. All proceeds to go the event.
All are invited to this great event. If you happen to be in town or would like to come up, you are welcomed! Come enjoy some great fish, listen to some great speakers with compelling messages, enjoy great music from the Knight Lighters and rub elbows with some of America’s finest men and women.
To learn more about Pay It Forward, donate, apply for next year’s event if you are a veteran, go to www.PayItForwardLOW.org.
A big thank you to all veterans and all who protect and serve. Without your sacrifices, we certainly would not enjoy the freedoms and quality of life we so take for granted
