'Best Fish Fry Around' Run By Knights of Columbus Right Here in Marion

For those humble people out there, it's always nice to have friends who brag when you won't.

"He won't say it, so I will, he and his wife run the best fish fry around," Harold Cramer, 77, of Marion, said of the fish fry put on by Dave Van Gorp, 78, of Marion. "They have the home made pies, the coffee and fish and everything you want to eat."

Dave and wife Eileen Van Gorp have been running the fish fry for the Knights of Columbus in Marion since 1999. That's nearly a quarter of a century, if you're keeping score.

Find a fish fry: 2013 Lenten Fish Fry Guide for Marion, Cedar Rapids

People come at 3:30 p.m. to get a ticket and then wait in a line that can run out the door while service is going. They'll serve hundreds of people each Friday, including nearly 600 on one recent serving.

The meal includes all-you-can eat baked or fried fish along with baked or fried potatoes, coleslaw, Texas toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, drink and dessert. Adults $8, children 6-10 $4, 5 and under free.

Van Gorp attributes to the success to the recipe - as well as the 75 volunteers that prepare and serve the food each week

"We bake and fry the fish. The cooks have a special recipe and they don't let me in the kitchen," Van Gorp said.

Don't forget about the draw of Mrs. Van Gorp's pies.

"My wife spends the day baking pies with the ladies," Van Gorp said.