By Jennifer Turner
Cheerleaders passed out water cups to the hundreds of people standing in line, waiting to experience Payson''s annual Salmon Supper.
The Salmon Supper, a Payson tradition, brings together thousands of people to raise money for the city''s Parks and Recreation Department. In the past, money raised from the dinner has gone to buy new park benches and play structures, and this year it will be used for similar items.
To accommodate such a large crowd and give room for the salmon to be grilled, police shut down nearby streets.
City officials predicted about 4,000 people would attend the event, where 3,500 pounds of salmon were cooked.
'It''s amazing,' said Clea Comte, Salmon Supper volunteer. 'We''ve served tons of people, and what''s neat is that all these older people who never get out to anything can come. It''s nice that they have a place to come and have fun.'
Elaine Openshaw, a city employee volunteering at the event, said in the past they have ended up selling more tickets than they''ve had food. She said there''s always plenty of fish, but occasionally they will run out of the side dishes.
Openshaw said the fish is so good that there are always people at the end of the event who want to buy the extra salmon.
Volunteers from the local fire department pitched in to help grill the salmon. There was so much salmon that it took 30 volunteers working all night to cook it all.
The salmon was cooked by lining up about nine pieces of fish on boards made out of fruitwood and then putting the boards onto huge metal racks that were placed over open fires that lined the sand covered streets. The firefighters waited until the fires cooled to smoldering coals, and then cooked the salmon for about an hour, seasoning it with salt and butter. The salmon was served with side dishes of coleslaw, rolls, corn, baked potatoes, brownies and cookies.
Local firefighter Stan Spencer has been helping with the event for almost 40 years.
'It''s a good project,' he said. 'It''s fun to help out for the city.'
But food wasn''t the only thing the night had to offer.
Local music bands such as the Dalton Brothers and Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band performed. The crowds were also entertained with cowboy poetry. Door prizes were given out to lucky individuals who had the winning tickets in the raffle.
Miss Payson 2004 Carlee Johnson helped emcee for the night and gave out the door prizes.
'It''s awesome how the community comes together,' she said. 'It''s like a big family reunion for everyone that comes from Utah County.'
Volunteers of all ages, young and old, helped out. The city youth council was there, along with high school sports teams such as the football team, cheerleaders and drill team.
Student picked up trays, passed out water and helped carry food for the elderly.
'This is one of the best events we''ve volunteered at,' said Kelsey Morrison, a Payson High School cheerleader.
Many senior citizens attended the event, but there were also many families there. Inflatable rides were provided for children to play on.
'Tonight''s pretty exciting,' said Brittanianne, a young girl from Santaquin. 'When I first got here, I ran straight to it and got in and jumped.'
Local residents Jack Nixon, Jack Olsen and Carl Smith said their main reason for coming was the food.
'We''re hungry,' they said.