Occidental Masonic Lodge No. 72 members, Cam Hardy, Carl Christianson, Warren Aakervik, Dave Powell, Steve Daly and Elmer Talivara standing in front of one of two new cookers the lodge donated this year.
The 26th Annual Fishermen's Fall Festival welcomed home the North Pacific fishing fleet Saturday, October 4.
On a sunny afternoon throngs of fish-fanatics crowded Fishermen’s Terminal to taste this year’s harvest, welcome home the fishers and honor the men and women who have lost their lives at sea.
This was a special year for Fishermen’s Terminal as they celebrated their centennial after being dedicated on January 10, 1914
This year volunteers from Occidental Masonic Lodge No. 72 manned the alder smokers where huge fillets of fresh Coho salmon were prepared for hungry festivalgoers.
Warren Aakervik (Ret.) of Ballard Oil has been barbecuing at the festival since its inception 25 years ago. Aakervick was “supervising” the crew with a heavy hand and a smile.
“There are quite a few volunteers from the Occidental Lodge this year, and I’ve taught them what I know and they are really stepping up. … It’s my commitment to the industry to show what they do for us,” said Aackervik.
The lodge donated two new cookers this year, and lodge members said they are more efficient and can smoke more salmon than the older cookers.
Pollock, crab and some rare species of deep-sea fish were on display for public viewing, giving a glimpse of what fishers pull from the sea in tons.
In addition, the Survival Suit Race was a hit with crowds astonished by the brave swimmer jumping off the pier into Salmon Bay.
