Dodson Fish Market has closed doors By Tom Kelly Scripture tells us that after preaching to the crowd, Jesus took five small loaves and two fishes and fed five thousand people in an afternoon. Recounting the story of a career in a small town restaurant, Dodson Mayor Loyd E. Vines said that in 1982 he and his step-father took an investment of $100 to buy a load of fresh fish, and started a fresh fish peddling operation which turned into a dine-in eatery. Who could prove us wrong if we estimated that over some 28 years the Dodson Fish market fed upwards of a quarter-million people or more. And now that's over. Early in August, Mayor Vines and his wife, Mrs. Nedra Smith Vines, sat down to talk it over. At soon-to-be age 65, while appearing in robust health, he is pulled between duties as Dodson's Mayor and daily chores at the fish market, including travel all over North Louisiana collecting supplies and inventory. She is getting tired of the long hours in the daily grind of working and supervising in the kitchen. They both fret about the ever-escalating prices of supplies, overhead, and the uncertainty of keeping good help. And the ongoing construction on U.S. Highway 167 right outside their front door which has shaved off a hefty slice of their roadside parking has not helped a great deal, either. So, after a lot of thought, Loyd and Nedra decided to close the doors and call it quits for the Dodson Fish Market. The business began as a door-to-door fish peddling operation started by Vines' mother, Pauline, and her husband, Pola Alamond. They began selling fish from the back porch at their home north of Dodson, then making deliveries. Loyd and his step-father Pola worked together for a time, selling fresh fish. During this time, Loyd was working at a mill in Winnfield and Nedra worked at WalMart. Eventually, Loyd and Nedra fixed up a small building in back of their trailer and began selling fish. Things grew from that, with a couple of additions and extensions, to the present location on a piece of property they acquired along U.S. Highway 167 in Dodson. In the beginning, the market only sold fresh fish, but after several inquiries from travelers asking if they cooked fish, Nedra quit her job at WalMart and they began cooking fish for dining in. Through the years, the Dodson Fish market became a favorite spot for locals and for travelers from all over. The fish had a distinctive flavor, not only from the cooking techniques, but Loyd only used river catfish and buffalo, which he bought regularly from commercial fishermen on the Mississippi River at Vidalia. Over time the menu came to include other favorites including shrimp alligator, burgers, even a country-boy favorite, fried bologna sandwiches. But the all-time favorite was probably the "small cat with hushpuppies" plate. Another factor in the decision to close was the declining availability of fresh river fish, as the commercial fishermen began to slow down with age. The Market built a unique inventory of Louisiana-made products, including a wide array of sauces, james, jellies, stone-ground cornmeal, cane syrup, in-season the popular Saline watermelons, and candies, including the popular peanut patties in the large cartwheel size which older folk remember buying in the Depression years for a nickel and which ended up selling for $2.39 and were hard to keep in stock even at that price. Loyd traveled throughout North Louisiana to find and stock the popular regional favorites. Loyd and Nedra's daughter, Karla Higgs, and her son Colin, were regulars on the staff, with other local folks helping with cooking and serving. The family was hard-hit with the death of another grandson, Justin, who died five years ago of heart failure at age 20. He was a popular member of the Dodson Volunteer Fire Department, and also assisted in the Fish Market restaurant. Loyd is serving his third term as Mayor of Dodson, after being elected to the Winn Parish Police Jury twice. He resigned the Police Jury, where he was serving as president, 15 years ago to run unopposed for Mayor of Dodson, when the long-time Mayor A.J. Wendt decided to retire. He says his present intention is to run for a four term as Mayor in 2010. The story of the Dodson Fish Market, told in the owners' own words, is available on-line at www.Dodsonfishmarket.com . |