CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – The Fish Fry at Our lady of the Pillar Catholic Church was a go Friday evening. 

Due to the incoming weather, crowds started to ramp up 30 minutes before the event even began, which was set for 4:30 p.m.

John Mueller, chairman of the Fish Fry, said they have been cooking and setting up all day for this highly anticipated weekly event. 

All in all, they do 7 Fish Fry Fridays because they also plan to host on Good Friday.

Mueller also said that in his 20 years of helping with the Fish Frys, they’ve only had to evacuate one time, which was for the Good Friday tornado in 2011. On that evening, they evacuated the dining area and everyone took shelter in the school’s hallway. 

Organizers plan to have everyone home safe ahead of the storms and those attending early say that was part of their motivation.

“We watched the weather earlier in the week. We’re expecting an early crowd,” Mueller said. “We’re open from 4:30 to 7:30 and I believe the forecast said stuff was going to start around 7 or 8. We expect again (an) early crowd and hopefully we’re all out of here.”

One local who was out today in the windy weather was Mike Schwarz.

“Yeah, after 7 o’clock tonight it sounds like it’s going to get pretty bad but we’ll be home and in our jammies by then,” Schwarz said. 

Many events were canceled Friday evening. 

Webster Groves postponed their state sectional basketball game until tomorrow afternoon. Parkway School District also canceled all activities after 5:30 p.m., and the St. Louis Zoo canceled their Animals Aglow event.