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Stephen prepares wood strips into a teepee, so that the fire can be ignited to kick off the Essex Rotary Club Annual Shad Bake.

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A bed of sand about 4" thick is placed on the ground for the cooking fire to be built on. This helps to protect the asphalt ground from the intense heat. The metal pans you see around the edges of the sand are the drip pans that collect the drippings from the Shad as it is cooking.

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The stacked wood planks are ignited and burst into flames, officially kicking of the Shad Bake Family Picnic Day! Soon nearly 700-1000 people will be arriving for a wonderful evening of Live Jazz Music with friends and family, along with a great cooked Shad fish meal.

For the Children, and those who are not fond of fish, BBQ Chicken and Grilled Hot Dogs are also available in lieu of Shad Fillets.

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Herb carefully nails the de-boned Shad Fish Fillets to the Oak Planks so that they can be cooked. Two strips of Pork Salt are used in conjunction with 4 NEW roofing nails to strap each fillet of Shad onto the boards. 8 Shad fish fillets are nailed to each board.

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Melissa and Deb apply butter, and a "SECRET" seasoning to the fillets of Shad. this is the last thing that is done with the Shad before it is stacked, and waiting for it's time at the ring of fire.

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Here the boneless fillets of Shad boards are stacked, awaiting their turn to be cooked at the ring of fire, and served to the guests of the Essex Rotary Club.

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The first oak boards are put too the fire at about 3:45 pm, which is about 45 minutes before the first meal is scheduled to be served to the guests who will be expecting the first servings to occur at 4:30 pm.

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Tim oversees the 16 shad covered Oak planks around the 16 foot wide ring of fire. He is one of 4 Rotarians that have the prestigious job title of "fire crew" who are responsible for overseeing the safety of the fire, and to ensure the fish are cooking evenly.

Occasionally an oil fire will occur from the drippings getting too hot. The ever watchful eyes of the "Fire Crew" attentively extinguish these small fires.

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Two Oak Plank Boards with Shad Fish that is ready to be served. These two boards will serve 32 hungry people, along with other fixings like Corn on the Cob, Cole Slaw, Salad, Apple Pie, and beans.

For the Children, and some adults who are not fond of fish, BBQ Chicken and Grilled Hot Dogs are also available in lieu of Shad Fillets.

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Some guests enjoy bringing out their fine weekend cars when the weather is beautiful much like it was the day this photo was taken.

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Early birds are showing up, and bringing their picnic blankets, folding chairs, and favorite beverages to enjoy with their shad meal, which is about to be served.

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An Old Fashioned Woody Pickup arrives with two antique milk cans onboard. A fine site to the eyes of Antique Car Enthusiasts & Collectors.

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New in 2005... the kids inflatable Fire truck slide. It was such a huge success, that in 2006, we will have three inflatable rides for the kids to enjoy.

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Brother and Sister holding hands as they free fall down the huge fire truck slide. Now how much fun do you think the kids were having?

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Over a dozen enthusiastic kids impatiently await their turn to go down the huge fire truck slide. Every child had several opportunities to enjoy a ride. This was a Huge hit in 2005.

Because this ONE ride was such a huge hit in 2005, the club will be bringing in 3 inflatable rides in 2006!

Parents NOTE: Your children will likely be fast asleep when you get home, after they tire out from all of the fun rides.

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Another Old Fashioned Woody Wagon catches the attention of many picnickers on the front lawn of the Essex Elementary School.

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One of the Main attractions of the bake is the denailing station, where the roofing nails used to hold the Shad fillets onto the oak planks, are mechanically removed by hand. The contraption not only removes the nails, but it also sucks them into a vacuum system. It is only fitting to mention that comical device was designed by two dentists over 30 years ago, and is still operated by a minimum of two local dentists, Ernie and Peter.

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Onlookers are amazed by the ingenious de-nailing contraption, and the procedure involved with removing the nails just prior to serving these freshly fire baked fillets of Connecticut River Shad.

Many people frequently take many photographs of this unique public display.

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Another classic car makes it's appearance on the front lawn.

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Two Rotarians pose for a Coca Cola photo op, to promote the new Vanilla Coke.

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Inside the school cafeteria, many guests who did not prepare for a lawn picnic enjoy their meal with plenty of tables and seating indoors.

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Yes, this is a Shad Bake, but for the kids who do not like fish, there is also the option of BBQ Chicken, and fresh Grilled Hot dogs.

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The Eastern half of the Elementary School's front lawn, with a view to the very popular fire truck ride for the children in the distance.

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A content group of guests enjoy their shad with a favorite bottle of white wine which the have brought with them.

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As darkness sets in, the last few boards of Shad cook around what remains of the 16 foot round ring of fire.

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Peter empties the dripping pans of fish oil into the simmering red fire coals, causing a large fire burst that lasts for several seconds. It is the last gasps of excitement around the ring of fire, until next year.