Deutschburg celebrates 63rd annual Seafood Benefit

   Tucked away on an edge of Jackson County, between Francitas and Cape Carancahua, sits the community of    Deutschburg, a speck on the map that is little more than an old school house that serves as a community center. 

   Once a year, however, that little community center springs to life, with the sounds of fryers, the “glug glug glug” of the sweet tea being poured, and the rambling of an auctioneer.  

   The annual Deutschburg Community Club Seafood Benefit, always held on the last Saturday in January, brings hundreds of Jackson and Matagorda County residents to the tiny community, and raises funds for charitable organizations in Matagorda and Jackson Counties. On Jan. 30, at the 63rd annual gathering, people from all over drove to Deutschburg to eat their fill of fried seafood and homemade cakes while contributing to causes like Boys and Girls' Clubs, local fire departments, and scholarships for high school students. 

   The beginnings of the fish fry and fundraiser are more heart wrenching.

   “63 years ago my husband’s grandmother wanted to do something for two different children in the Deutschburg area that had been struck by polio,” said Amy Kubecka, “She had the idea to do a March of Dimes fundraiser, and of course, living where we do, they came up with ‘Well, we’ll fry seafood, and we’ll serve rice.’ It was a big success, and they did it for a couple more years, and then about three years in her own son got Polio. When Polio was finally cured, they kept it up and now they dole out money to different organizations in the community.”

   This year’s annual event also featured a raffle, which would fund upgrades and repairs to the aging building, and served fish to 1075 people. Final calculations haven’t been done on exactly how much money was raised, but the cake auction alone raised over $7,000. 

   The yearly event is hosted by the Deutschburg Community Club, a small group whose membership is made up of  “whoever shows up,” according to Kubecka.

  Most would agree that “whoever shows up” has been doing a fantastic job of arranging a fish fry, for the past 63 years.