The historic Green Door Smelt Fry returns to Beaver Bay on Saturday, May 16th, 2026. Featuring all-you-can-eat fried smelt using the original Green Door recipe dating back to the first smelt fry hosted by the Beaver Bay Fire Department in 1958 along with a basket of tartar sauce, coleslaw, potato chips, and that classic carton of orange drink. Fried smelt will be served from 11:00am-4:00pm from the Baptism River Barbecue Co. food truck.

This family friendly event will include live music all day provided by the Green Door Municipal Bar, Lovin’ Lake County, and the City of Beaver Bay. The Outdoor Sports Expo will feature booths of vendors, local outdoor and adventure businesses, and a silent auction benefiting local Outdoor Youth Sports in Lake County.

$10 pre-sale tickets are available now through May 9th, 2026 at three convenient locations including the Green Door in Beaver Bay, Julie’s True Value in Silver Bay, or the Finland Co-op General Store. Pre-sale tickets are also available in the “online shop” via baptismriverbbq.com. Pre-sale tickets help us predict how much smelt to prepare so there is enough to go around. Tickets will be available on the day of the event for $15. All proceeds go into the Beaver Bay Smelt Fry fund to keep this event going and expand it each year. Tickets are not required to attend the event, but are required for the all-you-can-eat smelt. We expect to sell out of tickets before the date of the event so plan to get yours sooner rather than later!