Lyles Park Fish Fry to be August 8 in support of Leerah Gilbert
Members of our community are once again coming together in support of Leerah Gilbert, the six-year-old girl who has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia since last fall. The next Lyles Fish Fry, set for Saturday, August 8 from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Lyles Park (5581 E Old 56, Salem), has been dedicated as a fundraiser for Leerah and her family. This past week, we had the absolute pleasure of doing a photo shoot with Leerah! Enjoy photos from the shoot throughout this article.
The Lyles family, which regularly hosts fish fries to cover things such as the park’s insurance, property taxes, and upkeep, is treating this event as one of their own, and they will only be reimbursed for the cost of the food. The rest goes directly to the Gilbert family.
Adults are asked for a minimum donation of $15. Children ages 4 to 9 are $8, and those 3 and under are free. The meal will include fish, pulled pork, sides, homemade desserts, and drinks. Live music is planned, with local band “Cale Storm” making an appearance. Members include Cale Kearschner, Jon Bierly and Nathan Smith. In addition to food and music, there will be many raffle prizes to win!
Featured raffle prizes include a .308 Savage rifle with scope (donated by Kim and Karen McGinnis), four Holiday World tickets (donated by the Stingel family), and 20 pounds of ground beef (donated by Jeff and Tonya Naugle). Many more prizes will be available to win, but those are the big ticket items.
Leerah is currently in phase 6 of a 10-phase treatment plan. She was diagnosed in late 2025 and began treatment in November. Recent months have been especially hard. One protocol required her to wear a continuous-infusion backpack for a full month, which led to severe skin breakdown and a hospital stay. She has also recently lost the remainder of her hair, prompting her father, Waylin Gilbert, to shave his hair off in support. Family members say she is not expected to start school this fall like they had hoped.
Shelley Bryant Stingel, who has helped organize support for the family, said the community’s response has been characteristic of Washington County.
“That’s something that I love about this community. Whenever someone is in need, there’s no shortage of help,” she said. “And sometimes there’s a lot of people in need, and people still step up.”
She added, “You can get pretty down when you listen to the news all the time, but then when you see God’s feet on the ground taking care of people who need it, it gives you hope.”
Regular Lyles fish fries have drawn nearly 200 people, but the Lyles and Gilbert families are hoping for an even stronger turnout this time around as the community continues to show up for Leerah Gilbert and her battle against leukemia. So, if you are searching for something to do on August 8, I can think of no better way to spend your time. We hope to see you there!
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