Fish is popular in Louisville all year ’round, and doubly so during Lent. Many Roman Catholic churches offer community fried fish dinners on Fridays during Lent. The season is under way, with most dinners continuing through the last Friday before Good Friday (March 22 this year). For a listing of more than 60 in the Archdiocese of Louisville, click http://ow.ly/hEQo1. If you’d like your Lent Episcopal style, St. Luke’s in Anchorage (1206 Maple Lane, stlukesanchorage.org) and St. Mark’s in Crescent Hill (2822 Frankfort Ave., stmlky.org) also have noteworthy Friday fish fries.

Chow down with four-star chefs as they step out of their kitchens and fire up the grills for Home of the Innocents: It’s the 7th annual Big Ol’ Backyard BBQ! The grills will be smokin’ Saturday, Aug. 25, in the park-like backyard at the Home of the Innocents, 1100 E. Market St. in Louisville. Roll up your sleeves and tuck in your napkin. Get ready to enjoy a buffet of savory barbeque, gourmet side dishes, and desserts galore. This one-of-a-kind, family-friendly event brings together some of Louisville’s top chefs, including Host Chef Laurent Geroli (The Brown Hotel); Chef Anthony Lusiak (Eddie Merlot’s) and Chef Dallas McGarity (Marketplace Restaurant at Theatre Square). In addition to the scrumptious food, this fun event will feature live music by The Remedy, hayrides, inflatables, cornhole games, face painting, art and crafts, a full children’s playground (with a climbing wall), and more! This special fundraising event provides fun for the entire family, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the children at the Home. (Did you know that 88 cents of every donation dollar goes directly to helping the kids?)

Tickets are $50 per person; $30 for students, seniors, military, police, fire and EMS workers; and FREE for kids 12 and under. Groups and families may reserve tables for eight for $350. To order tickets, call (502) 596-1025 or visit www.bigbackyardbbq.com

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Mark your calendar now so you won’t miss this one: The Food Literacy Project’s annual Field-to-Fork Dinner will be 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at Marketplace Restaurant at Theatre Square. A battery of the city’s top chefs will be paired with local farmers to take advantage of the autumn harvest bounty, creating an elegant five-course dinner featuring fresh locavore meats and produce. Advance tickets, $85 per person, will go on sale in September. (Watch this space for details and a link.) Your support helps Food Literacy Project connect Louisville’s young people to healthy, sustainable food. For more about Food Literacy Project, visit foodliteracyproject.org.

Yes, we know Louisville is the inland epicenter for fried white fish at any time of year, but consumption ramps up further during Lent, when many Roman Catholic churches and a few Episcopal churches offer festive, fun fish dinners on Fridays.

The fishy fun begins Friday! Check a Catholic church near you, or click the Archdiocese of Louisville website, archlou.org, which in past years has published a canonical list during Lent.

I’m heading out to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage (1206 Maple Lane, stlukesanchorage.org) though, where my buddies in the church’s men’s group, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, will be frying fish — and more — Fridays from 6-8 p.m. through the end of March.

Want something a little more fancy than a fish sandwich? Try their sautéed tilapia filet with white wine sauce over a bed of wild rice accompanied by roasted vegetables with a balsamic reduction. A fish sandwich with two sides, hushpuppies and a drink is only $7.75. A half pound of boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce is $7.50. The tilapia dinner with a drink is $9.75.