On Saturday, October 16 at 2:30 pm, a tribute in honor of Cheryl Fishel will be held on stage during the Pig on the Pond Community Festival.
Fishel, the longtime Pig on the Pond Festival event manager, passed away in 2020, after a battle with leukemia. She was 57.
After her passing, Paul Rountree, president of the Project Scholars Board of Directors, the parent organization of the festival, described Cheryl as “irreplaceable”. “Her passion to make the event successful in order to fund scholarships for young people was remarkable. She was one of the hardest-working, nicest people I have ever known, and we will miss her terribly”.
In 1998, Fishel and a small group started Pig on the Pond Festival as a way to fund scholarships for deserving students graduating from one of the south Lake County high schools. What started out as a small barbecue competition grew into a three-day extravaganza with a carnival, fireworks, live entertainment and large food concessions, including the famous barbecue meals. Fishel not only managed the event but also worked hard to get sponsors and other participants. She opened up the event to other nonprofits so that they could share in the proceeds; and after the event, she would personally thank partners, such as the City of Clermont, by bringing them bouquets of pink carnations.
While she was most associated with Pig on the Pond Community Festival, Fishel also managed for many years the South Lake Chamber’s Taste of South Lake and the annual Teacher Appreciation Breakfast, co-sponsored by Project Scholars and the South Lake Chamber of Commerce. The breakfast included a giant pep rally for all educators in south Lake County at the beginning of the school year and provided thousands of dollars for classroom needs.
Cheryl’s daughter, Stephanie Fishel Henry, who is an educator, will be part of the ceremony on Saturday. Friends, family, as well as scholarship recipients, will also attend the tribute in her honor. At the conclusion of the brief tribute, butterflies will be released.
One of the four scholarships given by Project Scholars has been renamed the Cheryl Fishel Memorial Scholarship in her honor. It will be awarded to the qualifying student who has also given the most to community service.
More about Project Scholars at www.ourprojectscholars.org.
