By Jason Saine

LINCOLNTON - A Lincoln County icon, Fox's Fish Camp, will close the doors this Friday for the final time.

Employees were notified on Saturday of the impending closure and customers hear the news as it filtered through the grape vine on Sunday evening.

Larry Hallman, owner of the establishment, had put the notice on the marquee late Sunday afternoon.

The restaurant had been in business since 1968 when Hallman's father-in-law, Glenn Fox, opened the popular fish camp.

(Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse.)

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Fox had previously worked at Longs Creek Fish Camp in Dallas before starting out on his own.

Angela Hoyle of Lincolnton whose family goes to the restaurant about once a week, said that she was very sad to hear about it closing.

"Wow. It is just hard to believe," she told the Tribune. "We've always gone to eat at Fox's as long as I can remember. It is very sad to see it close."

The bad economy is the main reason for the closing. The downturn impacted revenues for Fox's Fish Camp much like other eating establishments.