Come join the fun of artists painting in the street, outdoor games, sidewalk chalk, youth decoy painting, food, drinks & music, PLUS decoy and wildlife art in the gallery and kids’ art activities indoors, all inside the Cultural Center at 24 Main Avenue North or outside on the street — Main Avenue will be closed for pedestrian traffic only throughout the day.
Celebrate the fusion of two of our local favorites: ART + FISHING!
Live music will be provided by the O’Neil Family Band outdoors between 1-4pm.
The O’Neil Family Band is comprised of Tom O’Neil, guitar and fiddle, Jeanne O’Neil, banjo and concertina, and Erin O’Neil, fiddle and feet.
The O’Neils’ repertoire includes both traditional and original reels, jigs, waltzes, schottisches, hornpipes, and songs. With roots in Métis, French Canadian, Scandinavian, Celtic, New England and Appalachian tunes, their music is a unique blend of these traditions with a style all its own. O’Neil Family Band performances frequently include demonstrations of Appalachian clogging and French-Canadian “gigue” dancing too!
Two spear houses custom-built by Ron Hamm and painted that day by local/regional artists will be available to the public through a raffle and live auction by Perala Bros. Auctioneers, held at 6:30 p.m. that evening in front of the Fire Hall on Centennial Avenue. Additional live auction items will include decoys and other wildlife art painted on the street that day!
THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN OR BUY a one-of-a-kind ice-fishing spear house that will be easy to find out on that frozen lake come winter time, the envy of your neighbors, and of course the fish will like it too!
Raffle tickets just $10 each! ONLY 200 SOLD! Available for sale in New York Mills at the Cultural Center, F&M State Bank, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Mills Lanes, Mills Country Market and Cenex, AND in Perham at Gene’s Sport Shop and Bongard’s retail store.
- GRAND PRIZE: Custom-made Spear House, Painted by Artists @ Fish House Festival
- SECOND PRIZE: Half-day Guided Fishing Trip by PT’s Guide Service
- THIRD PRIZE: Lund Boats Gear (net, ruler, cooler)
Schedule For The Day:
- 9am-4pm: Artists Paint Decoys and Fish Houses in the street, Wildlife Art & Decoy Show inside Gallery
- 1-4pm: Fun in the street, games, food & drinks, live music and more — family friendly!
- 1-3pm: Art In Your Park free kids art & craft activities upstairs inside Cultural Center
- 1pm: Youth Decoy Painting. Limited space; $5/decoy; best for ages 10+; please pre-register*
- 6:30pm: Raffle Drawing & Live Auction on Centennial 84 Drive, in front of NYM Fire Hall
*Youth Decoy Painting limited to 20 participants. $5/decoy. Call to Register: 218-385-3339. Sponsored by East Otter Tail Darkhouse & Angling Association. Learn more at http://mndarkhouse.org/
Fish House Festival Artists
The Fish House Festival is made possible thanks to a partnership with the National Fish Decoy Association and Rod Osvold who helps plan this fun event every year. The other essential collaboration is with our artists! We would like to thank and recognize all of the talented artists we have worked with over the years. Here is a list of artists who will be painting in the street this year.
- John Peeters, New York Mills, MN
- Aryn Lill, Perham, MN
- Cheryl Bannes, Wadena, MN
- Nancy X. Valentine, Fergus Falls, MN
- Jacob Sazama, Perham, MN
- Kim Sazama, Perham, MN
- Mati Turunen, Vienna, Virginia
- Noah Nofsinger, New York Mills, MN
- Dawn Rossbach, Menahga, MN
In the Gallery
July 7 – 31, 2021
Annual Decoy Show & Wildlife Art!
We are proud to feature local and regional decoy artists in the Gallery this year! Admission to the Gallery is always free and open to all to see. Planned decoy artists this year include Brad Lange, Larry Lange, and Bear Creek decoys. We are also excited to feature photography by Brad Anderson. Brad is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys wildlife photography. Check out Brad’s work here: https://www.bradandersonphotography.com/
Thanks to the National Fish Decoy Association and Rod Osvold for their invaluable partnership in producing this community event and connecting us with the country’s best decoy artists.
Thanks also to the following sponsors for helping to make this event a success: Lund Boats, PT’s Guide Service, and Farmers & Merchants State Bank; and to all businesses who are selling raffle tickets: Bongard’s, Gene’s Sport Shop, Cenex (Lakes Area Coop), Mills Country Market, Mills Lanes, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, and F&M State Bank. Click buttons or logos below to learn more and please support these generous local businesses!
PT’s Guide Service
