2022 Fish House Festival in New York Mills, MN

8th Annual Festival
Friday, July 8, 2022
Held in conjunction with New York Mills Summer Celebration and Lund Mania Fishing Tournament

Come join the fun of artists painting in the street, outdoor games, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, youth decoy painting, tractor t-shirt tie-dying, vendors, food, & live music OUTDOORS, plus decoy and nature paintings INDOORS in the gallery and kids’ art activities upstairs in our 2nd floor studio space.

Fish House Festival events take place indoors & out at the Cultural Center, 24 Main Avenue North in NYM, between 10AM-4PM. (This one-block stretch of Main Ave will be closed to traffic and open to pedestrians only during this time.)

At 4:00, head around the corner to Centennial 84 Drive for a variety of fun Summer Celebration activities including Boatville Drags at 4:30PM, Lund Mania fishing tournament results at 5:30PM, the Cultural Center’s Raffle Drawing & Live Auction @ 6:30PM, Parade @ 7PM, and Street Dance to follow!

Join us to celebrate the fusion of some of our local favorites: ART + FISHING + COMMUNITY!

 

Two spear houses custom-built by Ron Hamm will be painted in the street by local/regional artists throughout the day. One will be available to the public through a raffle drawing and the other through a live auction.

The Raffle Drawing and Live Auction by Perala Bros. Auctioneers takes place at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Fire Hall on Centennial Avenue. Additional live auction items will include decoys and other wildlife art.

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 220 SOLD! Tickets are available for sale at the Cultural Center and Farmers & Merchants State Bank in NYM, and Gene’s Sport Shop in Perham.

  • 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: John Peeters Collectible Decoy
  • FOURTH PRIZE: Lund Boats Gear

 

Fish House Festival Artists

Artists make the Fish House Festival happen!  We would like to thank and recognize all of the talented artists we have worked with over the years. Here is the list of artists who are confirmed so far to paint in the street this year:

  • Cheryl Bannes, Wadena, MN
  • Jacob Sazama, Perham, MN
  • John Peeters, New York Mills, MN
  • Kent Estey Naytahwaush, MN
  • Kimberly Sazama, Perham, MN
  • Mati Turenen, Vienna, Virginia
  • Molly Swanz, New York Mills, MN
  • Noah Noffsinger, New York Mills, MN
  • Patricia Ann Wahl, Fergus Falls, MN

 

In the Gallery
July 6 – 30, 2022
Annual Decoy Show & Nature Art!

We are proud to feature decoy artist Bruce Dixon of Pine River, MN and painter Kent Estey of Naytahwaush, MN in the Gallery this year!

Kent Estey is a proud member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, in Northwestern Minnesota. He and his wife Becky live and work on the White Earth Reservation in the village of Naytahwaush, Minnesota.

Kent says, “I’ve always painted the land, sky and water. My wife and I live in the woods, and we are surrounded by the forest and the beautiful lakes of Northwestern Minnesota. Inspiration is pretty much everywhere I look. I consider myself a contemporary artist, with a special interest in sky and landscapes. My paintings are typically more nonrepresentational and abstract in nature. I love color of course, and texture. I use a variety of mediums in my paintings, including acrylic, oil, and inks. Some of my most recent paintings feature stone, copper, and other metals. I am inspired by earth-tones with deep shades of blue, brown and red. My inspiration comes from nature, and often times, my feelings and emotions are what’s expressed on canvas and paper. That’s my way of capturing and honoring my beautiful Ojibwe heritage.”

Check out Kent’s artwork on his website: kentestey.com/

Bruce A. Dixon was born in 1952 in Backus, Minnesota. He now resides in Pine River, MN. As of 2006 he no longer carves due to arthritis. His work is featured in the Smithsonian Institute of Washington D.C. and the Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin.  His decoys are also included in many limited edition fish decoy art prints and fish decoy books.

In 2007, Bruce Dixon and Dale Wolthuizen formed a company that is called Edgerton Fish Lure Company, E.F.L. Co. The two master carvers and lure makers come together to make the fish lures, both hand painted and hand carved. Bruce and Dale are no strangers to quality as Dale is a master cabinet maker and Bruce is a master carver and painter as well as a fishing guide and fisherman. Edgerton Lures also make duck & turkey calls and many types of lures.

Interested in learning more about Bruce? Call 1-507-442-4838 or email bdixon@iw.net or lbm@iw.net.

Admission to the Gallery is always free to see and open to all. Hours are Wednesdays & Thursdays 10am-7pm, Fridays 10am-5pm, and Saturdays 10am-3pm. Private viewings can be arranged anytime by calling Cheryl Bannes at 218-385-3339 or emailing cheryl@kulcher.org.

 

FISH HOUSE FESTIVAL Schedule of Activities:

  • 10am-4pm: Art & Artists on Main Ave and inside the Gallery
    • Artists Paint Decoys and Fish Houses in the street
    • Decoys by Bruce Dixon & Nature Paintings by Kent Estey inside the Gallery
  • 12-4pm: Family Fun indoors & out @ the Cultural Center!
    • Fun in the street: games, food, tie-dye, live music by James Bzura & more — family friendly!
    • Art In Your Park free kids art & craft activities upstairs inside Cultural Center in 2nd floor studio (stair access only)
    • OTC Precious Plastics: create a water drop for “We Are Water” county-wide installation and/or make a creation to take home!
    • NYM Public Library Used Book Sale, including 4 books for $1 specials!
  • 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

*Limited spots available for Youth Decoy Painting; please call 218-385-3339 to pre-register and claim your decoy!  Thanks to East Otter Tail Darkhouse & Angling Association for their sponsorship support of this activity! Learn more at http://mndarkhouse.org/

 

 

The fun continues into the evening at the New York Mills Summer Celebration on Centennial 84 Drive, including the annual Boatville Drags at 4:30PM, Lund Mania fishing tournament results at 5:30PM, the Cultural Center’s Raffle Drawing & Live Auction @ 6:30PM, Parade @ 7PM, and Street Dance to follow!

 

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 the Fish House Festival a success: Lund Boats, PT’s Guide Service, and EOT Darkhouse & Angling Association. Additional sponsors welcome! Contact betsy@kulcher.org or 218-385-3339.  Please support these generous local businesses/organizations!

PT’s Guide Service

 

We hope to see you on Friday, July 8th, 2022 in New York Mills! Call 218-385-3339 with any questions.

 

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through an operating support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.