Art & Fishing in New York Mills July 9th
The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center invites the public to its 7th annual Fish House Festival on Friday, July 9th with art, fishing, music, and fun throughout the day, culminating in a raffle and live auction at 6:30 p.m.
Artists begin painting in the street at 9am, and family activities begin at 1pm on Main Ave in front of the Cultural Center. At 6:30pm, the raffle drawing and live auction of fish houses, decoys, and other art created during the festival will be held in front of the Fire Hall on Centennial Ave.
The Cultural Center’s Fish House Festival is held in conjunction with the New York Mills Summer Celebration and the Lund Mania Fishing Tournament. The festival includes artists painting in the street, sidewalk chalk, games, free “Art in Your Park” activities for kids, youth decoy painting, the annual Decoy Show & Wildlife Art Exhibit inside the Gallery, food & drinks, raffle & live auction, and live music by the O’Neil Family Band.
The O’Neil Family Band has been holding community dances, presenting concerts, and performing together since the 1990s. With Tom on guitar and fiddle, Jeanne on banjo and concertina, and daughter Erin on 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! Watch and listen from 1-4pm on Main Avenue.
Youth Decoy Painting begins at 1:00 p.m. with just 20 spots available; please call 218-385-3339 to pre-register. Cost is $5/decoy and recommended for youth ages 10+ (or accompanied by an adult); sponsorship support from the EOT Darkhouse Association keeps costs low. All other art activities, games, and live music are free and open to all.
We are proud to feature local and regional decoy artists in this year’s annual Decoy & Wildlife Show in the Gallery. 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 at bradandersonphotography.com. Admission to the Gallery is always free and open to all to see.
Both fish houses (one each for raffle and auction) will be painted on the street in front of the Cultural Center on Friday by artists from around the region. Currently confirmed artists include Aryn Lill, Jacob Sazama and Kim Sazama of Perham, John Peeters and Noah Nofsinger of NYM, Nancy X. Valentine of Fergus Falls, Dawn Rossbach of Menahga, Cheryl Bannes of Wadena, MN and Mati Turonen of Vienna, Virginia.
Raffle tickets are just $10 and available for purchase in NYM 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 Bongards retail store. First prize is a one-of-a-kind ice-fishing spear house, custom built by Ronn Hamm and painted by local artists; second prize is a half-day guided fishing trip with PT’s Guide Service; third prize is Lund Boat gear, including a hockey stick net, soft sided cooler, and “The Judge” ruler.
Live auction bid numbers will be available all day July 9th, from 9am-4pm at the Cultural Center and on Centennial Drive after 4:30pm. The live auction by Perala Bros. Auctioneers will feature a second artist-painted, Ron Hamm custom-built ice-fishing spear house, decoys and other wildlife art. Proceeds from the auction will be shared equally between the artists and the Cultural Center, to support future community art events.
This event is made possible by a partnership with the National Fish Decoy Association and Rod Osvold; their invaluable support connects us with the country’s best decoy artists. Thanks also to our main event sponsor, Lund Boats, and also to PT’s Guide Service, and to all the businesses who are selling raffle tickets: Bongard’s, Gene’s Sport Shop, Cenex NYM (Lakes Area Coop), Mills Country Market, Mills Lanes, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, and F&M State Bank. Please support these generous local businesses!
For more information, call the Cultural Center at (218) 385-3339 or visit the Center’s website at www.kulcher.org.
About the Cultural Center
The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. The Center offers visitors intimate opportunities to encounter art and artists in its 80-seat concert listening room, visual art gallery in a historic building, gift shop featuring local artists, artist residency program, sculpture park, and a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Since its incorporation in 1990, the Cultural Center has been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world. For more information, call 218-385-3339, or visit www.kulcher.org.
