Main Avenue in downtown New York Mills will transform into a lively pedestrian-only arts and culture space on Friday during the 11th Annual Fish House Festival. The event is a free, family-friendly community celebration hosted by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.

Festival highlights include live street art beginning at 10 a.m., with artists painting a custom-built fish house, fish decoys, and outdoor-themed art throughout the day. From 12-4 p.m., families can enjoy sidewalk chalk, bubbles, games, hands-on whiteboard art, cookie decorating, and free “Art in Your Park” activities upstairs in the Cultural Center’s second-floor studio.

At 1 p.m., youth can participate in decoy painting for $5; pre-registration is encouraged. Musician Darren Quam will perform live on the library patio from 1–3 p.m. A gallery reception will also be held from 1–3 p.m., featuring artist PJ Eiden, with an artist talk at 2 p.m.

Local vendors will offer a variety of food and drinks, including beverages from Something Good, kettle corn sold by Trinity Lutheran Church youth, and hot dog creations from the Continental Divide Brew Pub food cart. The Brew Pub will also be open at 11 a.m. serving pizza, wings, and more.

Inside the Cultural Center gallery, a special exhibit features paintings by PJ Eiden and decoys by Rod Osvold, and community members are also invited to add vintage lures, decoys, and fish stories. The exhibit is open July 2–26. Admission is free.

At 6:30 p.m., the festival concludes with a raffle drawing on Centennial 84 Drive. Raffle tickets are $10 each, with only 300 tickets sold. Prizes include the artist-painted fish house (grand prize), a guided fishing trip with PT’s Guide Service, original artwork, handmade items, gift certificates and more. Tickets are available at the Cultural Center, F&M State Bank, Mills Liquors, Continental Divide Brew Pub and Gene’s Sport Shop in Perham.

The 2025 confirmed artists include: Lindsay Kennedy, Aryn Lill, John Peeters, Dawn Rossbach, Paul Sparks, Rod Osvold and PJ Eiden. Additional artists and vendors are welcome to participate. For details, visit www.kulcher.org or call 385-3339.

The Fish House Festival is held in conjunction with the city’s Lund Mania celebration. Evening events include Boatville Drags at 4:30 p.m., fishing tournament results at 5:30 p.m., the Fish House Festival raffle drawing at 6:30 p.m., a parade at 7 p.m., and a street dance at 9 p.m. with live music by Whiskey Business. Additional family-friendly activities and vendors will be available in Central Park.

This event is supported by Lund Boats, along with the East Otter Tail Darkhouse & Angling Association, National Fish Decoy Association, and Decoy Education. 

The Fish House Festival is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

For more information, visit www.kulcher.org or contact the Cultural Center at 385-3339.