Fish Days takes on patriotic motto this year

Fish Days will take over the Port Washington lakefront Thursday through Saturday, July 16 to 18, offering a plethora of family friendly entertainment and food for residents and visitors alike.

In honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, the theme for this year’s festival is “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Fish.”

This is the fourth year for the festival, an expanded version of what had been a one-day event for more than 50 years.

Fish Days kicks off on Thursday, locally known as Fish-giving, from 4 to 10 p.m. with an event tailored to veterans and senior citizens.

To allow them to park closer to Veterans Park, where all the events that day are being held, Lake Street will be open — the only day of Fish Days when that will occur.

Veterans and members of the Port Washington Senior Center will receive a free fish fry. Seniors may pick up a ticket for the fish at the Senior Center two weeks before the event.

There will be music by Elvis impersonator Gary Wesley and the Memphis Rockers from 4 to 7 p.m. followed by Advance Band from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Friday, when the festival runs from 4 to 10 p.m., is Fishmas Eve, when alumni from area schools gather for class reunions.

Letter 8 will perform from 4 to 6 p.m.  and Our House from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

On both Friday and Saturday, Hollander Chocolate and Cedar Crest Ice Cream will have a sundae bar in Veterans Memorial Park, with proceeds going toward the Fish Days Scholarship at Port Washington High School.

A golf simulator provided by Kaddie Shack will also be on hand Friday and Saturday in Veterans Park, with proceeds going to the scholarship fund.

In addition to giving people a chance to show off their prowess, there will be a number of golf contests, including hole-in-one and closest-to-the-green challenges.

Saturday will be the more traditional Fish Day, and it runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The day begins with the 41st annual Portal Run, Walk and Roll at 8 a.m. The event starts at Coal Dock Park and follows a 5-kilometer course along the harbor and Interurban Trail before returning to the park.

Advance registrations will be taken and more information is available online at https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/PortWashington/FishDayRunWalkorRoll.

The traditional Fish Days parade will start at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Wisconsin and Dodge streets, head down St. Mary’s Hill and through downtown to just past the corner of Grand Avenue and Milwaukee Street.

Returning to the lineup this year will be the South Shore Drill Team from Chicago. The group is a fan favorite and will perform a showcase near Rotary Park after the parade.

Immediately after the parade, the festival kicks into high gear in Veterans Park and Upper Lake Park.

Upper Lake Park will be home to the Kids and Family Zone, which will include a car show, maker’s market and carnival games, including putt-putt golf, minnow racing and a bounce house, throughout the day.

There will be a petting zoo from 1 to 7 p.m.

The University of Wisconsin Marching Band will perform from 1 to 1:30 p.m., and the Brew City Wrestlers from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Food and beverages will be available in the park, and music will be played throughout the afternoon. Shuga Blu will perform from 3 to 6 p.m.

In Veterans Park, music will be provided by Nate Herlache from noon to 2 p.m., The First Wave from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and Smartmouth from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The park will also host fish and chips stands — the festival’s namesake offerings — a beer garden, a display and information about the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, which runs from Port to Two Rivers, and other activities.

Before the fireworks show that ends the day, there will be a pre-party aimed at children that starts at 6 p.m. in Rotary Park. Music will be provided by Kid Boogie Down, a disc jockey.

The fireworks show will be shot from Coal Dock Park at dusk.

Throughout the day, there will be shuttle service running through the community, taking people from the Ozaukee County Justice Center on South Spring Street and the county park and ride lot off Highway LL on the city’s north side to the festival grounds.

Rides will be given from 1 to 11 p.m.

While the festival had previously been known as The World’s Largest Outdoor One Day Fish Fry, organizers now think of it as Port’s Largest Fundraiser.

That’s because civic groups that staff the festival — the Greater Port Washington Kiwanis Club, St. John XXIII Men’s Club, Port Lions Club, Port Rotary Club, Be3, The Port Yacht Club and Masons — make a significant amount of money during the event that they pump back into the city through community projects and scholarships.

For more information, visit portfishdays.com.