Port clubs plan to host Fish Day substitute

Port Washington residents who are already missing Fish Day —which was canceled for the second consecutive year due to the pandemic — may have something to look forward to this summer.

A group of service clubs is working to create a smaller event on Fish Day weekend that would include food, such as the traditional fish and chips, beverages and live music.

The event would not just provide a weekend of entertainment, it would also give the service organizations that rely on Fish Day for much of their annual income a chance to raise some money, Dave Mueller, a Port Lions Club member who is spearheading the event, said.

“We’re looking to do it similar to but different than Fish Day,” Mueller said. “It would be smaller, more like a big community picnic.

“We want to have a lot of people but not a lot of people — I don’t want to have thousands of people from Milwaukee coming up thinking this is going to be like Fish Day.”

Originally envisioned as a fundraiser for the Lions Club, it expanded to include other nonprofit organizations after the club realized it didn’t have enough people to handle everything, Mueller said.

The event is expected to be held in Veterans Park, and preliminary plans call for the Lions and Rotary clubs hosting a beer tent, the St. John XXIII Men’s Club holding a fish and chips stand and the Yacht Club to serve brats and burgers, Mueller said.

Other groups are also planning to offer foods and beverages, he said.

“Things are evolving,” Mueller said.

A children’s area and live music will also be part of the event, he said.

Participating groups will split the profits, Mueller said.

“This would be an opportunity for people to get their fish and chips and support the service clubs,” he said, noting many of the city’s civic groups get the bulk of their funding for the year from their fish and chips stands at Fish Day.

“We’re just trying to have some fun and do something good for the community,” he added.

“In no way is this meant to disrespect the Fish Day Committee,” he added. “They had to make a decision early in the year, and we get that. We don’t want to be Fish Day.”

The Fish Day Committee announced in March that it was canceling the city’s largest festival, which was to be held July 17, in light of the pandemic. 

Mueller said that once plans for the event are finalized, a presentation will be made to the Common Council.