New-look Fish Day set to return Saturday

There will be a few new things at Saturday’s 55th edition of Fish Day in Port Washington.

For the first time, wristbands will be required for people to purchase alcoholic beverages.

The wristbands have been discussed for years as a way of cutting down on underage drinking and helping move crowds at the six food and beverage stands. 

They will be distributed by the Washington Ozaukee Health Department at three locations on the festival grounds — in Upper Lake Park, at the Jackson Street entrance to the festival and on Lake Street between Jackson Street and the Upper Lake Park hill.        A limited number of wristbands will be available at the stands for people who are obviously older than 21.

The carnival, long a mainstay of the festival, will be gone this year. Organizers had planned to replace it with an inflatables area but on Monday the company it had contracted with cancelled, Fish Day General Chairman Mary Monday said.

They were still searching for a replacement activity for youngsters as of Tuesday. 

And this will be the first year the Fish Day parade marshal won’t be a person. Instead, organizers named the Port Fire Department’s newest fire truck as the marshal. 

It’s a way of honoring the entire fire department, Monday said.

“The fire department does so much for us,” she said. “And it does so much for the whole community year-round.”

And instead of seven fish-and-chips stands, there will be six. The Greater Port Washington Kiwanis Club is not participating in this year’s festival, a decision made months ago due in large part to planned developments along the lakeshore and the question of where the club’s stand would be located. 

“Dive Into Fish Day 55” is the theme for this year’s Fish Day, which kicks off at 8 a.m. with a run and walk to benefit Portal Industries, which provides training and employment opportunities for developmentally disabled adults in Ozaukee County. 

It will be followed by the 100-unit Fish Day parade at 10 a.m.

The parade will follow its traditional route, with units stepping off from the corner of Wisconsin Street and Walters Street, proceeding south on Wisconsin to Grand Avenue, then continuing west to Wisconsin Street.

Music is one of the main attractions at Fish Day, and this year is no exception.

The classic rock band Head East, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, will headline the Main Stage, playing from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

This is actually the second time the band will play Fish Day. In 1995, Head East opened for the band Night Ranger, which headlined the Main Stage.

Head East’s signature song is “Never Been Any Reason,” a 1975 hit that contains the notable chorus “Save my life, I’m going down for the last time.”

The song is among several classics and new music included in the band’s most recent release “Raise A Little Hell.”

Head East’s music has been featured in the movie “Dazed and Confused,” “Sahara” and “The Education of Charlie Banks” as well as the television shows “Friday Night Lights” and “That ‘70s Show.”

In celebration of its anniversary, the band is performing many of the cuts from its iconic record “Flat As A Pancake” as well as other music.

Opening for Head East will be SFO, a Journey tribute band, which will play from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m.

Brecken Miles will play the Main Stage from 3:30 to 5 p.m.    

The Bandshell Rock Stage headliner is The Britons, a popular Milwaukee Beatles cover group, which will perform from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The Tracy Hannemann Group will play at the Rock Stage from 2:45 to 5:45 p.m.  

The headliner for the Harbor View Stage is 76 Juliet, playing from 6 to 9:30 p.m. 

Other performers on the stage will be Copper Box from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Recoil from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Mount Olive will headline the Lakeview Stage from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Other acts at the stage include Milwaukee Mike and the Mob from 3 to 6 p.m. and Kid Ego from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

All the music at Fish Day is free, with the exception of the Main Stage acts. A Fish Day button is required for entrance there. The button is $5 at the gate.

A number of the food stands will also have musical groups.

Fish Day will feature helicopter rides from Upper Lake Park and the smoked fish-eating contest at the Lakeview Stage at 2:30 p.m.

The Upper Lake Park bluff is the location for the arts and crafts show and the classic car show, which run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The festival closes with a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. Fireworks are set off from Coal Dock Park and are visible throughout the festival grounds and downtown.

Free shuttle buses will run throughout the city during the festival, stopping at designated points marked by signs.

In addition, buses will pick up and drop off passengers at the Ozaukee County Justice Center on South Spring Street, Harbor Hills on Port’s west side, the Ozaukee County park-and-ride lot off Seven Hills Road on the city’s north side and Walmart in Saukville.

Pets are not allowed on the grounds, and visitors are not allowed to bring backpacks into the festival. Bikes, skates and skateboards are also prohibited.

For more information on Fish Day, visit www.portfishday.com.

For information and registration for the run and walk, visit either the Fish Day site or www.portalindustries.org or www.active.com.