EAST TAWAS – As the Perchville USA winter festival approaches its diamond anniversary year in 2025, revelers are also being reminded of the Paint a Perch Contest which is taking place ahead of the 75th annual celebration.
Although the festival itself is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 6-9, the Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) begins setting the stage for the occasion well ahead of time, to help people get geared up for the fun.
Those participating in the painting contest, for example, were able to begin working on their creations as early as this past November.
Another pre-Perchville activity on this year’s agenda, is the annual Coronation Breakfast which has been set for Saturday, Feb. 1. (More details will be shared in next week’s edition of this publication, while a full itinerary of the Perchville USA festival events will appear in the following edition).
As previously reported, all Paint a Perch Contest entries are to be returned to the Tawas Bay Art Gallery – located at 302 Newman St. in downtown East Tawas – by this Sunday, Jan. 26.
There is still some time to get in on the fun and friendly competition, which is free of charge, as well. For those who are interested, the gallery is also where the blank wooden fish cutouts are available for decorating. Participants can either utilize the supplies on site and paint their perch right there in the venue, or they can take the wooden canvas and work on it at home.
Following the collection of all the submissions this Sunday, each of the fish will go on to be showcased during the Coronation Breakfast, and again at the Perchville Royal Feast on Thursday, Feb. 6. It is during these two events, where attendees will have an opportunity to vote on their favorite fish, across several different age groups.
Prizes will then be awarded to the winners, in the categories of age 5 and younger, 6-11, 12-17, 18-40, 41-65 and 66 and older.
TACC representatives note that the winners will be announced via social media, and that their entries will also be displayed during the festival, at the Perchville Family Expo on Saturday, Feb. 8. The winners can expect to be contacted on Monday, Feb. 10.
On a related note, TACC Executive Director Samantha Duvall has shared that the 2025 Paint a Perch Contest will be held in memory of Betty Fahselt, who was instrumental in bringing the event back to the festival, and also involving the Tawas Bay Art Gallery.
As previously reported, until its return in 2022, it had been quite some time since the contest was held.
Fahselt said that she had been looking through archived Iosco County News-Herald papers, when she noticed some events which took place during Perchville in past years.
She and Jerry Malone – who is now in his fourth year of coordinating Perchville USA alongside the TACC – spotted the Paint a Perch Contest, and decided to revive the activity for the 2022 festival.
The painting event proved to be a hit with both participants and spectators alike, and it has continued to be a part of the yearly festival ever since.
As for Paint a Perch 2025, in addition to Malone, the TACC and those from the Tawas Bay Art Gallery, the event is also made possible by Bernard Building Center, which donated the lumber to create the fish; and Tom Crook, owner of Tom’s Tumblers, who cut out more than 200 wooden perch for this year’s contestants.
More information is available by calling Tawas Bay Art Gallery representatives at 989-362-5613, or the TACC office at 989-362-8643.
For further details regarding the 75th annual festival this coming month, follow Perchville USA on Facebook, or visit tawas.com.