Started in 1979 as the brainchild of Walker resident Ken Bresley, the Annual International Eelpout Festival began as a way to try and lure visitors up to Leech Lake during the winter months.
The light bulb went off for Ken one day after he caught an eelpout while ice fishing with some friends. “It was so ugly, no one wanted to touch them,” he said.
Despite the disgust at the ugly fish, Ken pitched his idea of an eelpout festival to the Walker Chamber of Commerce, but received a cold reception. Undeterred, he went along with his plan for the festival anyway, ignoring the skeptics.
The first festival drew 700 people (mostly locals) and broke even by offsetting the operation costs by selling eelpout buttons at Ken’s bait/sports shop for $3.
Today the Mardi Gras on ice is now run by Jim Gertchy and is celebrating its 31st year. It continues to grow and expand and this year will launch the first annual Chase the Pout Games, sponsored by local premier resort Chase on the Lake. The festival has become a planned annual trek by many and brings more than ten times the city’s population for the three-day festival boosting tourism for the community as well as local business revenue and community spirit.
