Story from the Brainerd Dispatch. (Click on the link to see video)
GARRISON — For years, visitors to Mille Lacs Lake have photographed the walleye statue that sits on a pedestal in Garrison.
It is admired as one of Minnesota’s most viewed roadside attractions, setting the scene for the big lake.
This year, the Garrison Commercial Club decided it was time to redo the famous statue. The 19-foot long and 14-foot high fish was trucked to Hickory Lake Auto up the road on Highway 169 for a complete redo.
Larry Karpen, Hickory Lake Auto owner, said the statue was stripped and all the old paint removed.
The next problem his team encountered was how to replicate the subtle tones of the fish to look realistic and still retain some of the nostalgia associated with the icon. It has been 15 years since the fish was worked on by Hickory Lake Auto.
To help with the realism, a walleye mount by the late Ray Lasher, a local taxidermist, was positioned nearby so the team of Matt Durbin and Cliff Anderson could paint all the intricate details of the fish from the mount. An additive was used in the paint to give the statue a fresh “out of the water” look, Karpen said.
The Minnesota icon will be delivered this week to its spot at the lake lookout in Garrison for everyone to see.
