WATERFORD, Mich., June 11, 2022—Oakland County residents had a “reel” good time this afternoon at the 8th Annual ART FISH FUN Festival in Pontiac’s Beaudette Park. After a two-year hiatus, this free event returned in-person to share art, environmental education and activities for everyone.
“I look forward to this event all year long,” said Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. “I’ve been a longtime catch-and-release fisher and I love being able to share my excitement with the children—some of whom experienced fishing for the first time today. This is the perfect way to kickoff the summer and I’m always so impressed with the kids’ enthusiasm for the environment and their ability to express their passion through art.”
The festival kicked off with a park cleanup. Collectively, this event has removed over 2,000 pounds of debris from the park since it first began in 2014. The remainder of the day was packed full of excitement with a large variety of events for everyone to participate in. This included:
- Fishing with the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash
- 100 River Day t-shirts giveaway (Clinton River Watershed Council)
- Tie-dying station for River Day shirts (Clinton River Watershed Council)
- Jumping in bounce houses (Pure Oakland Water)
- Carnival games (Michigan State Fair)
- Mini festival (Oakland County Parks and Recreation)
- Cardboard fish collage (The Art Experience)
- Painting a rain barrel that was raffled away (Michigan Rain Barrel)
- Using super soakers to learn about soil erosion and storm drains (Oakland County WRC)
- And, more!
Participants joined Commissioner Nash for a free barbecue lunch including ribs, pulled pork sandwiches and hotdogs. For dessert, everyone cooled off with ice cream.
ART FISH FUN was first held in honor of the Clinton River Watershed Council River Day with the purpose of bringing the community together through arts and crafts to celebrate and raise awareness about environmental education. Year-after-year, the festival has continued to grow, incorporating additional environmental-related activities.
This festival is largely made possible by its sponsors which include, the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s office, Pure Oakland Water, The Art Experience, Clinton River Watershed Council and the City of Pontiac.
To learn more about the activities and information on the event’s partners, visit the event’s website at www.artfishfunfestival.com.
About the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office
The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office is dedicated to protecting public health and safety, preserving natural resources and a healthy environment, maintaining reliable, high quality service, ensuring the value of investment and contributing to economic prosperity. We set goals that encourage efforts to meet or exceed local, state and federal water quality standards, environmental regulations and safety requirements within our control. To learn more about us, visit www.oakgov.com/water.
