Arts Council Board Member Roberta Gedert Redfern and her son, Aidan Meister, are wearing their Walleye Festival face masks as they check “Perry” the plastic-gobbling fish sculpture donated by the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council.

The Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council (GPCAAC) had planned a ribbon-cutting and naming ceremony for its new environmentally-friendly, plastic-gobbling fish sculpture located on North Madison Street in Port Clinton.

Bringing a crowd of supporters and friends together, though, was nixed by Gov. Mike DeWine’s COVID-19 restriction on large gatherings.

So instead of a ceremony, the GPCAAC donated 50 “Walleye Festival” masks from the Main Street Port Clinton group to be used by employees of the Meals on Madison restaurants, the new outside dining area on Madison Street.

The 100 block of Madison Street has been closed to traffic for the summer for Meals on Madison outdoor seating. Residents and visitors are invited by the GPCAAC to enjoy a meal, then take a stroll north to the Portage River to see their sculpture.

Local Bataan Elementary School students were asked to name the metal walleye, which is “fed” plastic bottles and aluminum cans to help keep the area free of trash. Real Living Morgan Realty has been at the forefront in cleaning out the fish.

The young scholars decided the unique Port Clinton fish should be named “Perry.” That’s a popular name around town for both Lake Erie admirals and one of the main drags in Port Clinton.

Josh Zetzer, an art teacher at Green Springs Elementary School and a GPCAAC board member, was inspired to recommend the GPCAAC sponsor the creation of the recycling station. Cody Gabel of Gabel Welding Inc. of Port Clinton did the job with steel rods and sheet metal, guaranteeing a long, attractive life.