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As a state famous for its lakes, Wisconsin is often considered an angler’s paradise. It’s no surprise, then, that the state is also famous for its oversized fiberglass fish. Giant fish are found throughout the state, but one of the most picturesque, Sunny the Sunfish, can be found on a bluff overlooking Lake Onalaska.
Lake Onalaska itself is not one of Wisconsin’s many glacial lakes. Instead, it’s a man-made lake, formed in April 1937 with the completion of Lock and Dam No. 7, built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to tame the Upper Mississippi River.
The 8,391 acre lake is filled with northern pike, walleye, and perch, but may be best known for its sunfish. Sunfish are a common name given to a variety of fish within the same family (Centrarchidae), including bluegill, crappie and pumpkinseed (Common name variations exist throughout the U.S.). These fish are a popular catch for sport fishermen, and became a popular draw for Onalaska residents and nearby tourists.
In the wake of the American Bicentennial town festival in 1976, a committee was formed to create more festivals in Onalaska, and so in 1977, the Sunfish Days festival was born. Events included games and rides, a sunfish fishing contest, and the launch of the Miss Onalaska pageant. Soon after, Elmer P. Petersen, a local sculptor who had become famous for creating an oversized animal sculpture on the North Dakota interstate, was struck with the inspiration to create a giant metal sunfish to welcome visitors to town.
These plans fell through, but a decade later, a local resident named Vicki Gilbertson revived the idea. She raised funds and hired Dave Oswald, coincidentally also a local sculptor who had become famous for creating an oversized animal sculpture on the North Dakota interstate, who also built the giant muskie of Hayward, Wisconsin that was the direct inspiration for the project. Sunny the Sunfish, a fiberglass bluegill sculpture measuring 15 feet tall by 25 feet long, was completed in 1998, just in time for the opening of Sunfish Days.
Sadly, the Sunfish Days festival ended in 2010, but Sunny the Sunfish still stands on the roadside welcoming visitors to town. Onalaska remains proud of its sunfish, and in 2023, Sunny was joined by Bobber the Rockin’ Sunfish, an artistic piece of play equipment found at Great River Landing. A planned restoration will further spruce up Sunny’s plaza, ensuring that the sunfish will represent the city of Onalaska for generations to come.