Nestled along Wisconsin’s Great River Road, Trempealeau, Wisconsin is one of many towns found on this famed scenic drive. While some visitors drive through, others may be hooked by the town’s welcome sign: a giant fiberglass catfish.
The outline of this fish story will be familiar to Wisconsin travelers used to oversized fish, and in particular, the origins of the giant catfish are similar to those of the nearby Sunny the Sunfish sculpture found slightly further south along the Great River Road in Onalaska. Although Trempealeau River and Bay are home to channel and flathead catfish, the presence of the fish has more to do with an annual festival that has come to symbolize the town: Catfish Days.
The first Catfish Days festival took place in 1972, as a replacement for the town’s annual 4th of July festival. The goal was to bring local residents together and support the community. The two-day party included a tractor pull, fireworks, and the snagging of a grand prize winning 27 pound, 8 ounce catfish by a local angler.
The Trempealeau Lions Club was chartered that same year, and the civic organization soon took over running and organizing Catfish Days. The festival is the organization’s annual highlight, held every July, and drives much of the proceeds that it uses to support local improvements and charities all year long.
These days, Catfish Days are a three-day event with live music, games, a fishing competition, a car show, and a parade through town, including the crowning of Miss Trempealeau and her catfish royal court. And of course, copious catfish sandwiches are served, a rare treat in the area. These sandwiches proved to be so popular that during the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than cancel Catfish Days, the club instead held a catfish sandwich drive-through.
In 2012, the Lions Club had an idea to cement the town of Trempealeau in catfish lore. On July 11, 2012, just before the start of the 40th Annual festival, a 19-foot long fiberglass catfish was hoisted onto a new sign welcoming visitors to Trempealeau. It has remained in place ever since, with only one annual change to the sign: the announcement of the dates of the upcoming Catfish Days.
