PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — Port Washington's Fish Days festival is moving forward this weekend despite historically bad air quality from wildfire smoke, with organizers putting precautions in place to protect volunteers and attendees.
The three-day festival began Thursday afternoon. It is a six-decade tradition of celebrating the city's fishing industry. It draws thousands of locals and tourists to the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Organizers have implemented shorter volunteer shifts, water breaks, masking when necessary, and posted an air quality warning to social media ahead of 'Fishgiving' — the festival's seniors and veterans night.
Wendy Braam, a Fish Days event organizer, said the smoke is already being felt on the festival grounds.
Watch: Port Washington's Fish Days opens under a smoky sky — and locals are still showing up
"I can feel the smoke in my throat," Braam said. "I have asthma, so I am taking precautions. I have my inhaler... Our volunteer population is older than 60... And so we are especially cognizant of the fact that we need to make sure they are staying safe."
Residents in Port Washington are also navigating the smoke in their daily routines. Michael and Lori McAllister, neighbors who were out for a walk Thursday, described a city that looked dramatically different than usual.
"It kind of looks like a ghost town with all the smoke," Michael McAllister said. "We'll see how it turns out tonight and through the weekend."
Organizers and residents alike are hoping rain and wind will help dissipate the smoke before the festival's finale on Saturday.
"Our walks are usually about 3.5 miles, so I just brought my inhaler today, just in case. But it hasn't been bad," Lori McAllister said. "We usually try to get down to Fish Day for a few hours."
The festival takes place Thursday through Saturday, with many of the major festivities taking place Saturday. More information can be found here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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