Bena's Big Fish measures roughly 65 feet long.Former Bena Resident Steps Forward to Save City’s Muskie Landmark Made Famous by Chevy Chase and Charles Kuralt
 
Bena, Minnesota — The 65-foot-long muskie on Highway 2 in Bena will soon come off the state’s list of 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. Created in the 1950’s, The Big Fish was originally known as the Big Muskie Drive-In. It rose to national fame twice after making a cameo in Chevy Chase’s movie, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and then a feature in CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt’s “On the Road” series. The fish was even named one of the state’s seven wonders by Eric Dregni, author of Minnesota Marvels.
 
The Big Fish Shows Its Age-
Recently the eccentric fish landmark made headlines again, but not for its attributes. Instead, The Big Fish was noted for its rotting and crumbling exterior and named one of Minnesota’s top 10 Endangered Historic Places, by The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. A lack of funds made it impossible for the fish’s owner to tackle the task. And, being located in a town of just over 100 people, there weren’t many options for help.
 
“We had to do something,” says Paul Reimer, The Big Fish’s owner. “The whole center portion of the fish was caving in. One more winter and it would have been on the ground … likely washed ashore for good.”
 
Former Bena Resident Throws The Big Fish a Large Lifejacket-
Bell Mortgage owner, Gary Kirt, lived his early years in Bena and remembers the landmark’s popularity throughout the years. Gary also has quite an affinity for architectural history. After reading articles about the deteriorating fish in two Twin Cities’ papers, Bell Mortgage and Gary stepped forward. “I called the owner who was very interested in getting some help,” Gary recalls.
 
Gary’s commitment to philanthropic ventures also fueled his efforts to save the fish. As CEO of Bell Mortgage in Minneapolis, Gary is constantly volunteering his time and resources. Whether it is funding the Twin Cities Boys and Girls Clubs, providing basketball backboards for the Red Lake Humanities Building, the donating of an historical early 1900’s mansion to Simpson Housing Services, providing and serving meals at Simpson or, in this case, a big fragile fish, Gary finds joy in these efforts.
 
The Big Fish Gets a Facelift-
After receiving the necessary funds from Bell Mortgage to make repairs, the fish’s owner is doing some of the work along with local artisans hired to duplicate the original creation. The crew will use updated materials including a new type of rolled roofing which will help give the fish a longer life as compared to the original construction. The Big Fish is also getting a lift from Facebook fans, where it currently has garnered the attention of 235 faithful followers.
 
“We’ve been getting comments everyday from local folks seeing the progress on the fish,” says Reimer. “People are constantly saying thank you for getting this done!”
 
To see The Big Fish’s progress, you can check out Bell’s photo diary at:  www.bellmortgage.com. For more information on this story, please contact Kelly Plummer at 651-207-6242 or kelly@superstarpr.com.