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Visitor Info

Mille Lacs Lake is a place where you can share your love of the outdoors with family & friends. Relax at the Lake, tell some stories around the campfire and then watch the sun set. Let nature be your backdrop for meaningful quality time and make some new memories to cherish.

Zilla

The Zilla sculpture was fabricated by local metal artist and welder Jason Beamish. It’s more than 12 feet wide and is compromised of dozens of different metals and literally hundreds – if not thousands – of intricate pieces. According to Beamish, part of the fun of creating the poly-metallic fish was finding ways to incorporate multiple unique – and sometimes sentimental – elements from the local area into its design. Many fishing lures were donated by local fishing guide Gene Miller, and even Beamish’s children contributed their own offerings.

Two most unique items that were welded into the piece are a fishing harpoon and propeller.

Steve’s great-grandfather hand-forged the harpoon. Beamish coated the harpoon in silicon bronze so that it would stand out as many of the steel components rust over the years to come. The propeller is off of the launch boat out front.

Every time you look at this sculpture you’ll find something different. There are so many intricacies.

The fish is a reflection of the careful nuance Beamish brought to the project, and every element has a visual function that helps bring the piece to life. The fish’s teeth are made of expanded aluminum, which Beamish welded together and then hydraulically inflated to make three dimensional. The eye of the fish is made from hundreds of dimes, and if you look closely, many small Minnesota and Mille Lacs Lake cutouts are peppered throughout.