Music

Eau Claire's Street Performance 'Scene'

Trevor Kupfer, photos by Nick Meyer |

 
The Fiddle Man, rockin’ The State.

    Along with outdoor eating and vendors, part of what makes a city sidewalk vibrant, engaging, and worth walking is street performers or “buskers.” No longer regarded as panhandling vagrants and with a lengthy list of celebrities that got their start as such, street performers add entertainment to a simple stroll and excitement to the mundane. It’s not as though Eau Claire is completely void of these creatives. Look no further than the breakdancers during International Fall Festival, or Nimblin’ Nick Seeger (“The Fiddle Man”) every weekend on Water Street and before State Theatre performances, or the living statues of the UWEC Players. “It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it’s something the community seems to enjoy and we love doing,” said Players member Tyler Morris, who has been a statue at the Viennese Ball, Relay for Life, and International Fall Festival. “We have talked about our visibility within the community and street performance seems to be a good outlet … we may slowly continue adding to our repertoire. Hopefully you’ll see something new over the summer into the fall.” The more the merrier, so long as we don’t get mimes …