Questioning the Locals | Eleanor Wolf

get to know your neighbors

The Wolf.
 
The Wolf.

 

WHO: Eleanor Wolf, 73
WHAT: Former Property Assessment Specialist, now works part time at Bowmar Appraisal
LIVES: EC’s North Side Hill
IN THE CITY FOR: 27 years

Eleanor is known throughout the Valley as a naturalist – not just in spirit but in action. She is treasurer of the Sierra Club and helped organize the Lower Chippewa River Alliance, a group that hosts canoe and bike outings as well as work sessions that involve ridding the semi-wilderness areas of invasive species. Her hobbies include biking, hiking, and cross country skiing. She will complete the Kortelopet (half the length of the famous Birkebeiner) this winter for the third time.

What place in town considers you a “regular?” The Nucleus … we have breakfast there on Sunday mornings. It’s a tradition with longtime friends of mine. We call it our prayer breakfast, but really it’s any kind of discussion about politics, religion, local events …
 

What frustrates you about the Chippewa Valley? We need a high-speed train so it’d be easier to get to Minneapolis-St. Paul for cultural events. And some friends and I like to get together once a year and take in the sights of Chicago.

What is one of the best cultural experiences you’ve ever had in the Chippewa Valley? The Eau Claire Jazz Festival is spectacular. It brings in nationally known and recognized artists. So I look forward to that every year, and the price is right. I used to drive over to St. Paul by myself when the Dakota was located in St. Paul when it was really easy to get to. Now it’s in downtown Minneapolis on Nicolet Avenue and you have to park in a dark parking lot … and I don’t feel safe there as a single woman. That’s another reason why the rail would be wonderful.

I farmed for 25 years … milked cows. I raised my family on the farm with my ex-husband, south of Monroe, in Green County. That’s not obscure, but it gave me a great deal of admiration and appreciation for farmers.

What is your favorite local festival? Well, the Jazz Festival of course. But I also attend the Blues Festival every year.

Water Street or Downtown? Downtown. I come down to the Democratic Party meetings, and I meet friends down here for lunch. I used to be a regular at the Stones Throw when they would have jazz on Monday nights. But that fell through. I always loved downtown. I come here more often now that the farmers market is here.

TV13 or TV18? I don’t have a TV, so I don’t watch any TV. I listen to public radio, though, to get my news and music. I try to keep up with the world.

What book, TV show, or movie would you recommend to the members of our city council? The Long Emergency, which lays out a world without oil and the effects of global warming. It was written in 2005, and in the first chapter he lays out the economic meltdown that would happen soon. I heard him speak at the university, and he talked about how we need to get the trains back on the tracks – we will have to have trains. They’re much more efficient at moving people than cargo. That’s one way of dealing with a future of no oil. Well, if the city council members read this book, they’d be looking long term and would see the price of gas will become unaffordable, and that we need good bike trails and mass transit. We need to make decisions not just to meet today’s existence. You can say, “Oh sure, in 20 to 30 years, we’re going to have double the cars.” Well, maybe not … maybe not.

What store do you find yourself frequenting most often and why? I would say, next to the grocery store ... Border’s. I get books online, too, but I love the fact that it’s there and I want it to stay so sometimes I browse and pick up books right there.

What sort of economic development would you like to see in our area? We need a grocery store in Phoenix Park. Something like a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s – that would be fun to have in Eau Claire. I’d love to move down to Phoenix Park and in an apartment, but I’d need a grocery store that I could bike to, along with the farmers market.

What is the most obscure job you’ve held? I farmed for 25 years … milked cows. I raised my family on the farm with my ex-husband, south of Monroe, in Green County. That’s not obscure, but it gave me a great deal of admiration and appreciation for farmers. I don’t miss it. How do you miss getting up and milking cows every day? Never being able to get away. … It takes a great deal of planning to get someone to take over the milking duties.

What book are you currently reading? Before Roe v. Wade by Linda Greenhouse. I’m about halfway through it. You know, the whole controversy just never dies, it never goes away. But it’s interesting because I lived through that era, and I never knew why it happened. It happened primarily because women were dying or being terribly impacted by “back room” abortions.