Backseat Soundtracks and Sisters in the Summertime

Mike Paulus, illustrated by Taylor McCumber

As I wasn’t much for reading books back then, I had two options. I could annoy the living hell out of my older sister. Or I could listen to my Walkman. It was a ...

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On the Cover | July 10, 2019

learn more about Volume One's cover art from Harlie Juedes

“Sitting around the fire, watching it burn, and feeling the heat on a cool night is glorious. We often don’t recognize it, but we live in a beautiful part of the world. I love capturing this beauty ..."

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Opening Shot | July 10, 2019

photos by Branden Nall

FIELD OF BEAMS. Eau Claire’s annual Independence Day fireworks display popped off on July 4 (of course) just after 10pm. As usual, ground zero for the show was the Carson Park baseball stadium, with thousands of locals watching from the park and around the entire city.

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North High Baseball Caps Fourth Straight State Tourney Trip With Title

Luc Anthony

Bottom of the sixth, two on, two out, down by two. In 20 minutes of real time, a season’s worth of effort could result in something less than a championship. Then Sam Stange hit a home run. Of course he did. The Eau Claire North Huskies did ...

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Music Quick Hits | July 2019

V1 Staff

Local favorite Eau Claire noise rock outfit Gash recently dropped two new tunes on a split EP with Milwaukee band Divine Crush. The split, which is called Split, features two new songs from each band ...

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Less Is More: Shane Leonard’s new record exercises restraint with stunning results

Eric Christenson

It’s been almost exactly three years since the last Kalispell album, Printer’s Son, came out – and in those three years that band’s mastermind Shane Leonard has been keeping busy with ...

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Country Jam Celebrates 30 Years With Star-Studded Lineup

Haley Wright, photos by Caitlyn Berlin

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Eau Claire’s own Country Jam music festival. On an annual basis, the festival brings together friends and family to camp and enjoy live performances ...

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The Jam Offers Musical Experience for EC Youth

Lauren Fisher

Local musician Michael Rambo of CollECtive Choir has started up a new faith-based music program for Eau Claire youth. The Jam will take place Fridays at 3-5:30pm at The Lighthouse (310 E Madison St.) and offer a free ...

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You’ll Wanna Rock and Roll and Party Every Day at the 26th Annual Rock Fest

Rebecca Mennecke, photos by Lee Butterworth

Featuring rock music icons including Five Finger Death Punch, Skillet, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Mastodon, Three Days Grace, Evanescence, Starset, and Of Mice & Men, music fans and festival-lovers alike will ...

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Gods or Spacemen

Pyrrhic debuts after seven years in the making

Broc Seigneurie

It’s often said that the creative process is something that can’t be rushed. That theory has been put to the test by regional rock group Gods or Spacemen with their debut release, Pyrrhic. The result is a bluesy indie-rock passion project

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Eau Claire Teen Thrilled to Be Part of Kids From Wisconsins for Second Time

Marie Anthony, photos by Branden Nall

It’s not Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes” that draws attention. It’s the performers who glide and spin so effortlessly across the stage that it’s easy to forget that many of them are still in high school or just ...

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Peter Pan Flies to the Pablo Center

Rebecca Mennecke, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Everyone who remembers the story of Peter Pan knows all it takes to fly is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust. But it’ll take a little more than ...

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Red Cedar Film Festival Launches With 30 Indie Films

Lauren Fisher

Movie lovers will flock to Menomonie in July to enjoy fresh films on the big screen at the historic Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, or under the stars in Wilson Park, as part of the inaugural Red Cedar Film Festival. Out of nearly 70 entries, festival visionary and UW-Stout ...

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Sabeen Sadiq Graces the Plus

Laugh it up to support the Red Letter Grant

Rebecca Mennecke

Comedian. Writer. Spectacular human. That’s Sabeen Sadiq, a Chicago-based comedian and actor, according to her website. As a part of the Red Letter Grant Comedy Night, hosted by the Menomonie Market ...

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Writers’ Retreat Ends With Public Reading at Pablo

Rebecca Mennecke

There’s a common misconception that writers are hermits, crafting their works by candlelight in solitary houses located in the middle of dark and deep forests. The Chippewa Valley Writers Guild proved that stereotype ...

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Eco Art & the Global Canvas

Footprints/Memories opens at the Pablo Center

Barbara Arnold

What is our impact on the planet? Can we choose how we leave our mark? Footprints/Memories: Eco Art and the Global Canvas, the first-ever eco art exhibition at the Pablo Center at ...

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Checking on My Plot in the Community Garden, Early June

Jan Carroll

Saw the first sulfur butterfly, I think a Little Wing. They don’t sit still long. The first dragonflies like tiny helicopters, only beautiful, escorting me. Intricately delicate, not manmade, not mechanical ...

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CITY HALL REBORN: Renovation wrapping up on historic downtown complex

Tom Giffey, photos by Andrea Paulseth

A nearly two-year, $6.4 million renovation of Eau Claire City Hall is nearing completion, and the downtown landmark is almost ready for the return of city workers and visitors. What has already returned ...

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Gov Signs Budget With Science Hall Funds

V1 Staff

The $82 billion state budget signed early this month by Gov. Tony Evers included the first phase of funding for ...

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City Seeks New Ideas for Block 7, Liner Site

V1 Staff

The City of Eau Claire is going back to the drawing board for two downtown development sites. The city’s Redevelopment Authority has ...

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Garden Club Grants Help Valley Bloom

V1 Staff

The Eau Claire Garden Club has awarded $2,450 in grants to local garden organizations to help make the Chippewa Valley a verdant place. The annual grant program helps organizations ...

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Carson Park’s Mini Railroad Plans Track Extension

Caitlin Boyle, photos by Andrea Paulseth

The Chippewa Valley Railroad has been a highlight in Carson Park since 1977. The one-quarter size railroad takes passengers through the woods and along Half Moon Lake on a half-mile loop. Thousands of people ...

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5 Ways Wisconsin Helped Put a Man on the Moon

Tom Giffey

When the first men to walk on the moon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969 – 50 years ago this month – the first human being they encountered was Lt. Clancy Hatleberg, a 25-year-old ...

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Bloody Awesome

Elk Lake Tavern steps up Bloody Mary game

Samantha Kobbs

The competition for Best Bloody in the Chippewa Valley just got stiffer as underdog Elk Lake Tavern moved its way up the power rankings. Just a few miles straight west of Eau Claire at 10500 W. Cameron St., this ...

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Dhimiters Gets Saucy at Food Truck Friday

V1 Staff, photos by Adam Smith

Dhimiters gyros began with a trip Vangjel Kapbardhi took to Germany. Kapbardhi stopped at the kabab stands to grab a donër — which is essentially the same as a gyro, he said. Once home, Kapbardhi recreated the donër and, thus, Dhimiters gyros was born. In addition ...

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Thrift a Piece of History

local labels are fun finds in thrift stores

Lauren Fisher, photos by Chippewa Falls Historical Society

The Chippewa Valley was a hub for manufacturing, farming, packaging, and many other forms of creation during the 1800s and early 1900s. That history is preserved in museums, books, and architecture, but ...

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Local Jewelry Store Offers up Antique, Vintage Pieces

Jessica Mahlum, photos by Andrea Paulseth

In the hunt for unique vintage and antique items, a jewelry store might not be someone’s first instinct, but some jewelers bring on the used jewelry game. As part of their green practice, Williams Diamonds Center ...

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7 Tips for Fancy Finds

area junk hunt pro shares her advice for buying vintage

Lauren Fisher

Tammy Hurt of Sweet Legacy Vintage will never pass over a new piece of old-fashioned furniture or a set of antique china. It’s against her nature to drive by a garage sale without stopping in to ...

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Handmade Objects Meet Their End at Secondhand Stores

Lauren Fisher, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Approximately 2 feet by 1½ feet of white crochet lace is pinned under glass, displaying an anniversary message bordered in a carefully stitched heart. It reads: “25 Years Together.” I found the piece while ...

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What’s Your Side Hustle?

Uber, Lyft, other apps offer workers extra cash, flexible hours

Rebecca Mennecke

Younger generations are glued to their phones – or at least that’s how the stereotype goes. But, the folks who grew up with cellphones and the Internet have upgraded more than just ...

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Removing Work Barriers

UW-Stout Is Home to Vocational Rehabilitation Institute

Pam Powers, photos by UW-Stout News

When his father lost his sight from diabetic complications and ended up using a wheelchair because he didn’t know how to use an assistive cane, Kyle Walker learned firsthand the impact a disability can ...

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Hot Jobs for the Future

Looking for work? Here are the region’s high-paying, high-growth occupations.

Tom Giffey

Summer is a time for hot temperatures, hot blockbuster flicks, and hot summer jams. But what are the hot jobs you should be getting your résumé ready for? Economists from the state Department of Workforce ...

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Valley’s Jobless Rate Is Low, While Population Rises

Tom Giffey

The job market in the Chippewa Valley – and the nation – is strong, thanks in part to a historically long economic expansion. While this has translated into near record-low unemployment, it hasn’t ...

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10 Top Tips for Job Hunters

Barbara Arnold

Regardless of the unemployment rate, finding the right job can be a challenge. Volume One reached out to these Chippewa Valley experts and organizations to help compile this job hunters’ guide. Keep in mind ...

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Jobs by the Numbers 2019

V1 Staff, photos by Colab

If you’re like us, the blizzard of numbers that come in news reports about the economy can be bewildering. In particular, unemployment statistics are updated monthly, sometimes get adjusted, and constantly fluctuate. In the past few years, fortunately, these ...

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5 Great Antique Shops Hixton

tiny Wisco village is great destination for antique lovers

Tom Giffey, photos by Tom Giffey

Every small town needs a claim to fame – something to hang its identity on and to lure visitors to exit from the highway. For Hixton, that claim is being the Antiquing Capital of Wisconsin ...

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Charming Collections

Chippewa Falls antique store offers vast vintage selection

Nealy Corcoran, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Located in the heart of historic downtown Chippewa Falls, Collective Charm, 16 W. Columbia St., is a delightful antique store that proudly serves the creative collectors and curious shoppers of west-central Wisconsin ...

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