JANUARY to MARCH

Local filmmaker Peter Elliot Eaton releases Sugar Mountain, a short, coming-of-age film featuring local actors shot entirely in Eau Claire • North High School’s Jazz Band goes to the Essentially Ellington competition in New York City • Cash mobs sprout up around Eau Claire, supporting local businesses in a crowded fashion • UW-Stout student Kristen Korkowski hits it big on YouTube with a collection of folksy covers • Meridene calls it quits • Adelyn Rose releases debut record, Mezzanine • RogCity Fitness releases the much-rumored On The Road, a fitness video featuring a number of local musicians, including models from Bon Iver • Legendary blues musician Keb Mo comes to the State Theatre

APRIL to JUNE

S. Carey releases Hoyas EP, an entirely different direction than his debut • Eau Claire ranked one of the top ten cheapest cities in the US by Yahoo • DECI + S. Barstow BID reveal downtown master plan for future development • Local author, UWEC professor BJ Hollars wins renowned Midland Prize • ECRAC presents lifetime achievement award to artist Laurie Bieze • Menomonie OKs urban chickens • Kalispell releases debut full-length, Westbound • Eau Claire’s first Brazilian steakhouse, Picanha, opens • The Daredevil Christopher Wright releases sophomore full-length record, The Nature of Things • Volume One and The Local Store move to new building, open the Volume One Gallery to showcase local artists

JULY to SEPTEMBER

Carson Park’s ball park turned 75, prompting a look back at the long history of baseball in Eau Claire • A massive jazz library is donated to UW-Eau Claire by a former professor, including over a 1,000 LP recordings and musical charts • Local documentarian Dennis Miller produces film looking back at Eau Claire’s Uniroyal plant • UW-Eau Claire professor Sean Hartnett maps the Olympic marathon in London • Minneapolis radio station The Current hosts a full show featuring Eau Claire musicians • ECRAC launches Power2Give, a crowdsource funding site for local arts • Menomonie High School gets rid of fine arts requirements for graduation

OCTOBER to DECEMBER

Fired Up opens and gives first charitable checks to community organizations • Justin Vernon + Gordy Bischoff team up to create a guitar made out of a whiskey barrel, which is auctioned off for the Confluence Project • YMCA swaps land with city, plans to build on Galloway Street • Northstar Middle School teacher is Wisconsin’s Art Teacher Of The Year • David Sedaris, LeAnn Rhymes, and Lindsey Buckingham come to the State Theatre • The Daredevil Christopher Wright release a 7” split and get a favorable write-up by NPR • The murals from 2 S. Barstow are hung in a gallery at Banbury Place