Last year, Chippewa Falls’ favorite – and possibly only – “swampgrass” band presented an original show dedicated to the mighty, Valley-carving Chippewa River. This year, the Swampers will use their instrumental (including violin, banjo, guitar, and even kazoo) and vocal (they promise “4 ½-part harmony”) talents to explore another historic means of transportation: the railroad. For the 15th straight summer, composer/director/performer Jerry Way has created a musical production to kick off the city’s annual Pure Water Days celebration. “Each year we did it, we thought, ‘Now we’ve done it,’ ” Way says with a laugh when asked about the Swampers’ longevity. “But then another idea comes up, and sometimes people have suggested things, and sometimes they seem to bubble up to the top.” The new show, Tales Along the Rails, will combine storytelling and a slideshow of historic and contemporary photos with 14 Way-written songs about communities across the Chippewa Valley and their relationship with the railroads. There will be tales of bigger cities such as Chippewa Falls, Menomonie, and Eau Claire, as well as smaller towns, such as Tilden, Bloomer, and Boyd. Among the highlights is a tune titled “Old No. 21” about an explosive train wreck that took place in 1900 between Boyd and Stanley. The Swampers’ lineup features Amanda Tanzer, Rob Kuchta, Kathy Danielson, Tim Danielson, Judy Brist, and Way himself, who described their music this way: “It rises right up out of the swamp like swamp gas.” (In case you’re curious, the original “swampers” were the lowest-paid of lumberjacks, who cleared logging trails through the swamps.) If an evening of local lore set to strumming strings sounds like fun, get aboard the Swampers’ train. 

The Swampers: Tales Along the Rails • Thursday-Friday, Aug. 11-12, 7:30pm • Heyde Center for the Arts, 3 S. High St., Chippewa Falls • $11 adults, $10 seniors, $5 youths • (715) 726-9000 • cvca.net