Light Up Eau Claire 2016

You like the Oxbow – you really like it! That’s the takeaway from the Ninth Annual Downtown Eau Claire Awards – a.k.a. the Downtownys – where The Oxbow Hotel and its restaurant, The Lakely, took home a record three prizes. The revamped boutique hotel, which opened last fall, was announced as the winner of Best Business, Best New Business, and Best New Renovation during the awards banquet Feb. 23 at The Lismore. More than 700 people cast votes for the awards, which are given out each year by DECI, a downtown-boosting nonprofit. A number of other awards were announced as well: the New Year’s Eve Gala and Light Up Eau Claire (which were put on by UW-Eau Claire and Visit Eau Claire) won Best Event; Haymarket Landing was selected as Best New Development; developer and business owner John Mogensen received the Outstanding Achievement Award; Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild was Member of the Year; and Paul Brandt, who helped bring local music to the speakers on south Barstow Street, was Volunteer of the Year. Learn more about DECI and its many projects at DowntownEauClaire.org.