BALLS BACK. Take your shot at winning a free plant propagation cup with Plant Pong at Verdant Curiosities.

We wish a “Happy Spring Break!” to all who celebrate, and to those looking for just a taste of their former collegiate spring break days, we’ll point you to a more wholesome version: Plant Pong in downtown Eau Claire.

Verdant Curiosities (320 Graham Ave., Suite 101) will be open for extended hours this week, inviting folks into its downtown oasis of greenery for a place to hang out and try their hand at Plant Pong. Stumbling across a pack of red Solo cup-like shot glasses, inspiration struck co-owner Jessica Vollmer.

“Since we’re right downtown we get a lot of people just wandering in while they’re out walking downtown, so we’re always trying to come up with activities to take place in our Plant Lounge,” she explained. After finding the shot glasses, Jessica said she decided “I needed to come up with something to do with them. Throw in that spring break is this week and we’re a college town, and Plant Pong was born.”

The plant shop lounge area will feature a traditional beer pong setup, except the cups will be filled with water on one end, and plant cuttings/propagations on the other. Standing at the opposite end of the cups filled with water, folks will take a shot at landing a pong ball into one of the cups. If you make it in, then you’ll get to keep the corresponding propagation cup.

Typically open by appointment and for limited weekly hours, Verdant Curiosities will have extended hours this week and into next week. This week, hours will be Tuesday 1-5pm; Wednesday 11am-2pm; Friday noon-4pm; and Sunday noon-4pm.

Next week, the shop will be open more during the weekdays, ready to welcome Eau Claire school district spring breakers to make seed bombs and participate in an Easter weekend seed hunt. Find more information about next week’s hours and events online.

Swing into Verdant Curiosities for a round of friendly Plant Pong and to hang out among the greenery • Keep up with the downtown E.C. plant shop on Facebook or make an appointment to shop on its website • Upcoming events like Plant Yoga, Terrarium Classes, and more are regularly hosted at the shop