Material sample swatches, left, during the ideation of the Eau Claire Express mascot decades ago by the now-defunct 1-800-Mascots. At right, an original sketch of what would become the team's mascot: Trax. (Photos submitted by Craig Toycen and Sammi Costello)

2025 marks the 20th anniversary of both the Eau Claire Express – Eau Claire's baseball team, part of the Northwoods League – and the team’s mascot: Trax. Perhaps you have wondered... What is Trax? As recently as the current 2025 season, this author has encountered people at games speculating on that very question. 

According to Dr. Jeff Jones, former owner of the team in its early years, train imagery led to Trax’s conceptualization. “We said, ‘How do we get someone to be like the captain of the train?’ ”

The now-defunct 1-800-Mascots came up Trax's final look; Jones recalls two or three designs to consider. “We chose the one that looked the most unique,” he said. The train theme also led to the mascot's name. “We said ‘Well, let's call him Trax – train tracks.’ ”

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WE LOOKED AT A MASCOT AND WE SAID, 'HOW DO WE GET SOMEONE TO BE LIKE THE CAPTAIN OF THE TRAIN?'

That's where the get-up came from; It's supposed to look like a train captain.

DR. JEFF JONES

ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE E.C. EXPRESS TEAM

Andy Neborak worked with the Express in several capacities over 13 seasons. “I was probably asked hundreds if not thousands of times what Trax is. I would almost always respond with, ‘What do you think he is?’ ” says Neborak. “As you can imagine, I heard a lot of answers over the years. Most popular were chicken nugget, turd, and beaver.”

Neborak has donned the costume on a few occasions, including for a mascot race and a READ event at Eau Claire's Memorial High School. The first person to play Trax? The best friend of Jones's daughter. “She was athletic enough that she could spend the whole evening in that hot suit," he recalled.

Jones still strongly values the entertainment brought by the team and the mascot. “I see the kids certainly giving high-fives to Trax, but also adults getting high-fives, and that's part of the entertainment philosophy of the Northwoods League.”

20 years on, Neborak sees Trax as a steady presence for the team and the area. “A Northwoods League season is short, but Trax has always been the reminder that the Express exists year-round,” he said.

Two sketches of what almost was... We'll call these, The Wannabe Trax Duo.

And also this one, which is like a teenage Elmo-Trax fusion. Scary.

An oral history on Trax from original Eau Claire Express team owner, Dr. Jeff Jones; Andy Neborak (who previously served in several team roles, including co-owner and general manager); and current Express team owner, Craig Toycen:

Dr. Jeff Jones:

First off... How did the Express come about? There were a number of us that had a brainstorming session, some marketing, some baseball people and others. The (La Crosse) Loggers had already taken the logging theme; I thought, "Sawdust City." And then I thought "Well, what else does (the) Eau Claire area have?" And that's train tracks. Therefore, we came up with the idea of a train theme, and then we came up with a number of possible names, and one of the marketing people said that "x" is a very prominent letter for marketing. Then it became the "express train." That's kind of how the name "Express" came about.

Then going along that theme, we talked about having ushers be porters, like on a train. Then we looked at a mascot and we said, "How do we get someone to be like the captain of the train?" That's where the get-up came from; it's supposed to look like a train captain. And frankly, the way Trax was designed was by the people that make the outfit for Trax. We told them what our thoughts were, and they came up with the way that Trax actually looks. But the name just was in keeping with the "express" and "train" theme, and we said "Well, let's call him Trax: train tracks."  So that's how it all came from.

Craig Toycen:

Trax was quoted from three different companies. 1-800-Mascots won out.

Dr. Jeff Jones:

There were, as I recall, two or three different things that the company came up with. They had their own graphic designer, and we chose the one that looked the most unique we thought, and to my knowledge he's maintained the same look over these 20 years.

Andy Neborak:

I was not around at the beginning of the Express organization but joined in the third season. I was there for 13 seasons, so I had a lot of experience with Trax. I was probably asked hundreds if not thousands of times what Trax is. I would almost always respond with, “What do you think he is?” As you can imagine, I heard a lot of answers over the years. Most popular were chicken nugget, turd, and beaver. When pressed for an answer, I would say he’s a train conductor. I would usually follow that up with a comment that he doesn’t have to be any sort of species that exists in real life. For example, the Philly Phanatic isn’t anything – he’s the Philly Phanatic. Trax also isn’t anything, he’s Trax!

Dr. Jeff Jones:

Oh, (the reaction) was immediate.  All the kids loved Trax and I still do; they wanted their picture taken.  (I) insisted... that Trax couldn't speak, because then they couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl in there, so a nonverbal Trax is what we came with.

(The first to wear the suit) was my daughter's best friend. She was athletic enough that she could spend the whole evening in that hot suit. I mean, it's very warm to wear the thing; it's extremely warm. And they had cooling vests and that sort of thing, but we felt that she would be athletic enough that she would be able to withstand the heat and be out there.

Andy Neborak:

I had the pleasure of being in the suit several times over the years. Oddly enough, I don’t think I was ever in it during the two summers I was an intern, but I was in the suit multiple times during my tenure as the GM or part-owner. My proudest moment was when I (Trax) made a READ poster at Memorial High School. My lowest moment was finishing last in a mascot race at the Chippewa Valley Museum. There was one year Trax won a mascot race (I think at a local apple orchard) and has a trophy to show for it!

The Polar Plunge is probably my Trax highlight from my time with the Express. We had a lot of conversations about making Trax do ridiculous things (the one that came up repeatedly was float down the Chippewa River). The Polar Plunge was the one time we actually followed through on the much talked about Trax shenanigans.

There have been many times it has been a challenge to get Trax ready for game-day. More times than I can count, his overalls broke and were in need of safety pins. There’s one game his pupil was lost just before gates opened. Trax can be scary to the kids and this would be particularly true if he were missing a pupil. One of the most important jobs an intern has ever been tasked with is to draw a new pupil on Trax’s eye with a Sharpie. Luckily, the intern had a steady hand and Trax was good to go for the game!

Prior to the team’s 10th season (2014), we decided to create a friend for Trax (Trix). I caught a lot of grief for the creation of Trix, but it was important to us to find Trax a friend – and we were hopeful feelings would develop and they could be more than friends. We were thrilled when Trax and Trix were married at the ballpark (I think we did that in 2014 or 2015). They were an odd couple in 2014. Trix was brand new, clean, and scent free. Trax on the other hand was in his 10th year and looked like he had spent plenty of time diving on the infield dirt. That wasn’t the plan, however. We had contracted with the company who originally made Trax (1-800-Mascots) to re-make him prior to the 2014 season so that he and Trix would be looking sharp for the team’s 10th season.

Craig Toycen:

They are now out of business.

Andy Neborak:

Unfortunately, the owner of that mascot company fled the country with our deposit and likely a half re-created Trax (we had pictures showing a partially created mascot at some point in the process). Luckily, Trax got his fresh look in 2015.

Craig Toycen:

The latest Trax is from Sugar Mascots. Sugar Mascots did quote out the original Trax. The latest Trax debuted in 2024.

Dr. Jeff Jones:

The summer collegiate theme in the Northwoods League, at least, is entertainment. It's an integral part of the entertainment of the fans that are at the ballpark. I mean, I see the kids certainly giving high-fives to Trax, but also adults getting high-fives, and that's part of the entertainment philosophy of the Northwoods League.

Andy Neborak:

Trax is the face of the Express. The nature of the Northwoods League is a roster that turns over each year. Trax is been the constant with the team for 20 years. He’s either loved or hated by kids (hated by my four year-old). He’s beloved by the fan deck patrons (particularly at the end of the game). A Northwoods League season is short, but Trax has always been the reminder that the Express exists year-round. I always felt an event was a big deal if Trax made an appearance! We were proud to have him all around the Chippewa Valley 12 months per year!

Dr. Jeff Jones:

Going back to the beginning is that, my vision was that everything would be train-themed. And back in the day, we had a big train horn that would go off when somebody hit a home run, for example. The fact that the train theme has stuck, and that it's a kind of emblematic of Eau Claire and Altoona, especially, and the trains that occupy this area.

It's very gratifying to have something that we made a decision about twenty years ago, still be a viable option for the ballpark and for the identity of the Express.

Give Trax a high-five at the next Eau Claire Express home game at Carson Park (100 Carson Park Dr., Eau Claire)! Check out the Express's 2025 season schedule online at www.northwoodsleague.com/eau-claire-express/schedule/.