A VISUAL HISTORY. From June 24-28, Menomonie will soon welcome 200+ visual artists – and members of the Walldogs arts collective – to its downtown, for the “Murals In Menomonie” project. 15 murals will be painted over a five-day period and serve as an opportunity to tell the history of Dunn County. Pictured: a visual rendering of a Knapp, Stout & Co. mural which will appear on the side of Simple Sports on Main Street. (Submitted photo)

Menomonie residents may already sense a creative energy buzzing, as city streets prepare to welcome a surge of regional and global visitors – many equipped with paint, brushes and drop cloths, ready to scale scaffolding in unconventional places.

The city is gearing up to welcome a first-time endeavor, known as the “Murals In Menomonie” project. This community-wide undertaking will transform Dunn County from June 24-28 as it hosts hundreds of specialized muralists from the Walldogs global collective.

Artists will be outside painting their murals the majority of June 25, paired with food trucks around Wilson Park (800 Wilson Ave., Menomonie) from 10am-4pm. An arts and crafts market with regional vendors will also take place throughout the day from 10am-6pm.

“It’s really going to change our town. Of course, once the artwork comes up it is going to be amazing – but just to see everybody working together… It’s been quite a journey.” –Wade Lambrigtsen, mural coordinator of Murals In Menomonie

Becca Schoenborn, executive director of Downtown Menomonie, said locals are encouraged to meander through their neighborhoods to meet the artists and view each art piece come to life.

Under the direction of Wade Lambrigtsen, mural coordinator for the project, an assembly of project leads – adding to a total of 225 participating artists – will realize 15 unique murals across the Dunn County area.

The Ludington Guard Band mural (pictured above) – led by muralist Jeff Lang of Pennsylvania – will be painted on the Menomonie Theater Guild building this summer. (Submitted photo)

“This has been a dream of mine since 2012, when I went to my first Walldogs (event),” Lambrigtsen said of the project. “When I came home, I was walking on air; from then on, I always imagined having an event like that here in Menomonie.”

Lambrigtsen describes the murals as an opportunity to tell the history of his community. Many of the renderings appear vintage by design, as they spotlight stories from Menomonie’s notable figures and businesses of the past.

Examples of these subjects include Swiss Miss hot chocolate, founded in Menomonie during the later 1900s; the Ludington Guard Band, the oldest community guard band in Wisconsin; the Knapp, Stout, & Co. Company, an homage to the region’s lumber industry; Harry Miller’s invention of the “Golden Submarine”; among many other stories.

A Hmong story cloth mural, designed by Angelina Yang and Gao (Pretti) Zhong Thao – two University of Wisconsin-Stout students – was one of the highest-voted mural subjects by community members this past year.

A portion of murals will be placed in other areas beyond the Menomonie city limits, including Boyceville and the Dunn County Fairgrounds, Lambrigtsen said.

On June 27, Downtown Menomonie will host a ticketed banquet and auction. There, guests can bid on miniature versions of the murals and an assortment of other artwork, hand-painted signs and donated goods from local businesses.

A digital mockup of the Hmong story cloth (pictured above), designed by Angelina Yang and Gao (Pretti) Zhong Thao. Both visual artists are considered "first-timers" in the Walldog mural collective. (Submitted photo)

For nearly three years – its official launch was in 2024 – the project has continued to spread community awareness and garner support for its $300,000 fundraising goal. Today, involved stakeholders are just $20,000 away from reaching their goal.

Schoenborn said these funds will provide accommodations for traveling artists, cover supplies needed to create the murals and support event execution during the week-long endeavor. Importantly, the funds will also cover the upkeep on the murals well into the future, ensuring they stay in pristine condition.

Of course, the project would not be possible without the support from local building owners, who have offered physical space for these murals to take form, Lambrigtsen added.

The team of organizers from Downtown Menomonie, Menomonie Area Chamber & Visitor Center, City of Menomonie and many others envision the multi-day event to serve as an economic driver for the area. Each mural has been valued at about $15,000 each, totaling a value of $750,000.

Upon the completion of these visual landmarks, Menomonie will truly embody the spirit of a Walldog city, Lambrigtsen said. He anticipates an influx of tourists who will explore the new public art, traverse downtown Menomonie and patronize local retailers or dining establishments.

“It’s really going to change our town,” Lambrigtsen continued. “Of course, once the artwork comes up it is going to be amazing – but just to see everybody working together… It’s been quite a journey.”

Murals In Menomonie, a Walldogs festival event, will be held from June 24-28 throughout downtown Menomonie. Visit the Murals In Menomonie Facebook page online, to view a collection of videos which share more about the stories of each mural design.