SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW. This summer, Brayden and Grace Warwick of Chippewa Falls confirmed their purchase the 83-acre property along Crescent Avenue in the Town of Union – formerly host to music festivals such as Country Jam and Eaux Claires. Today, the couple intends to bring live music back to the space through the inaugural Queued Up Festival on Sept. 12. (Photo of Country Jam 2017 by Caitlyn Berlin)

Ever since Foster Farms Inc. moved to sell its Crescent Avenue acreage in 2024, residents have speculated about the future of that iconic Town of Union property – a spot steeped in local history, once home to music festivals like Country Jam and Eaux Claires.

As of this summer, the community now has its answers from new proprietors Brayden and Grace Warwick.

The Warwicks secured the larger of the two available riverfront parcels (3443 Crescent Ave., Eau Claire) – approximately 83 acres, tucked along the north bank of the Chippewa River and previously valued at $1 million – to become home of their new venture, River & Roots Gardens and Events.

Since acquiring these former festival-goer stomping grounds last December, the couple has worked to refine the property, hoping to cater toward its untapped potential, they said.

This September, the property will step back into its musical past. River & Roots plans to collaborate with local music org Queued Up to debut the “Queued Up Festival,” a first-time fest focused on hip-hop and high-energy electronic sounds.

“When we saw the land for the first time, it was an instant (falling) in love,” Brayden said in a recent interview. “It can be used as multi-purpose (space) throughout the year: if we need it for music; if we need it for people to gather and have that field as a play area; garden events and then River & Roots retreats …”

“What attracted us to this land is we needed space to grow – that organic passion of ours has been just growing for the last few years,” he continued.

These 'organic' passions are literal for the duo. Both Brayden and Grace – originally from Chippewa Falls and now live in Eau Claire – bring their own entrepreneurial experiences to this new project.

Brayden (left) and Grace (right) Warwick, pictured above. (Image via Warwick Organic Lawns)

Brayden’s experience with Warwick Organic Lawns landscaping and Grace’s longtime investment in agricultural systems – through her love for flower and berry farms – have joined forces to create the couple's joint business, River & Roots.

Brayden and Grace intend to utilize their new property along Crescent Avenue to host weddings, retreats, U-pick flowers and berries fields, and – of course – bring live music back to the grounds.

This September, the property will step back into its musical past. River & Roots plans to collaborate with local music org Queued Up to debut the “Queued Up Festival,” a first-time fest focused on hip-hop and high-energy electronic sounds.

The inaugural bill features a blend of alternative and hip-hop talent, with slated acts including Lil Skies, Vwillz and Pardyalone, alongside Tommyboy, Chronick and several other emerging voices.

“Our goal with launching this (festival) and then growing it, is trusting the product and the brand,” Jackson Detrick, owner of Queued Up, said. “If it can be an independent (music) discovery festival, I think it would be cool.”

The Warwicks view this inaugural, single-day event as a catalyst for future music ventures on the property. Beyond the Queued Up Festival, the couple remains open to the possibility of legacy gatherings – Country Jam, Eaux Claires or even OneFest – to reclaim their place on the riverside grounds.

“In the future, we would love to have all genres and decades of music,” the Warwicks said. “We are keeping the stages that (the previous owners) had – and they are the coolest.”

“I think it’s maybe better that we saw (the property) as a completely blank slate, a ‘look what this property could be,’ ” the duo continued.

Locals can follow along with the music festival ramp-up – plus announcements for what the Warwicks’ grounds will otherwise become – online through the grounds' new social media platform, @return.to.the.river.

Between 2015 and 2018, the grounds were home to the Eaux Claires Music Festival, co-founded by Eau Claire’s Justin Vernon. Then, the festival made use of the property's woods, hills and fields which overlook the Chippewa River. (Photo of Eaux Claires 2017 by Lee Butterworth)

The Warwicks intend to keep the original the wooden music stages and vendor huts on the grounds intact. Long-term, they see these spaces to be multi-use, from live music to garden sheds and stands to sell U-pick berries and flowers.  (Photo of Eaux Claires 2016 by Luong Huynh)

Queued Up Festival, hosted by Queued Up, will take place on Sept. 12 at River & Roots Garden and Events (3443 Crescent Ave, Eau Claire). To learn more about the festival lineup and purchase tickets ($53/person), visit queuedupfestival.com.