YOU CAN'T MISS IT. The city of Eau Claire now has a 33x15-foot large, vibrant declaration of its "Kubb City" status – and it's located downtown. Ideated by the U.S. National Kubb Championship and designed and painted by local artist Jenna Wood, it's the second mural to go up on Water Street this year.

When Menomonie-based artist Jenna Wood (Wood Creative LLC) was first designing the Milwaukee Brewers’ City Connect “Wisco Way” mural, now on display on The Pickle's (341 Water St., Eau Claire) east-facing exterior wall, she decided to include a kubb set because, as she put it, “kubb is such a big part of Eau Claire.”

Little did she know that only a few weeks later after the Brewers mural was formally unveiled in July 2026, Eric Anderson, director of the U.S. National Kubb Championship, would reach out to her to create another mural – this one specifically focused on kubb.

“The mural adds even more to Eau Claire being 'Kubb City' and (helps make it) a destination for people to come to play kubb and experience Eau Claire.”

ERIC ANDERSON

FOUNDER, U.S. NATIONAL KUBB CHAMPIONSHIP

“Since day one back in 2007, when the first U.S. National Kubb Championship was held here, we have focused on building community and culture,” Eric said. “For the past couple years, we thought the next step would be to have a kubb mural in Eau Claire to celebrate the kubb community and provide something people could be proud of.

“At the same time, next year, 2027, is our 20th U.S. National Kubb Championship,” he continued, “and we wanted to have it complete for when teams from around the world come here for the week.”

The stars aligned, Eric said, when Visit Eau Claire helped nail down the new mural's location – just across from the Wisco Way mural on Water Street – and Jenna accepted their offer to create it.

Jenna was already well acquainted with the game of kubb. In an online interview with Midwest Emmy Award-winning local filmmakers BJ Hollars and Steve Dayton (founders of Fireside Productions who created the King of Kubbs documentary), Jenna recalled her son, Nash, coming home from school one day and excitedly telling her about a game he played in gym class: kubb. 

Soon after, their family bought a kubb set and started playing.

“We talked a little about the sky and grass, so I wanted to bring in lots of blue and green with pops of yellow and orange to really make the colors stand out. I also added the sun to bring in a little extra color and some happy vibes," Jenna said of the mural's design. “The flowers became the needed nod to Swedish folk art.”

“Eric was very specific about what they wanted to include in the mural,” Jenna said, noting his ask for specific phrases like “home of the U.S. National Kubb Championship,” iconography like the King piece in a kubb set, some sort of nod to Swedish folk art (kubb originated in Sweden) and other elements.

After providing Eric and the other organizers with a few design options, the physical prep work began – Jenna enjoys the outlining and painting processes best, she said – with her own family (including kiddos Nash and Jett) jumping in to help complete the new mural.

Her murals often end up being a family affair. 

“I love being able to show them what I do for a living and share my love of art with them. I’m so lucky to have such a creative and supportive family. They inspire me in so many ways, and I couldn’t do what I do without them,” she said.

 

Weather, including temperature, can dictate the speed of her outdoor mural timeline. Each of her murals needs at least two coats of paint to provide great color coverage, Jenna noted.

Eric, who was interviewed a few days after the new kubb-inspired mural was completed, said people from around the country and world have already commented on it, saying they're excited to come and take a photo with it. 

“The mural adds even more to Eau Claire being 'Kubb City' and (helps make it) a destination for people to come to play kubb and experience Eau Claire,” he said.

“My dad helped me haul the trailer and set up the scaffolding, which saved me so much time," Jenna said. "The mural is 33 feet wide and 15 feet tall, so scaffolding is essential for safety reasons. ... My mom and Mark’s parents were also a huge help. They took care of the kids while I worked those long painting days."

Swing on over to Water Street to get a look at the new mural, created by Jenna Wood of Wood Creative LLC, thanks to Eric Anderson (with the U.S. National Kubb Championship) and Visit Eau Claire.