Going the Distance

my idea of competition doesn’t involve a whole lot of running

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Mike Paulus, illustrated by Janae Breunig

Competition is not my strong suit. Sure, I like to win things. Board games. Scavenger hunts. Million-dollar lotteries, things like that. But contests involving the phrase “high stakes” do not fire me up. They never have. And here’s an example ...

Rewinding the Wedding Tape

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Patti See

The seventh anniversary gift is wool. // I taste it after our wedding tape tradition // when I stay to rewind alone. // Everyone dances off the altar ...

Fair Game: Eau Claire County Fair Offers Variety, Community

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Lauren Fisher, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Whether your interest is in dogs, livestock, juggling, food, or beyond, the Eau Claire Counry Fair has an exhibit, show, or stand to suit you. The fair begins 1pm Sunday with a canine obedience and showmanship competition ...

Summertime Sweep: Eau Claire County is ready to take your hazardous trash

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Julia van Allen, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Ever find yourself staring at those half-empty cans of oil-based paint and antifreeze in your garage that you just don’t need? Want to get rid of them in a safe way? The Eau Claire County Recycling program ...

Annual Northern Wisconsin State Fair Returns

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Taylor Reisdorf, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Indulge in classic fair food while listening to live music, browsing and attending a wide range of exhibits and events, or hopping on a carnival ride at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair ...

Egg-stra-ordinary Egg-xhibit

children’s museum displays extinct elephant bird egg in new ‘reading nest’

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Tom Giffey, photos by Tom Giffey

The newly remodeled “Reading Nest” at the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire has some things you might expect and one thing – a very big thing – that you probably won’t ...

Savage Move: Nightclub-style fitness studio upgrades, expands into new location

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Raquel Dorf, photos by Andrea Paulseth

Savage Fitness, the Chippewa Valley’s premier boxing nightclub, is about to get a hell of a lot more savage with a new grand opening later this month in Altoona. The fitness center, which has been operating out of a space at Banbury Place since December, offers boxing, fitness, and sky yoga classes ...

A Winsome Wine List: Steakhouse Wins Award of Excellence for Wine Selection

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Lauren Fisher

Wondering where to wine? A quick consult of Wine Spectator Magazine will lead you to a familiar place. Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, located at 4751 Owen Ayres Court in Eau Claire, won a place among the top wine-serving ...

A Play of Many Colors

EC Children’s Theatre produces rock ’n’ roll Bible-based musical

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Marie Anthony

The pages were frail and, with every turn, carried the comforting scent of grandma and grandpa’s home. Snuggled together, in a twin bed, two small girls lost themselves – not in dreams of the night – but in the story ...

Everyone’s a Little Strange

Vaughter’s ‘Strange Children’ frolic in Volume One Gallery show

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Taylor Reisdorf

Kim Vaughter’s current Volume One Gallery exhibition, “Strange Children.” Vaughter’s exhibit – on display through Aug. 25 ...

Chippewa Valley Book Fest Reveals Some Cool Details

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Emilee Wentland

For the second year in a row, the Chippewa Valley Book Festival will have a Pulitzer Prize-winning author in its line-up. The 19th annual fall festival will feature Caroline Fraser, who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize ...

A Space for Literary Growth: Writers Anonymous at Shift

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Taylor Reisdorf

On the third Wednesday of each month, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild and SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar host a Writers Anonymous workshop. Writers Anonymous – which started in April – is inclusive ...

UW-Stout Professor Ursula Murray Husted Nabs National Award for Graphic Novel

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Taylor Reisdorf

Ursula Murray Husted – UW-Stout’s director of entertainment design – recently received a Museum of Comics and Cartoon Arts (MoCCA) Festival Award of Excellence from the Society of Illustrators ...

Bound for a Laugh: Locally-produced podcast Wisconsin Bound

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Julia van Allen

‘In my head, I picture people like us that find interest in humor and weird, fringe-y cultures and enjoy them by looking behind the curtain without being in a place of judgment,” said Tyler Haas ...

Three’s Company

sibling’s three businesses – a spa, a chiropractic office, and a spin studio – will share a building

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Emilee Wentland

Some families would cringe at the thought of working together or sharing business space. For one local family, however, it’s a joyful arrangement ...

Creating a ‘Healing Environment’

local artwork featured in new hospital

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Emilee Wentland, photos by Emilee Wentland

Those visiting the new Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire Hospital may notice the pristine design or the state-of-the-art technology, but what they might want to look more closely at is the artwork on the walls ...

Efficiency and Experience

take a look behind the scenes of the new Marshfield Medical Center

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Emilee Wentland, photos by Emilee Wentland

Hospitals are often associated with long stays, hefty bills, and uncomfortable recoveries. Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire Hospital is looking to change all of that when it opens later this month ...

Melting Memories

a Wisconsin farm boy, a coveted ice cream cone, and the complexity of interpreting family history

Thu. Jul. 12th, 2018  |  Tom Giffey

There are few summer pleasures more pure, more wholesome, or more in keeping with Wisconsin tradition than enjoying an ice cream cone on a hot day. We are, after all, the Dairy State. One of ...