The Final Thanks for Asking

The beloved Volume One column draws to a close as its author embarks on a new adventure on the Oregon Coast. Here, Frank Smoot picks a few of his favorites from the series’ historic run.

People love history. They love stories, context, and a chance to reflect on the events and people who’ve come before them. These elements and more have solidified Frank Smoot’s “Thanks for Asking” column ...

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Note from the Editor | Oct. 10, 2013

We’ve been experimenting a bit more with live streaming events from the Volume One Gallery online, and archiving them on the website for on-demand viewing as well. We’ve dabbled in this before, but one of the things we’d hoped to do with the ...

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Bear Bashing & Pumpkin Smashing

this autumn season, allow me to suggest a few additions and subtractions to your kid lit reading list

If I have to read another Berenstain Bears book I’m going to kick over the coffee table and send it flying through the family room windows. Whoever decided it was a good idea to write over 300 Berenstain Bears books should be forced to drink a gallon of the salty tears shed by parents around the globe as they endure page after page of bloated paragraphs detailing the latest snore-venture of the Berenstain family ...

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On the Cover | Oct. 10, 2013

learn about this issue's cover art by Noriko Slowinksi

“This work was inspired by a poem written by an area poet Linda Frank. The word ‘innocence’ came up to me after I read Linda’s poem. To show ‘innocence’ in the image, I chose to do a child-like collage instead of painting, and I kept thinking of ..."

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Opening Shot | Oct. 10, 2013

IT AIN’T ALL APPLES. On a recent sunny Saturday, volunteers and staff gathered at River Bend Winery in Chippewa Falls to harvest some grapes.

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Hear In There

sound installation project puts twist on ‘Ode to Joy’

Davy Sumner’s young musical career knows no boundaries. Although Sumner, who graduated from UW-Eau Claire this past May with a degree in music composition, has been busy ...

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District Co. Changes Tune

The District Company is trying something new. First opening as a coffee and sandwich shop trying to appeal to entrepreneurs, it has evolved into an all-ages music and performance venue. For all of the readers who were fans of the countless flavors of soda that The District Company was known for, do not fret ...

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White Goes Dark

local troubadour takes new direction with latest album

As the weather starts to chill and night comes a little earlier every day, the world tends to take on a slight edge. What an appropriate time for Chippewa Valley singer-songwriter ...

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Flyway Film Festival Returns

The Flyway Film Festival is back this year. It will take place Oct. 17-20 in the western Wisconsin burgs of Pepin and Stockholm. This annual festival features more than 50 film, filmmakers ...

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The Importance of Being at the Mabel Tainter this Week

In addition to celebrating its 54th season, The Menomonie Theater Guild will be producing the well-known Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest, on Oct. 11-12 and 18-19 ...

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Local Novel Journeys from Midwest to New York City

Eau Claire writer Grant Maierhofer is leaving the realm of poetry with the hard-copy publication of his novel, The Persistence of Crows. The novel follows Henry Alfi, a college ...

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Chasing Death

Eau Claire native’s novel follows the search for a Nazi-hunting killer

So far, the reviews for Eau Claire native Steven Turk’s new mystery crime novel, Solomon’s Executioner, have included phrases like “first rate thriller” and “a damn good read.” ...

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Damned Good Print Show Rockin' at UW-Stout

Rock ’n’ roll may be damned, but judging by a UW-Stout print show influenced by 1970s and ’80s album art, it will never die. With the skills of 21 artists from across the nation, many ...

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Shooting to Win

UWEC photographer shares 25 years of sports images

UW-Eau Claire’s sports photographer, Rick Mickelson, has been capturing important moments in Blugold athletics history for more than 20 years. That photography is finally on display at the Davies Center on campus in Mickelson’s new exhibit, “Game Face" ...

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Stuffed Animals

UWEC gallery explores different approaches to taxidermy

Lost animals to show off the fruits of a hunt or a deceased family friend seems morbid, but holds huge cultural significance. The Foster Gallery at UW-Eau Claire is taking taxidermy ...

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From the Farm

Almost Halloween and the wind / rattles the kitchen door as old / Maude Rose sits and visits ...

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Uphill Progress

plans for winter recreation paradise move forward

A group of winter sports enthusiasts wants to take Eau Claire’s Pinehurst Park back to the future, and now they have funding to pursue their dream. As soon as this winter, the north side park will have improved slopes for sledding, tubing ...

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Number of jobs on upswing in the Chippewa Valley

As much as all of us working stiffs are happy when Friday rolls around, deep down we’re still grateful to have jobs. And, according to the latest state stats, more of us in the Chippewa Valley have got ’em. Unemployment in the metro ...

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City Council gets Confluence Task Force Rolling

The Eau Claire City Council recently approved the creation of a task force to choose the board overseeing the planned Confluence Center, a multiuse, public-private performing arts center. The Confluence Council Task Force will be composed of two City Council members, two representatives of UW-Eau Claire ...

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New Signs mark miles on Chippewa, Old Abe State Trails

Our for a jog and forgot your pedometer? The Indianhead Track Club is here to help. The running group recently donated $1,600 to the city of Eau Claire to pay for signs marking every half-mile along the city portions ...

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Wooden Delivery

zombie-themed woodblock art samples via Drive by Press

Just in time for Halloween, The Raw Deal in Menomonie will be hosting a live woodblock printing of zombie wearable art in the hope of spreading the season’s spirit with the help ...

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Bring Your Dead Out

zombies, plague stalk EC natives’ role-playing game

The Darkest Age is a new horror survival role-playing game created by Eau Claire native Eric Staggs (winner of the Writer’s Digest Genre Fiction and Aviator Magazine Editor’s Choice awards) and ...

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Haunters Gonna Haunt

local group aims to track down the area’s most paranormal of activities

It’s finally October. That means changing leaves, crisp air and drinking hot chocolate on late-night walks through downtown. It also means is Halloween is right around the corner. For some, Halloween ...

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Some Boo-Riffic Reads

hunt down the spookiest stories and most terrifying tales Wisconsin has to offer

Chilling tales of murder, suicide, and untimely death brought to you by one of the Midwest’s most famous paranormal experts. Chad Lewis is a researcher, author, and lecturer on ...

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Haunted House 101

tips for scaring your Halloween guests in the best possible way

A lot of people are at least mildly claustrophobic, so making them crawl at certain points will make them freak out. Perhaps the most classic laugh-scare utilizes darkness ...

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Hope and Healing

Wellness Shack a safe space to tackle mental illness

For a problem that impacts about a quarter of American adults – and 1 in 17 of them seriously – mental illness is still a largely taboo subject. The Wellness Shack’s Mental Health Awareness ...

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