Secret Spaces: Exploring some of Eau Claire's most secluded rooms

Sometimes the rooms we’ve built are lost to history, nearly forgotten and rarely seen. These rooms are all around us. Here’s a look inside.

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When 'Local' News Is Owned From Afar

an only slightly biased view of the local media landscape as ownership gets more corporatized

Ideally, local news outlets are genuinely local – that is to say they’re independently owned outfits closely tied to the community from top to bottom. They develop local management perspectives, make decisions locally, and maintain the strongest ratio of revenue kept in the markets they cover ...

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Fresh Ideas, New Businesses Prove We've Got Something Going Here

It’s been a strong year for new business ideas in downtown Eau Claire, and it looks like 2018 could shape up nicely as well as momentum continues to build. One metric to watch is the annual Jump-Start Downtown Business Competition. Each year Downtown Eau Claire Incorporated (DECI) ...

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Fearful Thinking

a small collection of scary thoughts

I used to imagine people picking up the brooms my mother left behind at every house in which we had ever lived, maybe wondering why they were there, leaning up against a counter or standing silent in the closet ...

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On the Cover | Oct. 18, 2017

learn more about Volume One's cover art from Mark Lone

“The art is a handcrafted response to chronic pain, and the feelings one goes through while experiencing such pain for prolonged times. A true nod to invisible disease ..."

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Opening Shot | Oct. 18, 2017

OVER THE RAINBOW. The unveiling of the River Lights at Phoenix Park took place on Thursday evening, Oct. 12. The lights are scheduled to be lit every night from sunset until 11pm and to turn back on at 5am until sunrise for an early-morning display ...

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The Star Wars Guy

Episodes from the life of a lifelong fan who embraced his inner Vader

Episode I - After school one day, a colleague came into my classroom with a question: “You’re the Star Wars Guy, right?”

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He Was Wrong, but That's All Right

Brewers, Twins exceed expectations of subpar performance in recently ended season

When you make predictions, you ideally want your prediction to be proven correct; this is a point of personal pride, perhaps an indicator of clairvoyance or a badge of expertise ...

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Letting Their Lights Shine

choir for Chippewa Valley seniors dealing with dementia lifts spirits, makes memories

The heads of the performers, gray and not-so-gray, bob in anticipation above their music-filled spiral notebooks as they prepare to sing. This selection for the Stand in the Light Choir is an arrangement ...

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Eau Claire Jazz Inc. Is Looking for a New Executive Director

A rising cultural tide raises all ships, and that includes at least one local arts nonprofit. Eau Claire Jazz, Inc. is behind some of your favorite local jazz events and is looking to add a paid ...

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Whys Radio 96.3 Throws Extra Kinky Tribute Show

Clear your calendar this November 3rd, because things are about to get Kinda Kinky. You may be familiar with one of the most influential British Rock Bands, The Kinks, who’ve sold millions of records ...

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Oh, the Horror (Show)

ECCT encourages participation at Rocky Horror show

When I say “Rocky,” you say “Horror!” Don your best fishnets, squeeze into some gold booty shorts, and break out those binding bustiers to embrace your inner “Sweet Transvestite.” The Eau Claire Children’s Theatre is producing a campy classic, The Rocky Horror Show, which opens Oct. 19 ...

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Menomonie Theater Guild Stages Play With Two Cast Members From 1992 Production

In 1992, Bob Colson performed in the Menomonie Theater Guild’s production of The Foreigner, an award-winning 1983 comedy that addresses racism, bigotry, and xenophobia ...

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Halloween Queens: Scooters' Halloween Drag Show to Be Holiday Treat

Looking to show off this year’s fabulous Halloween costume you’ve been planning since last Halloween? But, you’re bored with the whole trick-or-treating thing or going to the same old bars? Well, the Queens of the Valley ...

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Max Garland's New Book the Product of False Starts, Luck, and Persistence

If I hadn’t met Max Garland before I read his book of poetry, The Word We Used For It, I would have believed that words came effortlessly for him, always. Isn’t that how it is for poets laureate ...

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New Local Literary Journal Highlights Valley Writing Community

Eric Rasmussen, the muscle and hustle behind soon-to-be-released Eau Claire literary journal Barstow & Grand, has the focused, mile-a-minute energy of a writer swiftly approaching a deadline ...

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A Taste of Literature

Kitchens of the Great Midwest author headed to book fest

J. Ryan Stradal has a true knack for the literary arts. His first novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, earned a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2015. This novel is filled with foodie culture ...

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Coloring Perceptions

exhibit, events explore science and art of color

It’s a well-worn cliché that artists and scientists have different ways of viewing the world. Ask an artist about color, for example, and the response might be practical (the challenges of mixing pigments) or profound (the feelings produced in a viewer ...

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Sway

Many nights it held us aloft. / We knew each other’s weight as surely / as we knew each other’s lightness ...

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Blue Ox Running Opens up With Sharp Community Mindset, Superior Gear

It doesn’t take a very long walk or jog along the lovely Chippewa River State Trail to conclude there’s a lot of traffic – the good kind of traffic. Runners, walkers, bikers, and the like explore the cityscape ...

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Growing From the Ground Up

female-led Dunn County farmsteads produce unique products

In the more remote environs of the Chippewa Valley, out of earshot of recording studios and far off the beaten bike trails, another kind of renaissance is growing. A loosely knit community of gritty entrepreneurs, dedicated to producing retail products ...

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Eau Claire Venues Reveal Their Inner Workings for Wisconsin Science Festival

The Wisconsin Science Festival (WSF) will take place during the first weekend of November, featuring eight fun Eau Claire events all specially designed to promote discovery in science, technology ...

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The Making of a Maze

Chippewa Valley farmers invite locals to lose themselves

You are winding your way through the maze, considering your options, bracing yourself for what’s around the bend. Your world has become very small and uncertain. Its contents are the mottled brown ...

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Meet Dunn County’s Restless Spirits

Minnesota paranormal group to present findings from Menomonie ghost hunt

‘Tis the season for fun – and a little fright. You’ll get both – as well as a healthy dose of history – during the Halloween-themed Ghosts of Dunn County event Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Rassbach Heritage Museum in Menomonie.

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Skipping Meals: Dwindling donations mean Community Table may have to cut back on services

For the more than 40,000 people who visit it annually, Eau Claire’s Community Table offers a simple but vital service: a hot, healthy meal available every day of the year. There are no income eligibility ...

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New Running Store Outpaces Competition in Jump-Start Downtown Business Contest

A newly opened specialty running store is the grand-prize winner of the 2017 Jump-Start Downtown Business Competition. Blue Ox Running, 417 S. Barstow St., owned by Adam and Alicia Condit ...

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New Southside Hotel Will Be Totally Suite

A hotel scheduled to open on Eau Claire’s far south side next year will be composed entirely of suites aimed at longer-stay travelers. The Candlewood Suites Hotel will be built on Bullis Farm Road, not far from the Holiday Inn Eau Claire. Candlewood Suites is being developed ...

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Four New Fast Food Spots on the Menu for Eau Claire

Eau Claire is about to get a fry of a lot better, with the expected opening of four new fast food chains in the next couple weeks! From hamburgers to coffee and from donuts to sandwiches ...

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Getting Ready to Get Active

to get fit, treat exercise more like play and less like a chore

People in our world are becoming more and more sedentary. No matter what age we are, we seem to be spending more time in front of televisions and computers. We rarely walk or ride a bike to get around, and ...

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Volunteers Build New Segment of Ice Age Trail in Chippewa County

Crews of volunteers ranging from all-terrain vehicle users to high school students collaborated to build a 1.7-mile segment for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in Chippewa County earlier this month ...

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Sharing Pearls of Wisdom

mark your calendar for UW-Eau Claire’s annual Senior Americans Day, where next year’s focus is on fun

Smartphones. Zumba. Social media. None are topics that one might immediately associate with senior citizens – or, to be more specific, with the stereotype of seniors as knitting grandmas and whittling ...

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Leaving a Living Legacy

tips on sharing stories and skills gathered over the course of a lifetime

As we age, it is normal to become reflective. As humans, we have a need to know that our lives made an impact on those who will come after us. We want to know that we will be remembered, and that our legacy will live on.

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4 Steps to Start Downsizing

how to find what’s truly valuable and important in your life - and how to get rid of the rest

Unless we are already minimalists, all of us at one time or another will be faced with cleaning out a home and deciding what to do with all the stuff in it. Whether you are taking early retirement or you are a caregiver for ...

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Living a Life of Purpose

finding meaning in what you do is essential at every age and stage

As we grow up and move through the stages of life, that purpose changes and at times, may get lost.

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5 Fearful Wisconsin Creatures that Will Keep You Up at Night

Paranormal investigator Chad Lewis details the eerie beings that stalk our state.

With Halloween fast approaching, many believe that the veil between worlds gets thinner and thinner, allowing us to see a glimpse of the other side. Of course that also means the other side can grab a look at us, too! Here are a few of my favorite Wisconsin monsters to watch out for this Halloween season.

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Rows of Horror: Can You Make It out of Connell's 'Field of Screams' Alive?

A good scare a day keeps the doctor away! Connell’s Family Orchard is hosting its first-ever Connell’s Field of Screams Oct. 26-28. This spooky event will be filled with ghost, goblins, zombies ...

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