stories of engaging, locally-owned small businesses
Volume One’s “Shop Talk” focuses on some of the Chippewa Valley’s most engaging local businesses – those that have made a name for themselves serving our region for years, and even decades. These venues are owned and operated by locals, to serve locals, and these are their stories.
advice & resources from local baby experts
Baby-centric articles, listings and resources.
presented by Mayo Clinic Health System
a loyal guide for those looking to find the perfect companion
So it's safe to say there's a lot of puppy love going around, especially here in the Chippewa Valley. Pet owners and lovers of all kinds will find interesting info. Peruse a few of the local pet pampering places as well as a lengthy list of pet stores, groomers, adoption centers, breeders, pet sitters and boarders, trainers, and animal hospitals.
our guide to everything locally grown 'n' raised
Find out what you need to know about local produce - a harvest schedule, list of community gardens Eau Claire CSA's and farmers markets.
It's the perfect time of the year to get together with friends and family.
Summer is officially here, which means it's time to party! It's the perfect time of the year to get together with friends and family. Whether you're celebrating grads, dads, family reunions, Independence Day, weddings, and other such sunny get-togethers, our newest special section will outline ways to make your gathering warm and fun, just like the season itself!
Volume One' guide to help you keep your resolution
So you want to get back in shape? We understand. You say your lifestyle could use some changes? We understand ...
music festivals and outdoor summer concerts
It’s that time of year again. The one where we can finally unbury from the snow and go outside. In Wisconsin, we cherish our summer months closely, and try to do anything and everything we can while soaking up the sun. Music is definitely no exception. In the Chippewa Valley, we have a stunning music scene, and it never blossoms as beautifully as it does in these precious summer months. From major music festivals, to outdoor concert series, to bar shows, to one-off concerts, music in the great outdoors is where it’s at. So take a look at our newest special section and start planning your musical summer.
Sponsored by Leinenkugel's
your guide to summery excitement in the Chippewa Valley
If you're gonna sweat, you might as well have fun doing it - and there's more hot fun to be had around here than ever before. Below you'll find listings to pretty much every summer-related thing there is to do in the Chippewa Valley, from always up-to-date event calendars to the area's most compressive listings for summertime activities, places, attractions, and more. Don't forget the sunblock.
Heading "north" for the weekend is a part of the culture of living in the Chippewa Valley.
Heading "north" for the weekend is a part of the culture of living in the Chippewa Valley. Whether your relatives share a cabin, you're renting an RV for the summer, or you're simply setting up a tent, enjoying the great outdoors in the thick of the northwoods is one of the many unique opportunities we have available to us. This special section celebrates northwoods living, and spending some quality time in the woods and water of up north.
Sponsored by Green Oasis
guide to purchasing, preparing, and devouring meat in the Chippewa Valley
Volume One's guide to everything meat! Grilling tips, local meats, preparation, and more!
Sponsored by Just Local Food Co-op
local bars and wineries
Whether you're a newbie or a straight-up connoisseur, the Chippewa Valley and surrounding areas offer a vast variety of different wines and beverages. Despite Wisconsin being known as a beer state, we hold our own in the sweet (or dry) treat. So as the weather turns nice, hit the road - or stay right in town - and enjoy the fruit of the vine.
Sponsored by Woodman's Market
gardens, lawns & landscaping
We know you’re excited that spring is finally here – we all are – but while we imagine Saturday afternoons relaxing in the sun with a nice book and pitcher of lemonade, chances are you’ll be spending the next several months doing yard work. Prepping the garden, reseeding and mowing the lawn, fixing the siding, et al. Well with Volume One’s annual At Home special section, we’ve made your road ahead easier and far more fun. Check out stories on apartment gardening, home organizing, carpet recycling and listings of all the garden centers, interior design places, and events in the Valley.
Sponsored by Down to Earth Garden Center
Volume One’s guide to venturing places that are not indoors.
Whether you're into biking, fishing, climbing, paddling, running, or walking, the very second when it looks like winter is fading in the Chippewa Valley your pulse starts racing. You can't wait to get out and hit the trails, waterways, and other landmarks of natural beauty that define our area. And that's why we make this guide. It's all for you. So you know where to go and what to do when you're hankering for an adventure.
flip thru local hiking trail maps with this web app
Explore every hiking trail near Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, and Menomonie with this interactive web-app. Flip thru 25 trails to see aerial Google Earth views, photos, official trail maps, and Google Map directions to each trail.
must-haves for the amateur adult
Stepping into the roles of adulthood can be a bit like wading into a frigid pond. Just when you think you’re acclimated, you take another step and the realization of a new responsibility chills you all over again. Thankfully, it’s an awkward, scary, exciting experience we all share, and we can help each other get out there and be the best grown-ups we can be! Written by people who are still figuring it out, hopefully this section will help turn the slow wade into a relieving plunge.
Sponsored by Deborah Becker - State Farm Insurance
helpful tips and need-to-knows on the world of rental living
Being a renter ain’t easy. For some, it’s the first time living on your own. For another group, it’s a transition into homeownership. For others, it’s the chosen way of life or a paycheck-to-paycheck necessity. No matter what, it’s no picnic. And while it’s fairly easy to find homeowner information, resources for renters can be tougher to come by. But alas, Volume One has you covered with helpful tips and need-to-knows on the world of Rental Living.
Sponsored by Commonweal Development Corporation
We're all gonna die! (and pay taxes)
Nothing is certain in life, the old saying goes, but death and taxes. And we’ll admit that, under most circumstances, neither subject is very uplifting to talk about. They can be pretty boring topics, too: Skimming through a stack of IRS paperwork may make you wish you were dead, and that’s even before you find out what you owe.
Nonetheless, both death and taxes – and the financial and legal intersection of the two – are critical topics for all of us. Making sure we’ve planned well, financially and otherwise, can ease our anxiety and make our lives more comfortable and fulfilling ... at least until the inevitable happens. Until then, you’ve got this guide.
Sponsored by Clifton Larson Allen
Volume One's guide to bootstrapping your own business.
Volume One's guide to bootstrapping your own business.
Sponsored by Royal Credit Union
Volume One’s all-inclusive roadmap to the aisle
Let us provide the elbow that guides your trip down the aisle. Because we all know that aisles—though straight and narrow – can trip you up sometimes. We believe that, until you've read this section—and subsequently gathered all the green wedding advice possible, internalized the folly of movie brides & grooms, turned to local vendors for wedding gifts, scouted out local organic caterers, and pondered the varied wedding customs of the world—your first step will be a doozy.
Sponsored by 29 Pines Hotel and Convention Center
You know how every December you get really bummed out when it starts getting really cold, the sun sets at like 5, and you have to deal with warming up your car and scraping your windshield every morning? You realize just how much you hate winter, and you refuse to do anything outdoors until April. Well stop it. No. Seriously. Stop it. Winter doesn’t have to be this way, and we’ve made this special section just to prove it. It’s high time you rethink what winter means in the Chippewa Valley and embrace all the truly awesome stuff that is just for you.
Sponsored by Trollhaugen - Ski, Ride, Tube
the profound value of community
Sponsored by Chippewa Valley Technical College
key players & personalities in the Valley's real estate market
sponsored by Charter Bank
refined, complex-flavored drinks that go above and beyond
More and more bars are slowing down and focusing on more refined, complex-flavored drinks that go beyond the mixed drinks we all know.
Sponsored by Johnny's Italian Steakhouse
Reader Poll
your guide to throwing a memorable seasonal shindig
Planning that big holiday party, but overwhelmed? We’re here to help! This guide is designed to help you with ideas, planning and hosting the BEST holiday party you've ever thrown.
special section devoted to aging well
We all get old. In fact, some of us, right at this very moment, ARE old. But "old" doesn't mean what it used to. This is why we've created this special section devoted to the challenges and opportunities of growing older in the Chippewa Valley.
Sponsored by the ADRC of Eau Claire County
Chippewa Valley women leading community and business
Chippewa Valley women leading community and business.
Sponsored by Northwestern Bank
Local Coffee and the Culture Around It
There's an entire community surrounding coffee, cappuccino, frappes, mochas, and more -- that's all the ones I know off the top of my head. But the point is, coffee -- as an idea -- is much bigger. With this special section, we hope to not only cover local coffee itself, but the culture surrounding it.
Sponsored by Property Shoppe Realty
your guide to what's lurking in the dark
Halloween originated centuries ago as a Pagan festival among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain. Fast-forward a few hundred years to the present day Chippewa Valley where Halloween has become a night when kids stuff their faces with processed sugar and grownups dress up and parade around like idiots. In short, Halloween has become more awesome than ever before. And more than any other time of year, Halloween time is when our thoughts turn to monsters, ghosts, and that ... eerie presence ... lurking just around the corner. The next few pages are a guide to all of it. Rip the pages out and place them beneath your pillow at night – they will protect you.
Guide to family events, stories and activities.
A complete guide for local events, listings, stories, and perspectives, all delivered through a family-oriented lens that explores themes including community, discovery, creativity, activity, living, and more.
Sponsored by Mayo Clinic Health System
Off-Campus Exploration
UWEC and CVTC students' guide to Eau Claire. This guide has everything from restaurants to parks to local music.
A slice of V1 dedicated to Menomonie.
Events, stories, and other important tidbits from Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Sponsored by Westconsin Credit Union and Explore Menomonie.
Here in the Chippewa Valley, we do beer and cheese right!
It’s hard to imagine life without beer and/or cheese. In fact, just typing those last words makes our native Wisconsin blood boil – after all, beer and cheese are right behind brats, sauerkraut, and a distaste for salad in the Wisconsin food pyramid, right? Come with us, as we explore these important issues.
Volume One's special jobs section is here to give you the resources, statistics, and advice you need to take the training wheels off, shift into the right gear, and cruise down the road of success.
Sponsored by Chippewa Valley Technical College
Are you doing all you can to assure that your finances are in order? We talked to local finance experts and they've agreed to help. Use their knowledge and a little bit of your own to get your money lined up.
Sponsored by Royal Credit Union
preserving our world for future generations
Our annual green feature reinvigorates the eco scene with a selection of tips, tricks, and articles that make living sustainably second nature here in the Chippewa Valley. Take baby steps toward a change using the tip calendar, find out what's hot and what's not, see who's picking up on the trends in the community, and recycle in ways you never imagined possible.
Sponsored by Xcel Energy
A slice of V1 dedicated to CF.
Volume One's guide to the past, present, and future of this riverside city.
Sponsored by Leinenkugel's Leinie Lodge and Go Chippewa Falls
Volume One and Legends Title Services present a series devoted to the new places you can call home.
tips to make your next remodel project a hit
Remodelers can tell you lots of funny stories about siding installed upside down – and sometimes scary stories involving do-it-yourself electrical wiring gone awry. So before you start your next remodeling project, read these tips to make sure it’s a hit.
Sponsored by the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association
All Fall: Orchards, Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches
We’ve gathered many classic Fall activities for you here in one autumnal guide, along with seasonal stories about celebrating an old-school Oktoberfest, safely preserving your bountiful harvest, and finding the perfect leaf-peeping paradise.
Sponsored by The Informalist Restaurant
Stylish antiques & collectibles for your local lifestyle.
Stylish antiques & collectibles for your local lifestyle.
Sponsored by Hope Gospel Mission Bargain Center
Whether it’s roadside attractions, cultural tours, cross-country road trips, beach resort relaxation, romantic getaways, family outings, outdoor conquests, or out-of-country experiences, Volume One’s annual summer travel section has got you covered. In this year’s edition, we focus on the regional waterways and the cities and attractions that surround them – from adventure getaways to relaxing cruises and lighthouse tours. Check it all out in Hip Trips, where it’s always 70 and sunny.
Your guide to family events, stories and news in Western Wisconsin
Your guide to family events, stories and news in Western Wisconsin.
We know. It's still summer. The last thing you're thinking about is having to go back to school. Well, sorry to throw a wet blanket all over your sunny, summer dreams, but wake up! The new school year is upon us. Use this special section to gear up and get ready to learn!
Car lovers all over the Chippewa Valley are a rare breed.
This section highlights all the crazy car clubs and the spirit behind their passion. Get behind the wheel, turn the key, and let it rev!
Here in the Chippewa Valley, we have some pretty stylish people. It doesn’t matter what kind of style is in or cool. Style is in-and-of-itself about pure self-expression. So get out there, do you, and work it ... Valley style.
The Chippewa Valley goes long for gridiron glory.
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