If you’re just getting back into town after a summer hiatus, here’s a couple things you might find interesting ...

Nessie, aka Loch Chip Monster

The concrete piece of “guerilla” river art turned out to be the handiwork of a local concrete company that had the downtime, the resources, and the riverside location to make it happen. After a warning from the DNR, the artists removed it and stowed it away until this year’s FATFAR, where it made an appearance.

The Confluence Project

The massive collaboration among UW-Eau Claire, Commonweal Development, Market & Johnson, and Eau Claire Regional Arts Center was able to buy up property and shape plans for an $88 million riverside development including a community arts center and a living/learning mixed-use residential complex on the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers. Funding remains uncertain. 

Buckling Concrete 

This July was the hottest on record (on average) throughout the nation, and the heat had pretty dramatic effects on stretches of Highway 29 in Chippewa County. Five separate sections of pavement buckled when the slabs of concrete pushed against each other, one instance causing an SUV to go flying as it hit the ramp-like obstruction. 

What the Frack?

With over 60 mines in the state, and numerous mining operations waiting to sink their high-powered teeth into the earth, the controversial industry has gained serious steam. The Eau Claire County moratorium on frac sand mining (the extraction of silica sand for injection into shale rock which generates oil and gas) expired in June. 

GAINS & LOSSES

businesses that have started up or winded down since May

You now have three brand new options for frozen yogurt (plus toppings): Frogiyo at 331 Riverfront Terrace, Raspberry Reign at 310 Water Street, and Cherry Berry at 2524 Golf Road.  

Delish Cuisine moved into the old Chicken Unlimited space at 1410 Hastings Way and serves up Italian, Greek, and American food.

A brand new downtown grocery store, Charly’s Market at 225 E. Madison Street, is now stocked with daily necessities, a wide spectrum of beer and soda, as well as a sandwich shop and homemade ice cream. 

The Local Store at the Volume One World Headquarters moved to 205 N. Dewey Street and now includes an art gallery/event venue, a co-working facility for creative freelancers, and much more locally-produced and impeccably designed merchandise.

This summer, Chicago hot dog-lovers lost the only place they could consistently satisfy their craving: Samboneys, purveyor of the relish-and-mustard-smothered indulgences.