Volume One Staff

May. 12, 2020

How a Broken Chainsaw Saved Lives During the Pandemic

and, no, it wasn’t by fighting off zombies

Bonni Knight

When the good folks of the Chippewa Valley realized that some sort of lockdown/shelter-in-place order was coming, everyone rushed out to prep for prolonged isolation. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and Handi Wipes became impossible to find. But out here, in the town of Seymour ...

Oct. 15, 2019

Catching a Drift

new programming gets locals on the Pablo stage

Bonni Knight, photos by Lee Butterworth

What do homegrown acts The Ben Shaw Band, LASKA, and Pit Wagon have in common? In terms of musical genres, not much. After all, one brings a gritty, yet folksy, Americana, another features ...

Jul. 25, 2019

Little Wissota Bakehouse Launches Sourdough-Based Biz

Bonni Knight, photos by Andrea Paulseth

I grew up during the early Wonder Bread Years. It was the bread that “builds strong bodies 12 ways” by stripping all the nutrients out and then re-enriching the bread with additives. But I grew up in California ...

Mar. 8, 2019

Singing in Memoriam

UWEC Alumni Choir plans trip to commemorate D-Day

Bonni Knight

France is probably most famous for its art and cuisine, but it’s a well-kept secret that the French also really love choral music. Most cities and towns, including Paris, boast cathedrals and churches ...

Nov. 29, 2018

A Pine Hollow Homecoming

Bri Murphy and Ben Shaw team up for in-studio show

Bonni Knight

There’s something special about coming home. On Dec. 14, two musicians who both sprouted their musical roots in Eau Claire are returning to perform at the very studio where they recorded their most recent albums. Bri Murphy graduated ...

Nov. 29, 2018

Giving (And Receiving) the Gift of Music

an overflowing calendar and a profusion of tickets makes this fan thankful for the Valley’s scene

Bonni Knight

‘Tis the season to think of music! But I’m not talking about the fa-la-la-la-la stuff (although, I love that, too). I’m talking about the get-up-off-your-couch and go catch the live music scene. The other morning ...

Nov. 8, 2018

Global Market Feeds Souls

pre-holiday sale features fair trade goods

Bonni Knight

Ask anyone who’s just returned from an international trip about their favorite memories, and most likely the conversation will turn to food. Organizers of the third annual Eau Claire Global Market ...

Aug. 6, 2018

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Ben Shaw records, releases new album in Eau Claire

Bonni Knight

From the beginning, Ben Shaw has understood the power of music. He was drawn from New York to Eau Claire to attend UW-Eau Claire, which, during the ’90s, was one of only two universities in the country offering a degree in music therapy. A self-proclaimed Dead Head ...

Apr. 5, 2018

The Sound Is Global, the Venue Is Metro

hip-hop legend Wyclef Jean brings Caribbean pulse to Eau Claire

Bonni Knight

We interrupt the steady drip of local music Eau Claire’s been listening to on repeat and present you with a mighty disruption: Wyclef Jean. Eau Claire, known for its great affection for all things local is ...

Apr. 5, 2018

Eau Claire Celebrates Haiti

authentic meal, coffee sales, Wyclef show raise awareness of the island

Bonni Knight

On January 11, Donald Trump made an unkind remark about Haiti. It was one day after the eighth anniversary of an earthquake that wreaked unimaginable devastation on that country’s capital ...

Sep. 22, 2017

Hike of a Lifetime

71-year-old EC man will be among oldest to complete Appalachian Trail

Bonni Knight

The Appalachian Mountains, at 1.2 billion years old, are one of the oldest ranges on the planet. Stretching along the eastern United States, these ancient hills and mountains are home to a unique footpath ...

Nov. 4, 2016

Think Globally, Buy Locally

Eau Claire Global Market will boost multitude of international projects

Bonni Knight

Fifty years ago, Ginny Close was assigned to a small village in Turkey as a Peace Corps volunteer. She recalls being struck by the beautiful tatting (lace-making) the women in her village were doing ...

Aug. 10, 2016

A 'Love Haiti' Relationship

valley volunteers drawn to help in beautiful, troubled island nation

Bonni Knight

When I saw Tina Fern-Denzer last month in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, she was grinning from ear to ear. She had been on the ground for less than two hours after a long day of travel from Woodville, Wisconsin ...

Jan. 27, 2016

Spectating: An Endurance Sport of its Own

without people to watch, races are just training sessions with strangers

Bonni Knight

I am an elite member of the competitive world of distance race spectating. I have worked my way to the first wave of watchers. In my life, I am surrounded by endurance athletes. My husband ...