Steve Hanson's blog

Restaurant Death Watch Redux

2008-12-11T16:38:38-06:00

Adding to the recent litany of local restaurant closings, Woo's Pagoda in Eau Claire has closed it's doors. Woo's will apparently remain open for the time being as a night club, but not as a Chinese Restaurant until other arrangements can be made. Woo's is an Eau Claire institution, serving Chinese food in the same location since 1946. Considering the decor of the building, it's hard to imagine it as anything but a Chinese Restaurant.

Mourning the Supper Club

2008-12-01T12:17:57-06:00

It's official - I got an email this morning from CNN telling me the US has been in a recession for the past year. No surprise there, though mine seems to have started earlier. One of the side effects of this has been the closing or repurposing of different restaurants in the area, and one of those restaurants I miss the most is Jake's. I'm sure many of the rest of you miss Jake's too, since it was one of the last of the "real" supper clubs in the area (I also miss the Bolo incredibly much).

This morning I saw this article fly past my eyes on the computer , and thought I'd share it with the Chippewa Guide readers:

For 16 years, John Lynch put his heart and soul into his restaurant, Jake's Supper Club, near Tainter Lake in Dunn County. He owned it, operated it and brought it through good times and bad.
But in late summer, facing mounting bills and unable to get a bank loan to make it through December, he shut it down.
End of story? Not quite.

Fire at the Creamery temporarily closes Restaurant + Cafe

2008-11-16T19:13:45-06:00

Fire at the Creamery temporarily closes Restaurant + Cafe -

Sorry to note that the Creamery in Downsville is temporarily closed due to fire - this is from their own web site.

Dear Supporters and Friends of the Creamery, a fire in the original building of the Creamery has forced us to temporarily close the Restaurant and Cafe. We hope to reopen both this Thursday, November 20th. The fire started in the old water heater storage room and was contained there but the smoke caused enough damage to create a need to close and clean it all up. We are in the process of getting a temporary water heater set up to reopen for business. Thank you for all of the well wishes and support, we know this will make the Creamery come back better than ever! See you soon

[Creamery Restaurant]

Renaissance Faire on Ice?

2008-11-10T15:27:23-06:00

Hasn't been a good week for entertainment and sports in the valley. First we hear word that the Renaissance Faire in Chippewa is being sued for foreclosure - this would be a shame, since it was an interesting and novel entertainment in the valley - the cynical among you will now say "why yes, of course, it was doomed from the start - let's open another mediocre restaurant and get on with it!".

Then we hear that the local junior hockey team has fallen afoul of some form of financial oddity, and is probably going away as well.

In light of all of this, we suggest a new venture - Renaissance on Ice - Imagine, jousting on skates, drinking on skates, chasing wenches on skates. It's a natural.

Yet another AWOL Restaurant

2008-11-09T09:43:59-06:00

One of the long-time mainstay restaurants in Menomonie, The Kernel, closed Nov.. 2. The sign on the door says that it has been sold. We'll let you know when and if it re-opens.

Just Local Food finds New Digs

2008-10-08T09:59:51-05:00

There has been a lot of speculation about what would happen to local food purveyors Just Local Food since their current building was purchased as part of the now-failed jail expansion project.

Aaron Elringer, manager of Just Local has recently announced that they will be moving to new digs at the current location of Johnny's Market at the corner of Farwell and Washington. An associate of Just Local has purchased the building and is leasing it to Just Local for the next 15 years. This will allow the shop to make large improvements in its physical situation, and carry more foods in a more attractive and open setting. According to Elringer the produce section will double in size, and there will be a large improvement in the cooler and freezers for the store.

Good luck to Just Local in their new downtown location.

Durand Receives TE Grant for Waterfront Development

2008-10-06T14:18:55-05:00

"I am thrilled the city of Durand can complete its work showcasing the beautiful Chippewa riverfront for residents and visitors to enjoy," said State Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma). "Redevelopment of the riverfront is a vital component of the city's long-term commitment to growing the economy and tourism."

The city was awarded a $516,100 Local Transportation Enhancement (TE) project grant to complete Phase 2 of the Chippewa Riverfront Beautification project. The project calls for restoring an area along the Chippewa River with landscaping, bicycle and pedestrian facilities and other amenities.

"The scenic Chippewa River has long been a draw for tourists," Vinehout said. "The riverfront improvements will make Durand a true destination for all those enjoying the area's natural beauty."

Vinehout noted that Durand's proposal was one of 150 projects submitted to the Transportation Enhancement (TE) Review Committee.

"Credit must be given to the Mayor Gerald Bauer and City of Durand Administrator Lance Gurney for their vision and hard work putting together a very competitive proposal," said Vinehout. "Mayor Bauer followed this grant through every step of the process. It was his commitment that impressed the committee. That hard work paid off for the City of Durand."

Vinehout contacted the members of the Transportation Enhancement Project Review Committee and Governor Doyle asking for their approval of the Durand grant proposal.

"The city is making wise and strategic efforts to revitalize the downtown area," said Vinehout. "I am pleased the committee saw the Chippewa Riverfront Beautification plan as a smart investment that fits with the city's other economic development initiatives and long-term plans. I was delighted to partner with Mayor Bauer and his staff on this important project."

In addition to improvements to the riverfront area, the project will provide additional connections to the Chippewa River State Trail allowing better access to Durand for the thousands of bicyclists and pedestrians using the trail.

Jake's

2008-09-25T14:39:17-05:00

We're all saddened to hear that Jake's is closing their doors. Jake's has been a little piece of sanity in the Chippewa Valley - good food, nice atmosphere, and live music. They join a growing legion of local businesses, particularly restaurants and entertainment venues, that are closing since they just can't cope with all of the problems facing small businesses at the moment.

We hope that Jake's will find a new owner and will re-open in some way, preferably as a Northern Wisconsin supper club - a rarity these days, particularly around here.

Goodbye Jake's - we'll miss youl.

Menomonie Library Events

2008-09-12T15:40:58-05:00

We're now automatically importing events from the Menomonie Library Calendar. They'll magically appear in the Chippewa Guide calendar, along with other events in the area.

Family Restaurant? - Update

2008-09-03T15:24:15-05:00

I noted with some dismay when I drove past yesterday that the Parker's Tuscan Grille Restaurant in Menomonie had suddenly become the Parker's Family Restaurant. Parker's has been one of my favorite places in the area to go get something to eat, so I'm a little frightened by the name change, since at least in this area Family Restaurant is not exactly a synonym for fine dining. We'll let you know more after we get a chance to try it out in the new incarnation.

Update --- Apparently nothing to worry about - same menu, same food ---seems to have just been a name change, thank goodness. We'll be eating there again soon.

Calendar has the summertime blues

2008-06-30T08:50:20-05:00

The calendar is going to be acting a little strange for the next couple days - we're revamping the calendar software, so don't be surprised if events come and go a little over the next few days. We'll be making some improvements and bringing in more calendars from the web.

Wisconsin Flooding Road Closing Map

2008-06-14T19:28:54-05:00

This is a current map of the road closed in Wisconsin due to flooding.

View Larger Map

Why things are slow this week!

2008-06-07T11:23:20-05:00

Just thought I'd explain why things are being a little slow on the site at the moment. I'm attending 3 different conferences this week - one as an attendee, one as press, and one as a speaker -- so I'm on the run with my laptop at the moment. Things will pick up again next week - keep those events and emails about things coming in in the meantime!

Photo Contest Winners

2008-06-02T19:06:03-05:00

The Chippewa Guide Photo Contest has ended, and we're happy to announce the winners -

A couple of the entrants will rake in the prizes since two people won in two different categories. Our congratulations to the winners - here the are, and the prizes they will be receiving:

Grand Prize Winner - Claude Schilling of Altoona for his photo Liquid Violets in the Abstract Category - Claude will win a $50 Gift Certificate from the Menomonie or Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce for this photo.

Claude Schilling also won the Landscape category with his Bloodroot photo in the Landscape Category. For this photo he will win a 1 Gbyte SD storage card for his camera.

Lissa Marsolek of Menomonie won the People category and tied for first in the Kids category with her photos of her two children, and her son and husband. Lissa will win two tickets to any show at the Mabel Tainter Theater for these photos, along with a pair of movie tickets and a T-shirt donated by Clear Channel Radio.

Jessica Agustin of Menomonie also tied for first place in the Kids category with her photo "Are You Listening". She will win two tickets to any show at the Mabel Tainter Theater in Menomonie for this photo.

The Pets category was won by Normal Larrabee Gabriel of Menomonie, for her photo of two horses. The Prize for this category is two tickets to any show at the Mabel Tainter.

The winning photos are shown below.

Again, congratulations to all the winners, and our thanks to everyone who entered. You may view all of the entries by clicking on the camera above.

Our thanks also go to the Mabel Tainter Theater and Clear Channel Radio for their generous donations of prizes for the contest.

Downsville Political Organization to Report from Democratic Convention

2008-05-14T12:36:09-05:00

The local Downsville political blog Uppity Wisconsin has been selected as the Wisconsin member of the Democratic Convention State Blogging Corps.

Uppity Wisconsin will live blog directly from the floor of the Democratic Convention. The members of the state blogging corps were announced this morning by Howard Dean in a web video.

Note - Steve Hanson, publisher of the Chippewa Guide is also the editor of Uppity Wisconsin, and will be a major part of the Uppity Wisconsin reporting team in Denver.