Entertainment

Mabel Tainter Theater

Steve Hanson — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:22:27 -0600

Mourning the Supper Club

Steve Hanson — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:17:57 -0600

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.

John Jorgenson Quintent

Steve Hanson — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:50:46 -0600

Founding member of the Hellecasters and a member of Elton John's band, John and the band make music that is romantic and ecstatic. And in Menomonie!

Holiday Concert

Steve Hanson — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:57:01 -0600

Holiday concert with The Concert Choir,Women's Concert Chorale,Symphonic Choir, Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra,and Women's Chorus. Zorn Arena, UW-Eau Claire, Tickets must be bought in advance from the University Service Center at Davies Center - call 836-3727.

Renaissance Faire on Ice?

Steve Hanson — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:27:23 -0600

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

Steve Hanson — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:43:59 -0600

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.

Shari's Chippewa Club

Steve Hanson — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:26:00 -0500

Menomonie Library Events

Steve Hanson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:40:58 -0500

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.

Fall Colors - Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra

Steve Hanson — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:28:41 -0500

Bach Concerto for violin in A Minor

Haydn Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra

Mendelssohn Symphony No.. 5 in D Major

Baseball Movies

Scott Montesano — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:54:45 -0500

Its one of those discussions people have when it’s raining outside, or when TBS, TNT or any number of stations puts on one of those standby pastime flicks. It’s a time-killer debate that has originated its own area of genre…the baseball movie. Going back nearly a century, baseball has been a prominent fixture in movies, with any number of them being released in a decade especially in the 1980s and 1990s. While the recent collection of flicks have failed to even touch the crest of “immortality” and have been quick to enter the $5 bin at Wal-Mart, there are still dozens of excellent.

So many good choices…so few bad ones that even debating the “best” is a topic one can’t even decide upon themselves let alone with others. Hence, I want to go backwards with this and instead debate the worst baseball movies of the last twenty-five years. I use twenty-five, since I am 26 and it’s a more even number and since I’m more familiar with these. Now at the on-set, I should day that I’m still a fan of most of these as a bad baseball movie it’s like a bad piece of pizza. It’s still comforting and some good can still be squeezed out.

5) The Sandlot – This circa 1992 flick about a 1960s group of adolescents who play baseball in a vacant lot is Americana at its finest, but I believe totally overrated. It’s a movie with little staying power and one that has too many irritating flaws. The premise is sweet and wholesome, but the side-story about a menacing dog and blind James Earl Jones doesn’t fit. Let alone the hard to believe ending in which the nerd becomes the LA Dodgers play-by-play announcer. No c’mon…all of pbp’ers should be outraged!

4) Hardball – Earlier this decade Keanu Reeves looked to master the diamond, much like he did in the 80s in hockey with Youngblood and the 90s with the “replacements”. Long story short I’ve never seen this flick, though have had chances on a few bus rides but it never soaked me in. The story about an inner-city team has failed to even be recalled by many.

3) Major League Three – Back to the Minors: The first two Major Leagues are classics, with stunningly believable action, storylines and creative characters. However, this 1998 stretch of the franchise has thankfully been forgotten by most. The story features Scott Bakula and the dude who played Jefferson Darcy on Married with Children. Need I say any more. Sad thing is, Bob Uecker nearly kills his Harry Dole character in this movie, making an embarrassment not only of Harry, but of himself.

2) Rookie of the Year – Its hard to believe, but the kid who plays the star Henry, in this 1993 movie is the same kid who gets to…you know…with Tara Reid in the first American Pie. It’s a clever movie, lacking in believability and brought down further by a pointless John Candy radio commentary. However, the movie likely did cause a few kids to break their arm on purpose just in case it would speed up the fast ball.

1) The Rookie – There is plenty about this 2004 movie that I like, from the realistic action and story that is kept fairly close to the truth. The movie came about shortly after Disney’s remarkable “Miracle” and has been of excellent moments. However, poor casting of Dennis Quaid, who is quite honestly terrible as a pitcher is aggravating. He is impossible to fall in love with in the movie and the whole story of an unforgiving father/son relationship is something I haven’t been able to back-up in reading about the real Jim Morris.