Happy National Paul Bunyan Day! 

It's true. June 28th is National Paul Bunyan Day, for reasons unknown to anyone at Chippewa Valley Museums. Do something big today. Take a selfie with the Paul Bunyan sculptures at Carson Park. Bring the kids to the Tall Tales exhibit. Or just take a deep breath and enjoy the day.

July is full of summer happenings in and around Chippewa Valley Museums. This week's newsletter makes sure you're in the know.

AmeriCorps Community Corps Positions at Museum

Looking for meaningful and fulfilling work? Need a gap year? Serve your community through AmeriCorps. Chippewa Valley Museums is recruiting an AmeriCorps Program Assistant (full-time) and AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator (half-time) for the 2024-25 service year. 

Learn more and how to apply at cvmuseum.com. Application review begins immediately. Positions must be filled by August 12, 2024.

Tim Hirsch has served two years as an AmeriCorps Member Program Assistant at Chippewa Valley Museums. Above are photos of Tim at work. Note - there's a fair bit of fun while working at Chippewa Valley Museums.

Now Showing

On the Water

On June 17th, museum members were the first to see this summer's exhibit On the Water.  The exhibit includes a complete collection of Presto-manufactured Martin Motors and covers the story of how and why Martin Motors were made here. Stop in and discover the history of Eau Claire Ski Sprites, see nostalgic images of Half Moon Beach and resort life, listen to sounds on the water, and share your best memory of summer.

Happening Soon!

Summer Music on the Lawn

Bring a chair or blanket to camp out on the museum lawn and listen to music. Music on the Lawn is free and open to all. Check out the log house and school house while you're here. There you'll find museum to answer questions "about the old days." In the event of rain music will move inside to the auditorium at the CVM main exhibit building. 

Sunday, July 7: 

• 1:00 Klezmazel, a group that “takes their cue from a 500-year-old tradition of ethnic music.”

• 2:00 Maple Ridge Band. Larry Finseth and his group return to the museum’s lawn with a lively mix of bluegrass, Americana, and old-timey tunes. 

Sunday, July 21

• 1:00 Guitar-violin duo Joe Thielen and Olaf Lind

• 2:00 Stefan Geisinger Band will bring “Rockin’ Blues” to the museum’s lawn for the first time. 

Enter to win tickets to the US Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championships at these Summer Music on the Lawn events!

Coming in August:

• August 1st - Jim Nelson, free, at Meet the Carvers Pre-Championship Party, 5-8pm.

• August 2nd - Irie Sol at the US Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championship, 9pm with Andy Hanson opening at 8pm. Concert is included with event admission. Get tickets below.

Summer Walking Tours

What the River Saw: Disasters and Head Scratchers on the Chippewa

Monday, July 8, 6:30 pm OR 

Wednesday, July 17, 12:00 pm

Museum Archivist Jodi Kiffmeyer will lead this all-new 90-minute walking tour. Can’t make a Monday evening work? Take a lunchtime walk instead by joining a repeat tour at noon on July 17th.

Cost: $12 Adults, $10 Seniors, $5 Students. $2 Member Discount [must log-in for discount]. Register online using buttons below or contact Angela Allred, 715-834-7871.

Echoes of Eau Claire: A Walking Tour through Lakeview Cemetery

August 8 OR August 15, 6:00 - 7:30

This journey through Lakeview Cemetery with volunteer guides Greg Kocken and Robert Gough will explore fascinating memorials and reveal the tapestry of lives connected to these monuments. The 90-minute walk will be over level ground but be prepared to encounter ghosts or other spectral creatures who have been reported to visit the cemetery in the evening. Registration is available online through the calendar at cvmuseum.com.

Start location and other details will be emailed to registrants the day prior to the tour. Rain date: Aug 22.

Cost: $12 Adults, $10 Seniors, $5 Students. $2 Member Discount [must log-in for discount]

US Open Chainsaw 

Pre-Championship Party

August 1, 5-8pm

Stop by Carson Park from 5-8pm on August 1st for our Pre-Championship Party with no event admission. You'll meet the carvers, have the chance to bid on a selection of sculptures at the auction, and hear singer/songwriter Jim Nelson perform. Food and drink will be available for purchase

Extra Opportunity!!!
Visitors can stop by Carson Park during the day on Thursday at no charge to watch the carvers begin their sculptures. Museum visits require regular admission (next 3 days, museums are included with event admission).

US Open Chainsaw 

Sculpture Championship

August 2-4

Don't miss the action in Carson Park. Witness incredible chainsaw carving, live music, delicious food trucks, and a fun exhibitor fair! Bonus -- proceeds raised during the event will support museum programs all-year long.

New this year: Live concert on Friday night included with event admission.  Children 12 & under are FREE all weekend long.. 

Ticket Tiers:
Advance Purchase through 7/26/24 (Best Value!)
One Day: $12 (Save $6)
Full Event: $20 (Save $5)

General Admission
One Day: $18
Full Event: $25

Children 12 & under are FREE

Remember: Volunteers receive free event admission.

We need your help. Volunteer today.

Museum closed Thursday, July 4

Many will remember the museum used to hold a Family Fun Fair on the Fourth of July. We retired the event in 2023 in order to focus on the US Open Chainsaw Championship in August. The museum will be closed so staff and volunteers can celebrate the day with family and friends.

Have a Happy Fourth of July.

Peace,

Carrie Ronnander
Executive Director, Chippewa Valley Museums

PS - On June 28th, 1974, 350 people gathered in Carson Park to dedicate the new Chippewa Valley Historical Museum. That's right, the main CVM building opened 50 years ago today.

The new museum was a project 10 years in the making. Local historians had been collecting materials since the 1950s, but it wasn't until 1964 that Chippewa Valley HIstorical Society incorporated. Despite getting organized, the new historical society lacked a permanent home. In fact, it was a transient museum for a decade. Collections and temporary exhibits bounced around the city, staying in a location rent-free for as long as the owners allowed.

UW-Eau Claire allowed the Chippewa Valley Historical Society to use a house at 129 Chippewa Street, shown above, from January 1968-June 1974.

In 1969, museum membership stood at a mere 56. There appeared to be little interest in moving the museum forward. And then Dr. Robert Lotz got involved, and he got others involved. He and Robert Nelson chaired a membership committee and increased membership to 1,127 within two years. By 1972, a fund drive for a new museum in Carson Park had reached $100,000 ($750,000 today). Owen Ayres and Associates volunteered to design the new museum based on a floor plan done by Ken Campbell, an art professor at the university who served as a museum consultant and then curator for many years. Groundbreaking occurred in July of 1972. 

Records indicate 307 firms, organizations, and individuals contributed to the new museum. Dr. Lotz became museum president in 1973 as the board launched a $40,000 drive to finish the interior. They raised that sum, equal to $285,000 today, in two weeks. Fred Uecke and Norbert Wurtzel served as co-chairs of the building committee. Norb is still a member of the museum.

Museum groundbreaking news clipping, 1972

It has not been a steady upward climb since the museum opened in 1974, but in the last 50 years, Chippewa Valley Museum has become a community institution. Thank you. Keep up your support so we all can continue to celebrate these milestone anniversaries.