Pulling Together While Staying Apart - Part 2

• E N C O U R A G E M E N T N E I G H B O R L Y • E N C O U R A G E M E N T N E I G H B O R L Y

N E I G H B O R LY

ENCOURAGEMENT

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N E I G H B O R LY

ENCOURAGEMENT

Ke e p y o u r d i s ta n c e, b u t k e e p i n to u c h . W h i l e p ro fe s s i o n a l s a re s h o w i n g u p to s a v e l i v e s , t h e re s t o f u s m a y s a v e m a n y m o re l i v e s b y n o t s h o w i n g u p . B u t w e c a n s t i l l l et n e i g h b o rs k n o w t h e y’re n o t a l o n e, a n d b y n e i g h b o rs I m e a n fe l l o w h u m a n s , w h e re v e r t h e y l i v e. I t ’s a b o u t t i m e o u r e x p e n s i v e d e v i c e s e a r n e d t h e i r k e e p . A n d t h e re’s s t i l l t h e n a t u ra l w o r l d , fre s h (c h i l l y) a i r, a l o c a l l a n d s c a p e o n t h e v e rg e o f b l o s s o m i n g , s p a c e e n o u g h to w a l k , r u n , s k a te, p e d a l , o r s i t w i t h o u t e v e n b u m p i n g e l b o w s w i t h o t h e rs , a l t h o u g h a fr i e n d l y n o d o r w a v e w o u l d n’t h u rt , k e e p i n g o u r d i s ta n c e, b u t k e e p i n g i n to u c h .

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—MAX GARLAND

This is a true test of all of our leadership to ensure that Eau Claire and all of the Chippewa Valley business community can navigate through this challenging time. This too shall pass, and we will be better individuals and businesses because of it.

THERE IS SO MUCH TIME FOR ACTIVITIES Y’ALL! LEARN TO CODE! DIRECT A MOVIE! KNIT A PAIR OF SOCKS! CREATE YOUR OWN BOARD GAME! BUILD A SPACESHIP THAT GOES TO THE FREAKIN’ MOON – THEY’RE NOT IN QUARANTINE! THERE ARE LITERALLY ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES. REROUTE ALL THE TIME SPENT THINKING IN FEAR INTO TIME SPENT DOING THINGS THAT CALM YOUR MIND, MAKE YOU SMILE, OR STIMULATE YOUR BRAIN HOLE. THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE, BABY, EVEN IF YOU’RE STUCK AT HOME.

— DAV I D M I N O R

— S E R E N A WAG N E R

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I u ndersta nd th is is ha rd. Th is is a n u n precedented t i me for o u r co m m u n i t y a n d t h e wo r l d .

A n d we g et t h a t t h a t ’ s d i f f i cu l t.

As a mom and as a nurse, I u n d e r s t a n d t h a t . We w a n t p e o p l e to k n ow t h a t rea l ly t h e best t h i ng t h e y c a n d o i s t a ke c a r e o f t h e m s e l v e s a n d t a ke c a r e o f e a c h o t h e r. L o o k o u t f o r y o u r n e i g h bo rs , l oo k o u t f o r yo u r f r i e n d s , a n d t a l k t o t h e m . We c a n s t i l l d o t h a t .

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—LIESKE GIESE

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N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T • N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T •

N E I G H B O R LY

ENCOURAGEMENT

N E I G H B O R LY

ENCOURAGEMENT

I f yo u n eed h e l p, j u st ask . Ea u Cla i re has a g rea t t rack record of helping our neighbors.

People a re wi l l i ng to h e l p i f y o u j u s t l e t t h e m k n o w.

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—JODI EMERSON

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Th e Ch i p p e w a Va l l e y i s m a d e u p of a v e ry d i v e rs e s o c i ety. Th i s i n c l u d es m a n u fa ctu ri n g, reta i l b u s i n ess es, e d u c ati o n, a n d g o v e rn m e nt e ntiti es. Th i s h a s p re p a re d th e Va l l e y to w e ath e r th e sto rm s of l ife th at m a y co m e b efo re u s! We h a v e a v e ry g i v i n g a n d c a ri n g co m m u n ity th at s u p p o rts it o w n! Sa i d a n oth e r w a y, th e Ch i p p e w a Va l l e y i s a g re at p l a c e to l i v e, w o rk , ra i s e a fa m i l y, a n d reti re to.

Th es e v i rtu es p os iti o n u s to n ot o n l y m a ke it th ro u g h l ife’s c h a l l e n g es, b ut to b e stro n g e r a n d m o re res i l i e nt! H i sto ry h a s d e a lt th e Va l l e y m a n y b l o w s, b ut w e a re d ete rm i n e d to s u c c e e d a n d o n c e a g a i n th at w i l l b e a cco m p l i s h e d.

E N C O U R A G E M E N T

—GREG HOFFMAN

— DALE PETE RS

N E I G H B O R L Y

—ERIC ANDERSON

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It is a time to pull together as a community to address and face these difficult days ahead.

Help each other out. Reach out to your senior neighbors.

Find creative ways to support our economy. Stay positive, active, and healthy.

Social isolation can be challenging. Be creative in how we reach out and care for one another. Stay personally connected with neighbors and loved ones even if we must, for a time, be physically separated.

Together, we will get through this.

E N C O U R A G E M E N T

MY G R A N D PA WOULD OFTEN TELL WORDS OF ADVICE. ONE HE WOULD A LWAY S S AY I S , ‘DON’T SPEND YOUR TIME DOING SOMETHING, INVEST YOUR TIME DOING SOME THING.’ SO F I R S T, I A M G O I N G TO FOCUS TO INVEST MY TIME DOING THINGS. SECOND, I KNOW THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANT I M PA C T S T O P E O P L E A N D FA M I L I E S I N OUR COMMUNITY W I T H H E A LT H A N D JOBS/BUSINESSES. I WA N T T O B E E V E N M O R E E M PAT H E T I C TO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND H E L P I N W H AT E V E R WAY I C A N . L A S T LY, I AM GOING TO GO F O R M O R E WA L K S AND MAKE SURE TO S M I L E A N D WAV E . I WA N T T O C O N T I N U E TO HELP BUILD C O M M U N I T Y.

• N E I G H B O R L Y

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N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T • N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T

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PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH

K E E P I N G T H E C U LT U R E O F O U R COMMUNITY ALIVE AND WELL helping local businesses and workers affected by unprecedented cancellations and temporary closures WORDS BY NICK MEYER / PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH

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ike many of you, in mid-March we watched in awe as unprecedented bad news, cancellations, and closures took place over a matter of days. As the precautions taken against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic stacked up, it started to become clear just how bad this would be – not only around the country, but right here in our own little community. Public health is of course the chief concern, and hopefully these actions are doing their part to flatten the curve in our area and the state. But the dramatic reaction and upheaval is clearly difficult for thousands of local families and individuals struggling to make everything work, and for the hundreds of businesses and their employees negatively impacted, including those of us at Volume One. Events and community gatherings – be they for education, entertainment, food, culture, etc. – are essential parts of community life here in the Chippewa Valley and across the country. These event cancellations, widespread closures, and “safer at home” efforts greatly impact countless people, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations as their livelihoods are potentially taken away – with no known end in sight. While these dramatic measures appear imperative, they’re not to be taken lightly.

Locally and across the country, venues, event spaces, and performers are losing critical ticket revenue, hotels have seen record cancellations, and foot traffic inside local restaurants and retailers has now dropped to basically zero. The list could go on. The economic impacts are immediate and profound, and the lasting effects are likely to be among the most

devastating our local independent business community has ever seen.

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SO WHAT CAN WE DO? So what can we do – as a community – in these times when much of our culture and connection is taken away?

Amid completely evaporated foot traffic and mass cancellations, how can we support the individuals, businesses, and employees who may be struggling to make ends meet, yet maintain an appropriate level of social distancing and isolation? Here are just a few ways people are doing what they can now: • If you have tickets to a cancelled event, instead of taking a refund, consider donating that purchase price to the venue and artist.

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Make any annual donations or membership purchases for local non-profits and cultural venues now instead of later.

Buy gift cards to your favorite local restaurants and retailers now, to use or give later on.

Shop online or via phone from local retailers, many or most will ship items from their websites, and others will gladly take orders over the phone.

Consider ordering takeout or delivery from local restaurants that partner with delivery services or that deliver themselves. Then tip as if you were dining in.

Visit the websites of your favorite artists, musicians, and writers to buy/ download their goods online.

Like, share, and comment on social media posts from your favorite shops, venues, eateries, and artists to increase exposure and show support.

Our local venues, restaurants, and retailers work hard year-round to help create and foster the culture of our communities. They provide the stages, shelves, tables, and walls to display the community’s hard work.

They and their employees need our support right now. We cannot stand to lose a single business to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, it’s already happening in cities elsewhere in the country, as the fragility of many of our main street economic systems become clear.

So please, if you’re in a financial position to help, please do what you can while keeping yourself and your family safe. Together we can weather the health and economic impacts of this pandemic, and come out better, stronger, and wiser on the other side.

These event cancellations, widespread closures, and “safer at home” efforts greatly impact countless people, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations as their livelihoods are potentially taken away – with no known end in sight.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT ...

SMALL BUSINESSES weathering the ‘unforeseen challenges’ of COVID-19

• DOWNTOWN EAU CLAIRE INC. “Support Eau Claire”: www.downtowneauclaire. org/coronavirus-aid-and-support/

WORDS BY TOM GIFFEY / PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH

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mall businesses – and their customers – should act fast to help blunt the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a local economic development expert.

“There are several things businesses can do to now,” said Aaron White, economic development manager for the City of Eau Claire. “First, I would suggest that businesses reach out to their current banking institution, particularly if you have a business loan. There may be ways that your bank can provide assistance as your business faces these unforeseen challenges.”

White said several business assistance programs are already being launched, so business owners should have their financial records ready to go – particularly records that compare current revenues to the same period last year (for example, beginning Jan. 31, 2019).

“Many businesses are just now feeling a drop, so they should also focus on projects for the next 3-36 months, particularly if their business is affected by mandated shutdowns at the state or federal level,” White said.

Small businesses seeking assistance should be aware of two programs, White said: • The first is the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Under this program, small businesses and nonprofits will be able to get low-interest loans up to $2 million to continue to operate. More information (including a guide to applying) can be found online at www.downtowneauclaire.org/coronavirus-aid-and-support. You can also apply for a loan directly at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information/EIDLLoans.

• Secondly, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has announced the Small Business 20/20 Program. White said this program will provide small grants to targeted small businesses whose cash flow has suffered because of COVID-19. Grant applications will be handled by select Com-

!

Here are some local websites that have sprung up providing lists of small businesses – including restaurants and retailers – that are operating via carry-out, online sales, etc.:

• CHIPPEWA VALLEY BUSINESS COMMUNITY COVID-19 RESOURCE: www. facebook.com/groups/504041823806583

• VOLUME ONE “SAVE YOUR FAVES”: www.volumeone.org

• MENOMONIE AREA CARRY OUT, CURBSIDE AND DRIVE-THRU: www.facebook. com/groups/205463960797448 * * *

• DOWNTOWN EAU CLAIRE INC. has munity Development Financial Institutions, which will be named in the near future, White said. Learn more at wedc. org/programs-and-resources/small-business-2020.

And while businesses need to act fast to take advantage of opportunities, they also should be patient, White added. “Resources are coming on line to assist, and there are many dedicated professionals working very hard to get these programs and funds into the hands of the people who need them most,” he said. “By supporting each other, we will come through this crisis as a community that is stronger than ever.”

Everyday consumers can help in the effort, too: “There are still plenty of opportunities to support our local businesses,” White said. “Many are adopting services for customers that they never offered before: carry-out, curbside delivery, even home delivery. Many of our retailers have great online stores, and are offering specials. I would encourage residents to check out these businesses through any of the support sites that have been created ... and keep showing support for our local owners through buying gift cards, certificates, and online orders.”

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assembled a page of additional resources for businesses facing these challenging times: http://bit.ly/covid-ec • The EAU CLAIRE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE has a COVID-19 resource page for the community (www.eauclairechamber.org/covid-19-information.html) as well as a detailed page of resources for businesses (www.eauclairechamber. org/eau-claire-chamber-blog/covid19-state-federal-officials-organizationsadvancing-measures-to-help-businesses).

• The EAU CLAIRE AREA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. offers COVID-19 resources for businesses in need of assistance for themselves and their employees: www.eauclaire-wi.com/COVID-19

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

READY TO KILL GERMS. Chippewa River Distilling in Chippewa Falls is making hand sanitizer to help fight COVID-19.

S U B M I T T E D P H OTO

B U SIN ESSE S GE AR U P TO FIGH T COVID from spirit distillers to mustard makers, Chippewa Valley businesses join the effort WORDS BY TOM GIFFEY

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hough he’s been gone for nearly two decades, the words of children’s television pioneer Fred Rogers still ring true in times of crisis: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

That sentiment is comforting, but it’s also inspiring: In times like this, all of us can help helpers in our own way.

Consider how businesses large and small are pivoting to address the impact of a frightening, worldwide pandemic by creatively using the tools at hand. Just like major manufacturers such as U.S. Rubber and National Presto Industries retooled during World War II, Chippewa Valley businesses are now adapting to tackle a potentially deadly virus.

“The new type of ammunition in this war is ventilators, face masks, and hand sanitizer,” said Eric Rygg, president of Eau Claire-based Silver Spring Foods Inc. While Silver Spring is known for producing and packaging horseradish, mustard, and other food products, as the coronavirus crisis appeared, company officials began to explore ways they could contribute to the COVID-19 fight.

They quickly realized that they weren’t in a position to easily produce hand sanitizer, but they did have something that could help meet the shortage of the germ-killing product: packaging. In fact, they had more than 100,000 squeeze NEWS + VIDEO + COMMUNITY VIBES • WWW.VOLUMEONE.ORG

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bottles in storage that could quickly be sent to companies that were manufacturing sanitizer.

Enter Chippewa River Distilling & Brewster Bros. Brewing of Chippewa Falls. Unlike Silver Spring, Chippewa River Distilling is well-suited to produce the high-proof alcohol that is the key ingredient in hand sanitizer. The distiller was already working with another Chippewa Falls business, the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., which donated 165 barrels of bulk beer to be distilled into the pharmaceutical-grade alcohol used in hand sanitizer. The final product will be packaged in bottles donated by Silver Spring, and distributed to first responders and healthcare workers.

“We felt this is a good way we can help,” Rygg said. “There’s others that are making this (sanitizer) and they have the right permits, and we want to make sure the product is made properly.”

In addition, Silver Spring has provided bottles to Timekeeper Distillery in Wausau, which is also producing sanitizer but lacked appropriate packaging. And with the help of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Silver Spring has networked with Medline Industries, a major healthcare manufacturer, and may provide them with packaging as well.

Meanwhile, like other companies in the food supply chain, Silver Spring

MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

continues to make and package its normal products, while increasing cleanliness protocols and making other efforts to reduce contact among its staff by staggering shifts and having employees work from home if possible.

Amid it all, Rygg said orders for Silver Spring products have been rising. “I’m not sure if horseradish is on the emergency list along with toilet paper and Clorox wipes,” Rygg said. He speculated that the increased demand was likely due to people buying more groceries because they are cooking meals at home.

MAKING AND DONATING MAS KS

been engaged with our local emergency management teams and this donation of surgical masks supports Gov. (Tony) Evers’ personal protection equipment initiative as one way we can help safeguard medical professionals and support our communities’ response to the global pandemic. Our health care workers and first responders are serving on the front lines and deserve our debt of gratitude for all the work they are doing.”

The state initiative, which Evers announced March 26, is aimed at getting more personal protective gear in the hands (and over the faces) of the healthcare providers who need it. The state has created a website to receive donations or to buy back large supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as N95 respirators, gloves, masks, and surgical gowns. Learn more at covid19supplies. wi.gov/Donations.

Meanwhile, some Chippewa Valley medical providers – including Marshfield Clinic Health System and HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals – are accepting donations of PPE as well and hand-made masks. To learn more about how you can make a donation or sew a mask, visit VolumeOne.org, click on the “Updates & Closures” link, and look for the article titled “Can You Sew? Some Chippewa Valley Hospitals Are Accepting Donations of Protective Masks.”

The new type of ammunition in this war is ventilators, face masks, and hand sanitizer.

Numerous other businesses and individuals are also stepping up to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the regional businesses making donations to mitigate the public health crisis is Xcel Energy, which announced March 27 that it is donating 20,000 protective surgical masks. Half of the masks will go to the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, while the other half will go to La Crosse County Emergency Management.

“Xcel Energy is committed to our communities and doing our part to keep the places where we live and work safe and healthy,” said Mark Stoering, president of Xcel Energy-Wisconsin. “We have

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS: SUPPORTING OUR FARM COMMUNITY IN A CRISIS

BY LAUREN LANGWORTHY / PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH

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e’ve all seen signs and memes on social media urging us to “shop local” or “eat local,” but in uncertain times like these, the reason behind the sentiment becomes clear. International trade, national transportation systems, and giant corporations don’t worry about their neighbors in the way that we worry about ours.

Think about all the hands that touched that toilet paper before it ended up in your shopping cart: hands that manufacture, package, transport it to a storage warehouse, inventory, transport it to a retail store, carry it out to stock the shelves, and the hands that check out from your cart. Now, compare that with the local vegetables, meats, flowers, or jar of preserves that you can pick up at the farmers w, in your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box, or at the food co-op.

If you know your farmer and can get your products directly from them, think about how few people are involved in that chain. Fewer people touched that product and fewer people needed to “get their cut” out of that sale. Even more, when you buy from a farmer like me, you get the added benefit of a personal relationship with someone else in your community. I can assure you, once you know your farmer, you know someone who will do their solemn best to make sure that you never go hungry. Right now, farmers across the Chippewa Valley are offering payment plans for CSA members laid off work and special home deliveries of farm-fresh food to people isolating to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

A national box store chain will never care for you like that. If you can’t know your farmer, at least know the staff at your co-op. They have the same goals of building our local economy and have likely met the farmers who produce your food as they regularly drop off fresh deliveries in the back.

That’s not all! Beyond your personal benefit of local food security, nutritious and delicious meals, and robust regional relationships, our economy thrives when our local food system is flourishing. The dollars you spend at that big box store pay some local employees, but the focus of that company is really generating mas-

If you know your farmer and can get your products directly from them, think about how few people are involved in that chain.

sive profits for CEOs and stockholders far away from the Chippewa Valley.

When you spend a dollar with a farmer or local business, those profits go to your neighbors. Those neighbors cycle that money back through our local economy: buying a cup of coffee, contributing toward the school fundraiser, tipping the wait staff after lunch or the musician at the bar, or putting it straight into running their business with local staff to meet specific neighborhood needs. Instead of enriching Wall Street, those dollars continue to cycle through the Chippewa Valley enriching our lives.

That’s why it’s so important to take this moment of awareness as an opportunity. It’s time to check our orientations: Are we supporting the neighbors who produce for us and provide us with tailored services to our community? This pandemic is our wake-up call. Every day in the headlines, we’re seeing the fragility and

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cracks in many of our systems – and it’s our neighbors who suffer. So, let’s focus on building resilient community systems that will always get us through the tough times. Buying direct from farmers benefits the whole community. Luckily, it’s getting easier all the time as more producers move their “farm stores” online, offer delivery or pick-up services, and try to meet the everchanging needs of our community. After all, providing sustenance to their community is what farmers do, and we’re all in this together.

Lauren Langworthy and her husband, Caleb, run Blue Ox Farm in Wheeler, where they produce grass-fed lamb and beef. Lauren is also secretary for the Wisconsin Farmers Union and executive director of MOSES (Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service), an educational nonprofit focused on helping farmers to thrive in sustainable systems of agriculture.

MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

Love is now bigger than ever.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

PHOTO BY TAYLOR SMITH

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT ...

ARTISTS & VENUES with widespread cancellations, artists and venues are hurting; here’s some ideas how you can help WORDS BY ERIC CHRISTENSON / PHOTO BY LEE BUTTERWORTH

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rt, in all its iterations, thrives on interaction. With concerts canceled, tours postponed, and all kinds of gatherings shut down, artists are losing work quickly and venues’ business is dropping fast. So many unknowns are swirling around, and the future’s pretty unclear. But how can we, as a community, step up now and help our local artists and venues get through this trying time? Well, here are a few ideas.

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BUY GIFT CARDS OR APPAREL FROM VENUES

Sure, we’ve heard about the gift card thing. But every week and weekend that goes by without events happening means lost income. A gift card may not be much, but a little bit goes a long way to help these venues survive, so that one day we can all enjoy stuff happening there in the future.

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BUY ART DIRECTLY FROM THE ARTIST

If you’re looking for ways to keep artists creating, simply buy their work.

For bands and musicians, the most direct way to support them is to buy music on sites like Bandcamp. Most local bands have Bandcamp pages where you can buy mp3s, merch, physical albums, and more. (And for sales made on Friday, March 20, Bandcamp is waiving its share of revenue, which means more money in musicians’

pockets.) For visual artists and others, consider commissioning work from them and pay them directly. Check out artists’ websites, or Society6 accounts, to buy stuff at the source.

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ORDER DELIVERY OR CARRYOUT FROM RESTAURANTS / CAFÉS / BREWERIES THAT HOST LIVE EVENTS

Many of our local music venues are also restaurants, bars, cafés, breweries, or retail spaces. They’re most likely only operating at a very limited capacity right now, and they’re definitely not hosting events. But if you can buy some beer, coffee, takeout, or apparel from a place that hosts live events, that directly helps them stay afloat for the time being. Most restaurants still have takeout options, and retail spaces are still taking online orders.

DONATE TO CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS

If you’re able, keep tabs on local crowdfunding campaigns. Some artists and venues have Patreon or GoFundMe campaigns set up to get them through these trying times (often with sweet rewards for contributions).

Be aware of what’s out there, and be generous if you can.

Keep tabs on when and how artists will be doing live streams so they can feel your support from across the waves of the inter webs.

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5.

TAKE SOME VIRTUAL MUSIC LESSONS

Learn a new instrument, and help support local musicians at the same time.

Local creatives could use the income, and you could use all this downtime to take up a new passion. This isn’t necessarily just limited to music, either. Local visual artists might be considering doing some virtual photography, painting, or graphic design lessons as well. Look into it, and don’t be afraid to reach out!

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TUNE IN TO LOCAL VIRTUAL CONCERTS AND SHOWS

Several artists have already been sharing their work via livestream on Facebook Live, Twitch, and more platforms. Local comedy shows are going virtual for the time being. Keep tabs on when and how artists will be doing live streams so they can feel your support from across the waves of the inter webs. Plus, if you’re feeling stir-crazy, you might need some unique entertainment to get you through.

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STREAM LOCAL MUSIC AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

This is kind of a bare minimum idea (as streaming platforms like Spotify give out notoriously stingy royalties per stream), but any little bit helps. For better or worse, artists do get paid from most streaming services, and they could use the bump now more than ever.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

INTERNET-POWERED ARTISTRY for now, live-streamed performances are key for artists to reach their audience WORDS BY ERIC CHRISTENSON

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arge gatherings are prohibited.

Venues are closed. And now, artists and performers find themselves without an in-person audience to connect with. Without a doubt, it’s a huge setback for the local arts scene, especially in such a tight-knit artistic community like we have here in the Chippewa Valley. Seemingly out of nowhere, going to shows isn’t a thing anymore.

But this is 2020, where self-broadcasting tools are right at the tips of our fingers. So already, we’re seeing bands, visual artists, writers, comedians, and more using social media platforms – and the streaming services therein – to perform via the internet. Them Coulee Boys already streamed an entire hourlong concert from their practice space.

Nick Anderson and the Skinny Lovers have one coming up. Jerrika Mighelle has streamed a bunch of performances already. Rapper TeawhYB took a more interactive approach by sending personalized songs to followers with his “4 Bars 4 a Friend” project. Matt Hasenmueller, formerly of the band The Millenium, gave himself a bowl cut on Facebook Live.

Many of your favorite local acts have taken to the Web to perform, because it’s what they do, whether they can do it in-person or not. Most major social platforms have built-in live-streaming capabilities, so artists can totally take advantage of that and give quarantined fans updates and one-of-a-kind performances. So look out for these as they pop up more and more in the coming weeks.

And a pretty awesome local thing: Eau Claire-based company WIN Technology is offering up its own streaming platform Perigon to nonprofits, educational insti-

THEM STREAMY BOYS. Them Coulee Boys did an hour-long concert on Facebook Live.

Many of your favorite local acts have taken to the web to perform, because it’s what they do, whether they can do it in-person or not. tutions, and artists at 90% off during the crisis. Their high-powered service could get you in front of up to 50,000 people, without resorting to using Facebook.

From their website (perigonlive.com): •

Cities and towns will be able to host town hall meetings for thousands of individuals with uninterrupted

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•

•

•

webcasts and live chats.

A community theater can premiere its latest production without losing much-needed box office revenue School districts can manage small meetings or countywide events for thousands to attend online.

Community organizations will be able to connect with clients, volun-

teers, employees and donors without having technology or financial ability as a hurdle.

So even though meet-ups aren’t happening in person for a time, that isn’t stopping people from connecting in any way they can. So get online, Chippewa Valley! We’ll see you on the internet.

MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

HOPE IS THE THING: A COLLABORATIVE WRITING PROJECT Chippewa Valley Writers Guild effort connects writers, readers during a challenging time

T

he Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, in its effort to connect writers around the Eau Claire area, has launched a new effort to connect writers virtually during the time of social distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Called “Hope is the Thing,” the effort is to establish a collaborative platform that regional writers can use to publish creative work. The writers guild is accepting submissions of 500 words or less in the form of poems, essays, short fiction, or personal experiences on the subject of hope.

As Chippewa Valley Writers Guild founder B.J. Hollars wrote, “May our art be the gift that helps us heal.” Already, the guild has published submissions from several notable local writers, including Max Garland, Eric Rasmussen, Stephanie Farrar (whose essay is printed below), Dan Lyksett, Jim Alf, Charlotte Kupsh, and Hollars himself.

For full submission guidelines and to read what others have contributed, visit cvwritersguild.org/hope-project.

HE R E A R E A COUP L E P IE CE S F ROM “HOP E IS T HE T HING” R E A D MOR E AT C V W R I T E R SGUIL D.ORG / HOP E- P RO JE C T

HOPE IS THE BIRTH PLAN WORDS BY STEPHANIE FARRAR L AST Y E A R A BOUT T HI S T I ME , in the three weeks leading up to my daughter’s birth, I spent a lot of time upside down.

The point was to turn the tide of the sea inside and flip this breach baby. I did so, again and again.

I was also having contractions every 3-4 minutes, for three weeks. All I could do was take very short walks, sit, and stand on my head. I knew from my previous experience I had a good chance of having life-threatening complications that endangered both me and the baby, and I had spent a lot of time thinking about this. Because of my experience, because of my research, I had a stark birth plan: “Everybody Lives.” Nobody wants to

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hear a pregnant woman talk like this. Nobody is supposed to admit they might die, someday, or possibly soon.

It is so impolite to talk about death, so crass to talk about illness. Nobody is supposed to glimpse mortality as a fact. But this year, all any of us can do is take short walks, sit, and hold the world upside down, patiently for a few weeks.

So, hold it. Hold it, upside down, to turn this tide. Hold this blue pulsing world upside down in your hands because the best birth plan for the new world we will make is just: “Everybody Lives.”

Stephanie Farrar is a writer and professor at UW-Eau Claire, as well the co-editor of Dickinson In Her Own Time.

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A N D R E A PA U L S E T H

HOPE IS TYING A BEAR TO A PORCH CHAIR WORDS BY ERIC RASMUSSEN IN T H E EAR LY DAYS O F A SH ELTE R OR DER , we desire to help, support, entertain, and distract. For a minute I toy with the idea of learning “The Hustle” on harmonica to accompany my son who is learning “The Hustle” on trombone so we can make some hilarious and unbelievably shareable video.

My son is uninterested in that level of commitment. Honestly, so am I. But soon an idea comes across my feed for a community-wide effort that is more our speed. A teddy bear scavenger hunt! Place a bear somewhere visible so families out on walks have something to search for. That is exactly the level of energy expenditure we can handle. My daughter fetches a bear and the kids and I collaborate over its placement in one of the chairs on the front porch.

A short while later I take my own afternoon walk, and it amazes me how well the teddy bear scavenger hunt accomplishes its goal. Every stuffed animal peeking behind venetian blinds and hanging from a curtain rod is a little inside joke that feels like community. But this is not what gives me hope.

I come from a city in a part of the world that usually does a pretty nice job of supporting our neighbors. Not everyone, and not easily, and not always right away, but for the most part, we’ve got each other’s backs.

After my loop around the neighborhood I pass in front of my own house, with my daughter’s stuffed animal out front. As far as scavenger hunts go,

ours is a bit of a challenge—the bear is the same color as the chair upholstery, and it can only be seen from a certain angle. But another thought occurs to me. Call it the jack-o-lantern concern. What if a bunch of neighborhood youths decide our bear is ripe for shenanigans?

“Get some rope,” I tell my son when I enter the house. “We have to tie up that bear.”

This is what gives me hope. Pranksters targeting our teddy bear. People on the internet griping about having to stay inside and arguing about what counts as an essential business. All the testimonials of rampant screen time and day drinking. Without discounting the need to take a pandemic seriously and act with each other in mind, I love that the fear doesn’t entirely consume us.

The empty roads fill me with confidence that we shall weather this crisis. The occasional car does too.

From the sidewalk, you can’t tell that our bear is trussed up like a prisoner in a spy movie, but it’s there, representing both our nobler intentions and our basal instincts. We need both to get us through, adorable plush smiles on our faces, and double knots around our necks and paws.

Eric Rasmussen teaches English at Memorial High School in Eau Claire, serves as fiction editor for Sundog Lit, and edits the regional literary journal Barstow & Grand.

Find more of his prose online at theotherericrasmussen.com.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

Hillside Dental

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

THE CULTURE OF STAYING INDOORS Chippewa Valley writer Patti See documents two weeks of lifestyle changes due to COVID-19 WORDS BY PATTI SEE

MARCH 14 Friends meet my husband and me at Loopy’s High Shores. Bruce offers to make corned beef and cabbage at our house if everyone wears their hazmat suits. We’re still joking. We’re still going out. I eyeball the salad bar — perhaps the worst thing a person could eat. I have a few beers and follow the crowd to the pickled fish and communal soup.

MARCH 15 I receive an email about working from home, a drastic measure I never imagined.

MARCH 16 We cancel our weekend trip to our daughter’s in Madison. Restaurants and bars are shutting down.

“That will never happen here,” I tell Bruce. All day long, I advise students about choosing classes and assure them everything will be back to normal by September. I almost believe it. I haven’t spoken on the phone this much since I was a teenager.

MARCH 17 My best friend calls. “Did you hear?” Karen says, “Bars are closing.” My heart races. Is this one of the moments I’ll look back on, years from now — a closure that freaks me out more than any? Bruce and I sit at our counter and celebrate St. Patty’s day. To calm ourselves, we look at photos of babies on Facebook then Google more images of babies. We tear up over the one in 58 million born without a nose. His mother says, “Jack is perfect just the way he is.”

MARCH 18 I burst outside and startle geese floating on open water. One gets spooked; the rest follow the crowd and take flight for a few yards then simultaneously land, belly down, as if still on liquid, not this clear

sheet of ice. All 15 slide across the frozen lake, then stand up and poop in unison in the most hilarious display of synchronized swimming ever.

MARCH 19 My first Skype for business meeting. I don’t know the etiquette, envision it’s a free for all like family gatherings — everyone talking at once. I follow the crowd: mute my microphone, take turns. How ecstatic I am to see other faces.

MARCH 20 Somehow this “new normal” takes more energy.

Friday night Bruce and I dance in the kitchen to songs on our pandemic playlist: “Make the World Go Away” and “You Ain’t a Goin’ Nowhere.” We think we’re so funny when we add “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” though it’s difficult to dance to.

MARCH 21 I spot someone wearing a mask and gloves in public, like an extra from a doomsday film stumbled into my Lake Hallie Aldi. I bake oatmeal cookies, Bruce’s comfort food, and we play cards. Bruce beats me at cribbage, honeymoon whist, and kings-in-the-corners, which I’ve just taught him. He tells me that I look “well lived in.” Could it be my Leinie’s sweatshirt and pajama bottoms, for the second day?

sweetly, “I knew it wasn’t really about chicken.”

MARCH 23 I reduce my 403B contribution to 50 bucks a month. I bake what Bruce agrees is the best cornbread in the world, and we eat it fresh out of the oven.

MARCH 24 Karen comes over to sit in the yard with me, six feet apart. We realize our fire-building technique is exactly the same: Dump everything in a messy pile and light. Our bonfire burns for three hours; we take turns poking it. Bruce waves at us from the deck.

MARCH 25 I stay in my pajamas all day and binge watch This is Us, The Valhalla Murders, and The Conners. I sign up to donate platelets at the Red Cross, which makes me feel less like a schlub.

MARCH 26 On my lunch break, I take a quick kayak ride up and down Lake Hallie, something I could never do unless I was working remotely.

MARCH 27 Bruce and I play 500 Rummy by “Southside Rules” developed when I was a kid. He kicks my butt.

MARCH 22

MARCH 28

Bruce’s morning begins with, “Alexa: What’s the forecast?” Each night he changes from sweatpants to sleeping pants. I joke that it’s like Groundhog Day. His face is puzzled. “What day is it? Not still February?” I have a meltdown because Bruce eats a piece of chicken skin. I rant about trying to keep him safe, not going out, and he’s filling his veins with chicken fat. Three hours later I apologize. He says

Two weeks dragged by: a blur of phone calls, pants without zippers, meal planning, and card playing.

We are still “safer at home” with no end in sight, which I try not to dwell upon. This morning I hear the throaty pterodactyl-like trill of a Great Blue Heron — my favorite bird — which followed the crowd from southern Florida to Lake Hallie. It’s spring. No matter what.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

PHOTO BY ADAM SMITH

COMMUNITY GROUPS SPRING INTO ACTION FOR NONPROFITS acting fast to raise funds for Chippewa Valley nonprofits’ COVID-related needs WORDS BY TOM GIFFEY / PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH

J

ust like businesses and households, nonprofit organizations expect to be hit hard by the economic consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Several local agencies are stepping up to help nonprofits – especially those who serve vulnerable populations – to stay afloat during these challenging times.

The Eau Claire Community Foundation and the United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley announced March 23 that they have established a Quick Response Community Fund through the Community Foundation to “rapidly deploy financial resources” to such Eau Claire-area nonprofits.

“This fund is designed to give added support to those organizations experiencing additional stresses on their services due to increased demand, changes in service delivery, reduced volunteer assistance, and increased staffing needs,” said Jan Porath, executive director of United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley. “These are the organizations on the front lines of caring for vulnerable populations and

these are the organizations on the front lines of caring for vulnerable populations. providing a safety net for individuals impacted by the loss of jobs and benefits or the closure of institutions.”

Both organizations are also working with Marshfield Clinic Health Systems and other area foundations, such as the Community Foundation of Dunn County and the Community Foundation of Chippewa County, to support local nonprofits.

“This collaboration in support of local nonprofits is funded by the generosity of the people of our community,” said Sue Bornick, executive director of the Eau Claire Community Foundation. “We also encourage donors to connect with nonprofits that are important to them and find out what help they might need to weather the crisis. Now is the time to come together and look out for the most vulnerable among us.”

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According to a media release, “Funds will be granted on a rolling basis as fundraising continues throughout the crisis, making it possible to move resources quickly and adapt to evolving needs.” Already, $85,000 has been raised for the Quick Response Community Fund. To learn more or to donate, visit the ECCF website at eccfwi.org.

DUNN COUNTY & PEPIN COUNTY RESPOND A similar effort is underway involving organizations serving Dunn and Pepin counties. The United Way of Dunn County has activated its Disaster Relief Fund at the Community Foundation of Dunn County. According to a media release, “Nonprofits or other

community organizations engaging in immediate basic needs relief (that) need financial support now can email Jennifer Thatcher, Executive Director of the United Way of Dunn County, at jthatcher@uwaydunn.org.

“In order to move resources quickly and not further burden these nonprofit organizations there will not be a formal application process,” the release continued.

Community members interested in giving are encouraged to make donations directly to the nonprofit organizations they support – many of which have been forced to cancel fundraising events because of the outbreak – as well as consider donating directly to the United Way’s Disaster Fund at the Community Foundation of Dunn County.

Learn more at cfdunncounty.org.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

FIVE LIBRARY SERVICES TO USE AT HOME WHILE THE LIBRARY’S CLOSED WORDS BY TOM GIFFEY

E

ven though the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire is closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, you can still visit – virtually – and take advantage of some of the amazing digital services the library has to offer.

If you’ve got a card from the Eau Claire library – or, in many cases, a card from any of the libraries in the MORE consortium (including Altoona, Chippewa Falls, Menomonie, and many others) – a free portal of online entertainment and education awaits.

Here are some of the library’s best digital offerings:

1. WISCONSIN’S DIGITAL LIBRARY wplc.overdrive.com/wplc-indianheadfed/content Want to escape with a Danielle Steele novel? Learn how to make the BEST slime? Get some life lessons from the Berenstain Bears? Through Wisconsin’s Digital Library, you’ve got access to a “massive catalog of books and audiobooks available online and using apps.” Those free apps, OverDrive and Libby, can help connect you with books and audiobooks on your iPad, Kindle, or other digital device, all for the low price of absolutely free!

3. SAWDUST CITY SOUNDS sawdustcitysounds.org Dedicated to “local music for local ears,” Sawdust City Sounds is a unique collection of tunes by Chippewa Valley-based musicians – including favorites like Eggplant Heroes, Drunk Drivers, and Jim Pullman – which you can stream or download. Take this opportunity to check out some outstanding local albums and make plans for when you can see these performers in person again!

4. FREEGAL eauclaire.freegalmusic.com/home This service offers unlimited streaming of music and videos from an enormous range of national and international artists – all for free. Plus, you can download and keep up to five songs per week (also for free), which makes Freegal a budget-friendly way to build your personal music collection.

L.E. PHILLIPS MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY VIA FACEBOOK

sitting in the world’s best waiting room without leaving your house!

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. Learn more about all of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library’s digital offerings at ecdpubliclibrary. info/digital. Explore the links and start to learn a language, discover your family’s genealogy, or learn how to file your taxes. As Library Director Pamela Westby wrote in a message to patrons: “We also encourage those who may be self-distancing to enjoy some

5. FLIPSTER www.ecpubliclibrary.info/digital (and click on “Flipster”) Flipster lets library users flip through dozens of magazine titles – from National Geographic and Rolling Stone to People and Ranger Rick Jr. – for free, anytime anywhere. It’s like

of the library’s digital collections. See what Eau Claire looked like back in ‘the day,’ learn more about your family history, or start building up your ‘to read’ list. For those of you who have borrowed library materials in your possession, do not fear the due date – we are a fine-free library! We are also extending loan periods during this time, so you do not need to return materials until we are back in full operation.

Book drops at the library and around town will be closed, so please hold on to your materials until we reopen.”

2. FREADING ifls.freading.com/index Freading is another ebook service available to MORE library cardholders, specializing in nonfiction and travel guides. (Virtual vacation, anyone?) You can check out up to three titles per week, and there are no waiting lists.

Want to escape with a Danielle Steele novel?

Learn how to make the BEST slime? Get some life lessons from the Berenstain Bears?

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

• E N C O U R A G E M E N T N E I G H B O R L Y • E N C O U R A G E M E N T N E I G H B O R L Y

N E I G H B O R LY

ENCOURAGEMENT

•

N E I G H B O R LY

“

As a child I’d spend entire afternoons tracking an ant’s journey across a cracked sidewalk or looking for hidden images in shifting cloudscapes. Our current forced slow-down and isolation is a good time to rekindle the childhood art of noticing. I love Lynda Barry’s book ‘Syllabus: notes from an accidental professor,’ in which she offers a simple method for noticing more. Keep a daily diary in which you record seven things you did, seven things you saw, something you heard, and then you draw something. The more we notice, the less confining our surroundings become.

—JILL MARKGR AF

“

IT MIGHT BE HARD TO SEE, BUT THERE IS A SILVER LINING HERE. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER. IT’S NOT JUST OUR COMMUNITY, IT’S OUR STATE, OUR NATION, AND OUR NEIGHBORS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING THIS PANDEMIC TOGETHER. COMPASSION IS ONE OF OUR GREATEST ASSETS HERE. —SERGIO SIGALA

A s c o m e d i c j u g g l e rs, o u r j o b i s to c re ate fu n a n d l a u g hte r, w h i c h s e e m s l i ke a ri d i c u l o u s, n o n - es s e nti a l p u rs u it i n th e b i g s c o p e of th i n g s. B ut ri g ht n o w l a u g hte r a n d l e v ity i s n e e d e d m o re th a n e v e r. Ke e p l e v ity i n y o u r d a y b y s h a ri n g fa m i l y sto ri es th at e v e ry o n e c a n l a u g h at, d res s u p i n ri d i c u l o u s o utfits a n d s e n d p i ctu res to fri e n d s, d a n c e a ro u n d th e h o u s e w ith re c k l ess a b a n d o n, l e a rn a n e w s k i l l — l i ke j u g g l i n g — a n d l a u g h w h e n y o u m a k e m i sta k es. We’v e g ot y e a rs of p ra cti c e w ith th at!

“

— KO B I S H AW & S T E V E R U S S E L L

ENCOURAGEMENT

At some point in the f u tu re we ’ l l l o o k ba c k a n d h a ve better clarity o n w h e t h e r we handled the cu rrent si tua t ion we l l o r n o t .

W h i l e we ’ r e i n t h e m o m e n t we need to accept i t for what it is and d o w h a t we c a n to help others.

Do n He n l ey sa ng ‘ We a l l n e e d a l i t t le tenderness’ in ‘The Heart of T h e M a t t e r.’ R i g h t n o w, we n e e d t o s h ow co m pa ss i o n for others and try to support those businesses and individuals who a re rea l ly struggling.

“

—SCOTT HOFFMAN

•

N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T • N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T •

N E I G H B O R LY

ENCOURAGEMENT

•

N E I G H B O R LY

— C U L L E N R YA N

“

— B R I T TA N Y TA I N T E R

E N C O U R A G E M E N T

We are all related and we need each other.

Safely and thoughtfully support the folx in need right now and consider others in the community as you navigate these times. Reach out if you need help and continue to check in on your people.

We will get through this together.

N E I G H B O R L Y

—SETH GILE

•

“

EVERYTHING IS CURRENTLY CANCELLED OR POSTPONED EXCEPT COMPASSION AND SOLIDARITY.

“

E N C O U R A G E M E N T

—MARK PIRAZZINI

THERE IS NO PLACE FOR VIOLENCE – OR INACTION AGAINST ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE – IN THIS W O R L D . T H AT I S W H Y WE NEED TO CRUSH A P AT H Y W I T H T H E I R O N F I S T O F G E N E R O S I T Y. KICK SELFISHNESS IN THE TEETH WHILE SCREAMING, ‘I WILL T R E AT M Y F E L L O W HUMANS WITH DIGNITY A N D WA R M T H ! ’ WE MUST DRAG CONTEMPTUOUSNESS AND CYNICISM TO A REMOTE AREA IN T H E F O R E S T, P O U R A C O N TA I N E R O F H O P E ON THEM, LIGHT UP A M AT C H S T I C K O F KINDNESS, THROW IT ON T H E M , A N D W AT C H T H E M BLAZE WITH LOVE. BE N I C E A N D H AV E F U N .

• N E I G H B O R L Y

“

We c a n h o n o r o u r k i n s h i p a s h u m a n b e i n g s s h a ri n g th i s p l a n et a n d c h oos e k i n d n ess i n o u r h o m es a n d o u r co m m u n iti es; e v e n exte n d i n g th e p ra cti ce to p eo p l e m u c h fa rth e r a w a y. We c a n c h ec k o n o u r n e i g h b o rs. We ca n th a n k th os e i n ess e nti a l b u s i n esses a n d s e rv i ces w h o m a ke l ife p oss i b l e fo r u s at ri s k to th e m s e l v es. A n d, w h e n th e p a n d e m i c p a sses, w e ca n ex p a n d th es e p ra cti ces to h e l p m a ke th i s w o rl d a m o re j u st a n d j o y o u s p l a ce fo r e v e ry o n e.

ENCOURAGEMENT

•

N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T • N E I G H B O R LY E N CO U R AG E M E N T

•

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

RECORDING HISTORY AS WE LIVE IT Chippewa Valley Museum challenges you to keep a diary, and offers prizes for kids and adults WORDS BY TOM GIFFEY

W

hether you recognize it or not, we’re all living through history RIGHT NOW. So why not put pen to paper (literally or virtually) and record that history? What you write can help you process your unique perspective and experiences in the here and now and also provide interesting (and historically valuable) information for future generations of your family, as well as the community and historical researchers.

Through its new “Dear Diary” project (www.cvmuseum.com/get-involved/ diary-project), the Chippewa Valley Museum is challenging Chippewa Valley residents to keep diaries during this historic time, when COVID-driven social distancing and the statewide “Safer at Home” order have given us both interesting experiences and a little more time on our hands than usual.

Here’s what museum director Carrie Ronnander has to say: “Diaries can sweep us into a world that we never saw, marvel at how differ-

ent things were ‘back then,’ and reflect on how some things never really seem to change. ... Dear Diary is for you and the young people you know. We’re asking children and teens, and you, to keep a daily diary while you are at home, then share these diaries with the Chippewa Valley Museum. These stories will be kept in our archive, available for researchers for generations to come. All submitted diaries will be entered to win one of three prizes.”

You can learn more about the project online at the museum’s website.

Here are some more details:

THE CHALLENGE Write in your diary everyday. It can be long. It can be short. It can be funny.

It can be angry. Whatever you write about, it’s your story.

THE GUIDELINES However you choose to keep your diary, paper or digital, please date each entry clearly.

THE FIRST DRAFT OF HISTORY. Chula Margaret Remington, age 10, of Eau Claire, kept this diary in 1923. Now it’s one of the thousands of items in the Chippewa Valley Museum’s collection.

CATEGORIES INCLUDE • Kids up to 12 • Teens 13-17 • Adults 18+

BUT WHAT TO WRITE? • What did you work on today?

• Who did you talk to today? About what?

• What are you happy about?

• What worries you?

• Whatever you’re thinking about ...

According to the museum, “We’ll let you know how to share your diary with us once the museum is open again.

Each diary we receive will be entered in a drawing for one of three prizes per category!”

If you have questions about the project, feel free to email the museum (info@cvmuseum.com) or visit its website. And if you’ve got a hankering for a local history experience while the museum is closed, check out its Facebook page as well as the Facebook page of the Dunn County Historical Society. Every day, via their Faceboook and Instagram accounts, the museums will be sharing amazing items from their collections, going from A to Z. The first few items have included accessories for a Barbie doll from 1965, a bullet fire during the robbery of a Menomonie bank in 1931, an adorable doll from the 1920s in a Scottish curling costum, and an electric hat to prevent baldness!

Whether you recognize it or not, we’re all living through history RIGHT NOW.

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RESOURCES & LISTINGS Helpful information in a time of need. Find more up-to-date resources like these at VolumeOne.org COMMU N IT Y M E A L SERV IC E S A number of community organizations around the Chippewa Valley provide meal services.

The Community Table (Eau Claire) 320 Putnam St.,

Eau Claire • (715) 835-4977 • thecommunitytable.org • Meals served Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 11:30am-1pm • Tuesday and Friday 5-6:15pm • Sunday 3-4pm.

Agnes Table (Chippewa Falls) 24 W. Grand Ave.,

Chippewa Falls • (715) 579-6173 • facebook.com/ agnes.table.chippewa • Meals served: Monday/ Wednesday 7:30am breakfast; Wednesday 11am lunch; Tuesday/Thursday 5:30am dinner; and Friday: 8am breakfast.

Wednesdays Table (Menomonie) Christ Lutheran

Church, 1306 Wilcox Ave., Menomonie • (715) 2355573 • welcome2clc.com/wednesdays-table.html • Meals served Wednesdays at 5pm.

Thursdays Table (Menomonie) First Congregational Church, 420 Wilson Ave., Menomonie • (715) 2350024 • facebook.com/ThursdaysTable • Meals served Thursday 5-6pm.

FOO D PA N T R I E S These fantastic organizations provide food pantry services around the Chippewa Valley. All of these organizations are open to the public. Please contact or call ahead before going to ensure service hours haven’t changed.

Chippewa County

832-2333 • Wednesday 10am-1pm • Enter the pantry on the Filmore St. side of the building.

The Salvation Army 2211 S. Hastings Way, Eau Claire • (715) 834-1224 • Monday through Thursday 10amnoon & 1-4pm.

Altoona Compassion Coalition Food Pantry Altoona

High School Parking Lot, 701 Seventh St. West, Altoona • fourth Thursdays, 4:30-6:30pm (JanuaryOctober) second Thursdays, 4:30-6:30pm (November and December).

Hmong Christian Church Food Pantry Hmong

Christian Church, 2749 70th St., Eau Claire • (715) 874-6644 • second Sunday, 10-11am.

St. Francis Food Pantry 1221 Truax Blvd., Eau Claire • ( 715) 839-7706 • stfrancisfoodpantry.org • Due to the statewide “Safer at Home” order, St. Francis Food Pantry is changing operations for the safety of clients, volunteers, staff, and the community. After March 24 it will be temporarily switching to a monthly food distribution. Check the website for updates on days/ times of distribution.

POP- UP FOOD PANTR I ES Pop-Up Food Pantry in Fall Creek Wednesdays, April

1 and 15, 3:30-4:30pm • St. James Trinity, 305 S. State St, Fall Creek • Are you in need of some extra groceries? Come to this pop-up pantry event to pick up some groceries. To help limit contact, this distribution will be conducted like a drive-through. Anyone in need is welcome and no ID is required.

First Baptist Food Shelf First Baptist Church, 218

W. Lincoln St., Augusta • Sunday 11:30am-12:30pm, Wednesday 7-8pm.

Immanuel Lutheran Food Pantry Immanuel Lutheran Church, 3214 Golf Road • (715) 832-7832 • Monday 5:30-7pm, Thursday and Friday 9-11am.

Pop-Up Food Pantry in Eau Claire Fridays, April

Christ Temple Church Food Pantry Christ Temple

3, 10, 17, ad 24 • 2:30-4pm • Lakeshore Elementary School parking lot (across the street from Carson Park) 711 Lake St., Eau Claire • If you are in need of some extra groceries including fresh produce and meat, stop by this weekly distribution. It will be conducted like a drive-through to help limit contact. Available to anyone in need of food, it is free to you and you do not need to be a resident of Eau Claire to participate. No ID required. If you are on foot, please bring a bag/box to help carry your groceries home. Look for the Feed My People truck and signs to help find the correct entrance.

Church, 1719 Omaha St., Eau Claire • (715) 523-0670 • christtempleeauclaire.org • First and third Mondays, 5-7pm.

Fall Creek Community Cupboard Faith Evangelical Free Church, 704 Kennedy Ave., Fall Creek • (715) 877-2330 • faithfallcreek.org/community-cupboard. html • Second and fourth Mondays, 10-11:30am and 5:30-7pm.

Ekklesia Food Pantry Boys and Girls Club, 1005

Oxford St., Eau Claire • (715) 829-3375 •Thursday 4-5:30pm.

Pop-Up Food Pantry in Eau Claire Wednesday, April

15, 2-3pm • The Brewing Projekt (across the street from the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre), 1807 N. Oxford Ave., Eau Claire • If you are in need of some extra

Chapel Heights Food Pantry Chapel Heights Methodist Church, 300 E. Hamilton Ave., Eau Claire • (715)

groceries including fresh produce and meat, stop by this monthly Pop-Up Food Pantry every third Wednesday.

Sponsored by Feed My People Food Bank, it is free to you and you do not need to be a resident of Eau Claire to participate. No ID required. Please bring a bag/box to help carry your groceries home. Look for the Feed My People truck and signs to help find the correct entrance.

E AU CLAIRE SCHOOL ME ALS Weekday Meals The Eau Claire Area School District will be providing free breakfast and lunch to students on what would have been regularly scheduled school days while schools are closed. Free breakfast and lunch can be picked up at the following locations: DeLong, Northstar, and South middle schools starting Monday, March 30, 11:30am-1pm. Pick up locations will be outside the middle schools and will be served in a “grab and go” fashion. Meals will include lunch for the current day and breakfast for the following day.

All meals will be free regardless of current eligibility status or location of enrollment. Students do not need to be present to pick up the school meals. Visit www. ecasd.us/District/Home for updates.

Weekend Meals Feed My People will be delivering weekend kids meals to the DeLong, Northstar, and South middle schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those food items will be handed out during the school meal distribution time (11:30am-1pm) to any student who would like one.

Bloomer/New Auburn Food Pantry 808 Jackson St.,

Bloomer • (715) 568-3733 • bloomerfoodpantry.wixsite. com/bnapantry • Fridays, 1-4pm.

First Presbyterian Church Food Pantry First Presby-

terian Church, 130 W. Central St., Chippewa Falls • (715) 723-5717 • Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-noon.

Lafayette Food Pantry English Lutheran Church of

Bateman, 20588 Cty. Hwy. X, Chippewa Falls • (715) 723-4231 • Third Saturday of the month, 10am-noon.

Legacy Community Center Food Pantry 26 Grand Ave., Chippewa Falls • Monday-Thursday 1-3pm (when school is in session).

Dunn County CLC Food Shelf Christ Lutheran Church, 1306 Wilcox

Ave., Menomonie • (715) 235-5573 • Wednesdays, 5-6pm.

Helping Hands Food Pantry UW-Stout, 424 Bowman

Hall, Address: 802 Broadway St. S, Menomonie • With the current COVID-19 pandemic and UW-Stout moving to alternative delivery educational methods through the summer, the food pantry is no longer able to have students drop by and pick up food. However, students can arrange a package pickup of items through the Dean of Students’ office by calling (715) 232-1181 or emailing dean_of_students@uwstout.edu.

Shepherd of the Hill Food Pantry Shepherd of the Hill

Lutheran Church, 207 University St, Elk Mound • (715) 879-5115 • Tuesdays 4-6pm, Fridays 10am-noon.

Stepping Stones Food Pantry Stepping Stones of Dunn

County, 1602 Stout Road, Menomonie • (715) 235-2920 • steppingstonesdc.org • Mondays 11am-2pm; Wednesdays 3-6pm; Fridays 11am-2pm; Saturdays 10am-noon.

Eau Claire County Trinity Lutheran Food Pantry Trinity Lutheran Church, 1314 E. Lexington Blvd., Eau Claire • (715) 832-6601 • trinity-ec.org • Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 1:303pm • Tuesday, Thursday 5:30-7pm.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

REC RE AT IO N A L TRA IL S

(other than restrooms, if they are available) will likely be closed until further notice. Please use common sense and call ahead to make sure trails and other recreational opportunities are still open.

Even though we’re all practicing appropriate social distancing, going outside for some fresh air and exercise is important to our physical and mental wellbeing. As of March 24, all Wisconsin state parks and trails can be used free of charge. According to the state Department of Natural Resources, “Distance is key while people are visiting state parks and trails. We are asking the public not to congregate at restrooms, selfregistration stations, electronic kiosks and maintain six feet of distance from other people.” Here are some hiking trails in west-central Wisconsin that are open for your exploration. Bear in mind that most facilities

Beaver Creek Reserve S1 County Road K, Fall Creek

Bjornsen Recreation Center Trail Knapp • Difficulty

• (715) 877-2212 • beavercreekreserve.org Moderate difficulty. There are several trail loop options. Scenic, winding trails on two separate sections of the reserve, offer views of two creeks and the Eau Claire River.

A local favorite $3 for adults, $1 for children (15 and under), free for members of Beaver Creek.

level: Easy. Trail loop options through woods with creeks and several footbridges as well. From I-94 take the Hwy Q exit and drive north to 700th Avenue. Turn right and head to 160th Street. Look for signs. You might have to park at the gate and walk to the center.

Otherwise, there is ample parking at the center.

Buffalo River State Park Trail • dnr.wi.gov 36 miles

- This is a multi-purpose trail that parallels Hwy. 10 passing through the communities of Mondovi, Eleva, Strum, Osseo and Fairchild connecting to Eau Claire County operated ATV trails.

Big Falls County Park 11998 N 110th Ave, Chippewa

Cadott School Forest Cadott • Several loops go

Falls • (715) 839-4783 • co.eau-claire.wi.us Located in the town of Seymour, the trails at Big Falls cut through mixed coniferous/hardwood forest on either side of County Highways Q and K.

through woods past two creeks and a covered bridge as well. From Hwy 29, take the Cty Rd X exit and drive to Cty Rd XX. Head north to 80th Street. Head

east for 1 ½ miles and look for a gravel dead-end road.

You might have to park at the gate and walk into the educational building area. Otherwise, there is parking at the building.

Chippewa County Riverview Reserve Trail Chippewa Falls • Difficulty level: Easy. Trails go through woods and meadows. Some pass by small ponds as well as Lake Wissota. Take Hwy. 178 north to Wissota Green Blvd. (east of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital) and then on Beach Drive. There is a small parking lot near the trailhead. Parking also available near the Chippewa River bridge on Hwy. 178.

Chippewa River State Trail • fcrstwi.com This

former railroad corridor parallels the Chippewa River and including river bottoms, prairies, sandstone bluffs, wetlands, and more. Trail runs from Phoenix Park in Eau Claire to Caryville. Joins the Red Cedar Trail in the Dunnville Bottoms near the confluence of the Red Cedar and Chippewa rivers.

City Wells Trail Eau Claire • Difficulty level: Easy.

Description: Three-mile loop trail begins near the city wells and heads into the woods. Directions: From the North Crossing (Hwy 312) head north on Riverview Drive. Park in the dirt lot near the wells buildings off Riverview Drive.

Eau Claire River Route 1.5 miles - Trail goes from

downtown Eau Claire to the East Side Hill • Start at the paved trailhead hidden across from the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library’s underground parking entrance. The trail brings you across to the north side of the river on an old railroad trestle “S” bridge that offers spectacular views of the quarter-mile long Banbury Place industrial complex and of course, the valley. The trails in Phoenix Park and Boyd Park now connect and are ready for downtown cyclists.

Evergreen Ski Trail Coon Fork Lake County Park,

E 25501 County Road CF, Augusta • (715) 839-4738 • Easy to moderate difficulty. 2.2 miles of trail loops are open for hikers in the spring, summer, and fall.

The westernmost trail follows Coon Fork Creek. $3 fee. Located 5 miles north of Augusta on Cty. Rd. CF (across the road from Coon Forks County Park). Park at a small dirt lot.

Fairfax Park - Trail 4200 Fairfax St., Eau Claire •

(715) 839-1680 • Difficulty level: Easy. Small woods trail that doubles as ski trail goes into small prairie area past a few ponds and re-enters woods. Directions: Access Fairfax Park Drive from either Golf Road and park in the Fairfax Pool lot, or go down Fairfax Street and park near the ball fields south of South Middle School.

Geuttinger Woods + Wildlife Area Eau Claire

• Difficulty level: Easy. Semi-groomed trails wander through dense woodland. Head south from Eau Claire on Hwy. 37. Look for a sign on the left shortly after passing Cty. Rd. HH. Short drive up a hill takes you to a small parking lot and trailhead.

Hickory Ridge Trail • (866) 723-0331 • 9 miles. This

trail winds through the quiet and scenic oak and aspen forest. It consists of three challenging loops. Located in northern Chippewa County in the County Forest, the trail begins in a parking lot off of 225th Ave.

Irvine Park Trail Bridgewater Ave., Chippewa Falls •

(715) 723-0051 • chippewafalls-wi.gov Easy difficulty.

Woods trails above the zoo area double as ski trails.

Loop back down and visit the zoo afterwards. Trails also go past Glen Loch Lake. Trails can also be accessed from small parking lot on Cty. Rd. S or on the parking lot above the zoo off Erma-Tinger Drive.

Kemper’s Woods Chippewa Falls • A few trail loops

go through a small woods surrounded by farmland.

From Business 29, drive south on Chippewa Crossing Blvd and turn left on Stilson (50th Ave) past the dog park, over Hwy 29, and look for a small loop-shaped parking lot on the right side of the road.

Lafayette Town Hall Trail Lafayette • A short loop

goes through woods. The trail overlooks Paint Creek.

From Cty. Road. X south of Lake Wissota, turn south on 197th Street to the Lafayette Town Hall. Park near the food stand at the ball fields and walk through the brush site area to find the somewhat-hidden trailhead.

Lake Menomin Park Trail Menomonie • Easy

difficulty. Walk through the woods, emerge next to Lake Menomin, and then through meadow before re-entering woods. From I-94 head south on Cty. Rd. B, turn right at 3M Drive, turn left at Stokke Parkway, turn right at Red Cedar Street/Domain Drive.

Lake Wissota State Park 18127 County Hwy 0,

Chippewa Falls • (715) 382-4574 • dnr.wi.gov Several trail options go through woods, meadows, lowlands, marshes, and Lake Wissota’s shoreline. Many double as ski trails. Bikes are permitted on all but 3 trails. One-mile Beaver Meadow nature trail loop for families with small children. Scenic lake trail is NEWS + VIDEO + COMMUNITY VIBES • WWW.VOLUMEONE.ORG

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

also a highlight. Daily and annual state park vehicle admission passes vary in price. Located on the northeast section of Lake Wissota.

Avenue E to Game Park Rd. Plenty of parking spaces on paved lot.

Levis Mound Trail Neilsville • (715) 743-5140 •

Parkway, Eau Claire • Moderate difficulty. Several loop trail options double as mountain bike and ski trails. Some are narrow and steep. From the North Crossing (Hwy. 312) head north on Jeffers and turn right away on East Prairie Lane to Arrowhead Drive to Van Es Parkway. Drive to the end of the street to the small parking lot.

levismound.com The Levis Mound and Trow Mound rec trail in Southern Clark County features 25 miles of mountain bike singletrack trails offering riders a variety of terrain, from easy meandering wooded singletrack to technical pitches and outstanding views of the surrounding 133,000 acre county forest.

Lowes Creek County Park Trail S. Lowes Creek

Rd., Eau Claire • (715) 839-4738 • co.eau-claire. wi.us Easy to moderate difficulty. Most trails double as mountain bike or ski trails. One short trail is devoted to hiking only. Nice sights of Lowes Creek.

Requires $3 daily pass with seasonal passes available.

Drive south of Eau Claire and I-94 on Lowes Creek Road. Park entrance will be on the left. Or drive south of Eau Claire and I-94 on 93. Turn right on Lorch Avenue and left on Fairview Drive. Ample parking at both entrances.

Menomonie Lions Game Park Trails Menomonie

• Difficulty level: Easy. Very short trail starts near animal exhibits and features a little boardwalk. Fun stroll for families with little kids. From I-94 head south on North Broadway Street, turn left on Pine

Northwest Community Park Trail 650 Van Es

Old Abe Trail 711 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls •

sledding hill. From Hwy. 53, turn right on Eddy Lane to Darryl Lane to Dale Road. From the parking lot, look for the trailhead on the left facing the hill.

is perfect for a family bicycle outing. Available year round, and no pass is required.

Putnam Trail Located at the end of Putnam

Ave, Eau Claire • (715) 839-4783 • co.eau-claire. wi.us Difficulty level: Easy to Moderate. Wide trails double as ski and horseback riding trails. Some trails are very hilly. Offers spectacular views of the Eau Claire River Valley. $3 daily pass/seasonal. Drive east from Eau Claire on Cty. Rd. Q and then south on Cty. Rd. L. Go past first parking lot (for disc golf players) to the second lot (road to it on left side of L).

Drive, UWEC Lower Campus, Eau Claire • uwec. edu Difficulty level: Easy. Dirt road goes through a wooded area that follows Little Niagara Creek. Deer and wild turkeys often seen. Marshy woods with a beautiful canopy of branches and leaves. From campus heading west, the trail follows the Chippewa River.

(715) 726-7920 • dnr.wi.gov Difficulty level: Easy.

Popular bike trail goes from Chippewa Falls to Cornell. One scenic spot is just north of Jim Falls where the trail follows the Chippewa River on one side and small fields and ponds (some full of turtles) on the other. Head north of Chippewa Falls on Hwy. 178 to the Jim Falls exit. In town, there is a trailhead sign with a parking lot. Walk north through town before getting to the scenic spots.

Red Cedar State Trail 921 Brickyard Road,

Otter Creek Trail 2333 Hillcrest Pkwy, Altoona • 3

Stage Coach Bicycle Route Trailhead located in

Menomonie • dnr.wi.gov Difficulty level: Easy. Small bluffs with a waterfall will be on one side and the Red Cedar River on the other side. Bald eagles frequently sighted. Going other direction from Dunnville takes you through the Dunnville State Wildlife Area across a trestle near the confluence of the Chippewa River and the Red Cedar River. This meets up with the Chippewa River Trail.

miles. Located next to the Hillcrest Golf Course.

Augusta just off Hwy 12/27 on Stone St. • (715) 8312345 • info@visiteauclaire.com • travelwisconsin. com Approximately 21 miles roundtrip with alternate loops. Mostly easy but a few steep hills. It’s a scenic route that follows along a lightly traveled road and

Pinehurst Park Trails 3523 Delbert Road, Eau Claire • eauclairewi.gov Difficulty level: Moderate. Wooded trails along the far side of the sledding hill double as mountain bike trails. Trails end at the top of the

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Tower Ridge Recreation Area Trail 1230 S 82nd

Trail From Boyd Park to Archery Park Eau Claire

• Difficulty level: Moderate. This small, short trail winds along a small bluff bordering Eau Claire’s east side neighborhood. Nice scenic spots where you look straight down to the Eau Claire River. Trail starts in a meadow. It is rocky underfoot in some sections.

Directions: From downtown Eau Claire or from Hastings Way, take Main Street and turn north on Summer Street. Park near the pavilion in Boyd Park.

Wildwood Trail 200 Main St., Woodville • (715)

531-1923, 715-684-2874 • co.saint-croix.wi.us The Wildwood Trail is a seven-mile off-road hiking, biking and snowmobiling trail on a former railroad right-ofway, which runs from the Village of Woodville south to the St. Croix/Pierce County line, through the Town of Eau Galle.

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

S O C I A L D I S TA N C I N G A POEM BY MAX GARLAND

Say there came a pandemic; some newsdrunk virus set its hooks in us. And only the sky for a nurse, arced and empty and barely even blue.

And only the musical pulse, and the several senses for consolation, except for a stream of distant words like waves bearing the rush, curl, and foam of elsewhere arriving, the distant rhythm of others to bridge the gap between head and heart, dark and day, fear and whatever it is one feels on the brink of when walking next to great waters, how the surf catches and releases the light, and the waves and bones tremble like the distant cousins of constant thunder.

We know salt tumbles eventually from ocean to body and back, and forth. We know it takes ages to regather the shaken self into the good world again.

I remember a ritual once where hundreds of tiny boat-like baskets were lit and launched with prayers and flowers and misfortunes, ignited and cast out on the water until the bay was ablaze, a rocking constellation of human woe uttered in small tongues of flame, until little by little they drifted, burned, blinked out, and then it was just dark water again, and we all went home. Did our troubles never return?

Were we really less burdened, or better people?

What I mean is sometimes worry needs to be ignited, launched into words, if only to blaze awhile among flotillas of sorrows we thought were ours alone.

What I really mean, of course, is – Keep in touch.

Even if you don’t know what to say, especially if you don’t know what to say. Kind words, fellow castaways, mind-lit emergencies of fingertip and tongue, float this festival of downtime and distance, repopulate the dark with your fledgling human light.

MAX GARLAND IS THE AUTHOR OF “THE WORD WE USED FOR IT,” WINNER OF THE 2017-18 BRITTINGHAM PRIZE. PREVIOUS BOOKS INCLUDE THE POSTAL CONFESSIONS. ORIGINALLY FROM KENTUCKY, HE IS PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT UW-EAU CLAIRE, A FORMER WRITER IN RESIDENCE FOR THE CITY OF EAU CLAIRE, AND THE FORMER POET LAUREATE OF WISCONSIN.

THE REAR END LETTERS FROM HOME IN THE TIME OF COVID these will be amazing memories. eventually. one day. maybe?

WORDS: MIKE PAULUS / ILLUSTRATION: SERENA WAGNER

H

ow’s it going, Chippewa Valley? need to remind your kids to wash their I’m fine. hands for 20 seconds before they just Like many of you smart, do it every time? I have no frickin’ clue! attractive, industrious people reading I’ve never seen it happen. All day long, this, I’ve been working from home I’m like ... for the past few weeks. And by “from Me: Did you wash your hands for 20 home” I mean “from the rock-hard seconds? kitchen chair I pulled out to my wife’s Kid: Yes. petite sewing table upon which she Me: Really? keeps enough spare fabric scraps Kid: No. and extra pairs of scissors to choke a Me: Why not? majestic blue whale, the world’s largest Kid: I forgot. animal. To death.”

Me: WHEN THE HOSPITALS ARE Yes, I know I’ve got it good. I OVERWHELMED I’LL TELL THEM IT shouldn’t complain about little things.

WAS YOUR FAULT. So many people are in peril, their health and/or livelihood held ransom by this All glorious damn day. For some awful, worldwide sickness. Like I said, reason, they don’t take me seriously.

I’m doing fine. I have so much for which And yes, I’m kidding. Because I wash to be thankful. their hands for them.

What a blessing these weeks have Truly, everyday life has transformed. been. I’ve gotten to know my immediate We’re all seeing the world in a different family so much way. Our routines Truly, everyday life has better thanks to all are as forgotten as this time at home! the emerald ash transformed. We’re all seeing Truly a silver borer. Remember the world in a different way. Our the emerald ash lining amid the hideous COVID-19 borer? That used routines are as forgotten as the virus cloud. to be a thing. Good emerald ash borer. Remember the times.

Thanks, COVID-19. You’re Oh, have you emerald ash borer? That used to the best. tried grocery be a thing. Good times.

For example, shopping in the did you know that past week? I if you talk to your cats every single time thought it would have calmed down by they walk by they will eventually learn now, but no. People are still posting English and will one day talk back to to Facebook from the middle of you? My wife sure thinks so!

Woodman’s like they’re journalists And do you know how many different embedded with ground troops charging Christmas songs a 13-year-old girl can across a flaming Iraqi oil field. adapt to everyday things like making And there are pallets of toilet paper instant oatmeal, going to the bathroom, in the produce section. Next to the or simply sitting on a couch? So many citrus. different songs! So many different, loud OK, let’s talk about doorknobs.

Christmas songs about armpits!

They’re dangerous. Knobs, handles, Hey, guess how many times you levers. Electronic keypads. All of them

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are waiting to infect you with the virus.

If you touch a doorknob, you’re basically having a long, sweaty handshake with every other runny-nosed, coughing person who’s also touched that doorknob. And they probably held onto it long enough to make it nice and warm.

If you need groceries, and you go out in public – where the doorknobs live – wear gloves. Two pairs. And then oven mitts of the top. And then use your feet. To push your wife at the door so she opens it for you.

And yes, in case you were wondering, I did just Google “kinds of doorknobs.”

That’s how dedicated I am to this work I’m doing from home, kind reader.

My advice is to stay at home where the worries are at the very least

familiar. And right now, “familiar” feels good. “Familiar” can get you through the day. “Familiar” can fend off the anxiety we’re all feeling. And yes, we’re all feeling it. Together. On our own but together.

And if familiar, everyday comforts elude your troubled mind, step outside.

In daylight or moonlight, step outside and stand still on some solid ground.

Close your eyes and feel your body press down against the earth. The earth is heavy. It’s heavy with pain and sorrow. But it’s also overflowing with courage. And hope.

The whole world is still out there, people. And it’ll be there tomorrow, waiting for us.

Stay safe.

MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

OLYMPIC FLAME

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MARCH 31, 2020 • PULLING TOGETHER WHILE STAYING APART

Hang in there, Chippewa Valley.

We’ll be together again soon.