HAIR POWER

words by tom

THE MULLET – THE BUSINESS-IN-THEFRONT, PARTY-IN-THE-BACK HAIRCUT ROCKED BY THE LIKES OF PATRICK SWAYZE AND BILLY RAY CYRUS IN THE LATE 1980S AND EARLY ’90S – isn’t just confined to the pages of old high school yearbooks. It endures proudly on the heads of men and boys nationwide, and one of the best examples is

giffey

right here in the Chippewa Valley.

Eight-year-old Emmitt Bailey of Menomonie – who rocks curly golden locks accented by mirrored Pit Viper shades – has made to the cut to reach the top 25 of the Kids Division in the USA Mullet Championship. His proud dad, Eric Bailey, said the contest began with about 1,600 kids nationwide, and was narrowed to 25 through successive rounds of selection and voting. Final votes will be cast online from approximately Aug. 15 to 19.

So what inspired Emmitt to get such a hairdo? “I wanted cool hockey hair,” said Emmitt, who plays goalie on his hockey team. (Indeed, some of history’s best mullets were worn by NHL players, while an All Hockey Hair Team is selected following the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament each year.) Mullets are also popular in the auto racing scene, and Emmitt and his dad are frequent visitors to the Red Cedar Speedway and other tracks in the area. In fact, Emmitt’s goal is to take the contest’s $2,500 first prize and buy a go-kart so he can chase his own racing dreams.

“I want to be out on the track, not in the stands,” he says.

Win or lose, Emmitt – an incoming third-grader at River Heights Elementary in Menomonie – is enjoying the attention. In addition to being featured in local TV news reports and earning the nickname “Mufasa” from wrestling teammates for his lion’s mane, he’s gotten freebies from race car drivers from as far away as North Carolina and and Alaska who dig his mullet.

And Emmitt isn’t the only guy from Menomonie with a head-turning mullet. Last year, Menomonie’s Josh Boyette placed third in the teen division, while Menomonie native Cale Bauer was a top 25 finisher in the men’s competition.

“We were all joking about the hair power in the little town of Menomonie,” Eric Bailey said.

Find out how you can cast your vote in this year’s USA Mullet Championship at mulletchamp.com.

words by sawyer hoff

EVER WANTED TO EXPERIENCE PIONEER LIFE? THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY ANTIQUE ENGINE & MODEL CLUB INC. is hosting Pioneer Days on Aug. 12-14 in Pioneer Park, just south of Eau Claire on Highway 37. This year, the weekend event is showcasing the Phoenix Log Hauler – an amazing steam-powered log hauling machine built in Eau Claire in 1909, which still works! Enjoy activities like wood sawing and blacksmithing, as well as flea markets on Friday. Saturday is a full day of log sawing demonstrations, a silent auction, more flea markets, pioneer activities, live accordion music, and antique and kiddie tractor pulls. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served. There will also be antique cars, trucks, and fire trucks on display. Sunday will wrap the whole event up with all the same fun, but with an exciting Parade of Power at noon. Sunday is also “Sunday Fun Day” where kids can bring their power wheels or other pedal toys for races and obstacle courses. Catch a glimpse of the Valley’s long history by seeing what life was like back in the pioneer days! To learn more, you can go to pioneer-days.org.

DOWNTOWN CHIPPEWA FALLS

1PM PARADE, 2PM RIVERFEST • CHIPPEWAFALLSMAINST.ORG