Menomonie Minute

From the Village of Knapp Facebook page.

Plan your Parade of Lights route with our digital map! Discover Menomonie’s sparkling holiday lights for a magical experience, and let our map be your hassle-free guide. Embrace the festive spirit and make the most of this holiday season!

Information taken from the Explore Menomonie website.

2024 Parade of Lights Participants:

1. Downtown Menomonie - 503 Broadway St S Ste 20, Menomonie, WI 54751

2. E4589 461st Ave, Menomonie, WI 54751

3. N1880 County Road Z, Eau Galle, WI 54737

4. Parrot Bay Tanning Salon - 719 Broadway St S, Menomonie, WI 54751

5. Artysta Boutique - 544 Broadway St S Ste 35, Menomonie, WI 54751

6. E5955 800th Ave, Menomonie, WI 54751

7. N13314 County Road M, New Auburn, WI 54757

8. Ellsworth Menomonie Creamery - 3001 County Road B, Menomonie, WI 54751

9. 1103 N Shore Dr, Menomonie, WI 54757

10. Mike’s Art & Design Supply - 105 Main Street E, Menomonie, WI 54751

11. Dragon Tale Books - 216 Main St E, Menomonie, WI 54751

12. 732 River Heights Rd, Menomonie, WI 54751

13. Artisan Alley & Gifts - 226 Main Street Ste A, Menomonie, WI 54751

14. 214 12th St SE, Menomonie, WI 54751

15. 1709 2nd AVE NE, Menomonie, WI 54751

16. The Skate Ranch - N4439 440th St, Menomonie, WI 54751

17. 1520 Main St E, Menomonie, WI 54751

18. 1001 Stout St, Menomonie, WI 54751

19. E4540 461 Ave, Menomonie, WI 54751

20. E5378 650th Ave, Menomonie, WI 54751

21. 529 Elm Ave W, Menomonie, WI 54751

22. Christ Lutheran Church - 1306 Wilcox St, Menomonie, WI 54751

23. Triangle Art & Antiques - 335 Main St E, Menomonie, WI 54751

24. 112 14th St NE, Menomonie, WI 54751

25. N4609 480th St, Menomonie, WI 54751

26. 501 12th St SE, Menomonie, WI 54751

27. Tanglewood Greens - 2200 Crestwood Dr, Menomonie, WI 54751

28. Office On Main - 316e Main St, Menomonie, WI 54751

29. 1226 Tainter St, Menomonie, WI 54751

30. Office On Main (2nd Location) - 320 Main Street, Menomonie, WI 54751

Voting is open for the Parade of Lights. Choose your favorite residential and business entries and help us celebrate the creativity and holiday spirit of Menomonie. Cast your vote now through December 31 by clicking the link below!

VOTE HERE.

From the St. Joseph's Parish and School Facebook page.

From the City of Menomonie Facebook page.

Santa will be at our Menomonie location this Saturday, December 7th! Stop in between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM to tell Santa what you'd like for Christmas and take a photo!

From the Dick's Fresh Market Facebook page.

Menomonie Theater Guild is proud to announce their upcoming production of the family-friendly musical Annie, set for eight performances at the Mabel Tainter Theater on the weekends of December 6-8, and 13-15, 2024. 

The beloved classic comes to Menomonie, just in time to create special family memories at the holidays! With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in depression-era New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage, run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. 

With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations... and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy. 

Annie will be directed for Menomonie Theater Guild by directorial duo, Nell Heifner-Johnson, and Bethany Risler, with vocal music direction by Courtney Eberle and pit orchestra direction by Jay Collins. 

Performance Dates: 

Friday, December 6, OPENING NIGHT 7:30 p.m. 

Saturday, December 7, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday, December 8, 2:00 p.m. 

Friday, December 13, 7:30 p.m. 

Saturday, December 14, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday, December 15, 2:00 p.m. 

Tickets are available: 

Online: menomonietheaterguild.org 

By Phone: 715-231-PLAY (7529) 

By Email: [email protected] 

In Person: Menomonie Theater Guild Box Office, 502 West 2nd St, Menomonie, WI Open Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 am- 3:30 pm. 

Performances will be at the historic Mabel Tainter Theater in downtown Menomonie. The Historic Mabel Tainter: 205 Main St E, Menomonie, WI 54751 

Tickets are $25 for adults and $23 for students/seniors/military. Prices include all fees.

Media release.

The Bridge to Hope is in need of the following clothing items: Boys clothes size 8, 8/10, 10/12, Girls clothes size 2T, 4T, and 6T, and women's large size tops, bottoms, and underwear, robe, and bra (34). Please reach out at 715-235-9074 if you are able to assist. Thank you! From The Bridge to Hope Facebook page.

Indian River Groves will be at the Stout Craft Co. parking lot with their citrus truckload sale on Wednesday, Dec 18th, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm. Find more information on the Facebook event page, or on their website.

The Chick-fil-A food truck will be at the CVS parking lot on Friday, December 6th from 11am-7pm. Find more information, including a menu, on their Facebook page.

Volume One recently shared a story about the Menomonie Police Department's 'Food for Fines' program. You can read it HERE.

Each year, Eau Claire SCHEELS is honored to give back to local organizations that do incredible work in our community. Now, we want to hear from you! Which organizations are you most passionate about? As part of our Giving Campaign, we’ll be selecting three outstanding organizations to receive a donation. Organizations must be within 50 miles of Eau Claire, and a 501(c)(3), or 501(c)(19). We want to show our appreciation to you by donating to your favorite organization. We will be accepting entries between now- December 15th! One response per email will be counted! Vote HERE. From the Scheels Eau Claire Facebook page.

35 years ago...

Fritz receives Outstanding Mid-Level Professional Award

By Abby Goers, UW-Stout

For her dedication to enhancing the residential experience for on-campus students at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Assistant Director of Housing Dana Fritz received a regional award from her professional association.

She received the Outstanding Mid-Level Professional Award at the annual conference for the Upper Midwest Region of the Association of College and University Housing Officers, held recently in Springfield, Mo.

Fritz has been at UW-Stout for more than 15 years. She was nominated by Director of Housing Adam Ludwig, who has worked with her since 2010.

“Dana is the backbone of our administration operations,” Ludwig said.

Fritz coordinates the Housing assignment process for students, including all communications that families and prospective and yielded students receive, from room selection to the move-in process and accommodations along the way, as well as ensuring students have a housing assignment and the accuracy of the billing process.

In 2015, when Housing experienced an organizational overhaul, Fritz moved from being a hall director to operations coordinator with the central leadership team. She restructured multiple processes, transitioning from a model that relied on 11 hall directors to one managed by five residence life coordinators.

“Her creativity, student-focused approach, and operational acumen were critical in ensuring a smooth transition,” Ludwig said.

Now, as assistant director for Administrative Operations, Fritz challenges the Housing team to prioritize equity, whether in addressing student accommodation needs, guiding programmatic initiatives, overseeing building renovation projects or shaping departmental language.

She spearheaded the centralization of Housing’s desk operations and the creation of a new student operations manager position, supervised by the central office. This initiative allowed live-in staff to focus on students’ mental health needs without the distraction of administrative tasks.

“Dana empowers students by finding creative ways to give them meaningful roles and leverage their strengths for the benefit of the department,” Ludwig said.

The student team was named Student Staff Team of the Year at UW-Stout’s 2024 Leadership Awards.

In response to the pandemic in spring 2020, when the nation’s universities and colleges moved to alternative learning methods, Fritz quickly devised an efficient move-out process for the majority of campus residents while coordinating temporary housing for students who had no alternative accommodations.

Working closely with Facilities, she developed a comprehensive summer cleaning plan to prepare campus housing for fall occupancy and played a key role in transforming the move-in process to meet the requirements aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

“Her innovative week-long move-in strategy remains in place today due to its high satisfaction ratings and reduced strain on staff resources,” Ludwig said.

The Upper Midwest Region of the Association of College and University Housing Officers covers eight states and Manitoba, Canada.

UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.

Capstone design projects in sustainable travel, consumer health punctuate signature polytechnic events

By Abby Goers, UW-Stout

Nearly 400 University of Wisconsin-Stout students across art, design, science, technology and engineering programs will showcase their creative, collaborative and research endeavors at three of the university’s signature events from Wednesday, Dec. 11, to Friday, Dec. 13.

Among the hundreds of students will be graphic design and interactive media graduating seniors Emma Johnson and Ellie Johnson, who will exhibit their sustainable travel and consumer health and safety capstone projects at the School of Art and Design Senior Show from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 13, in Applied Arts and Micheels Hall.

SOAD Senior Show celebrates students’ works in graphic design, video production and animation, industrial and product design, interior design, game design and studio art. Metals, comics, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking and photography exhibitions and sales by students will be throughout the building.

The Furlong Gallery is featuring the SOAD Speaker Series Invitational Solo Exhibitions with artists Megan Jacobs and Danny Saathoff. The exhibition runs through Saturday, Dec. 14.

The Stout Game Expo, western Wisconsin's largest game developers’ event, will feature the works of about 250 students from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 11, in the upper level of the Memorial Student Center.

During SGX, first-year to senior students in game design and development-art; and the game design concentration in computer science debut original, playable tabletop games, board and card games, conventional video games, virtual reality experiences and rhythm games.

And at the STEMM Student Expo, hundreds of science, technology and engineering students will display their first- to senior-year projects from 1 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 12, in the Memorial Student Center.

From research to prototypes to solving problems for an industrial or community partner to creative activities, it is an opportunity for students across the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management to collaborate on projects and discuss their research with each other, faculty, industry partners and university and community members.

SOAD capstones focus on sustainable travel and healthy living

Emma and Ellie will exhibit their app and publication, TREUSE and PURE, along with more than 100 of their peers at the SOAD Senior Show.

Emma has always been artistic, and with a family full of artists and designers, she felt constant support and encouragement to pursue a design career.

“As for graphic design, I was always mesmerized by poster design, typographic systems and web design. When I found out there was a field that allowed me to work with all of that and more, it was a no-brainer for me,” she said.

Emma designed TREUSE, a sustainable travel app that connects users with eco-friendly experiences and local vendors. Her app TREUSE focuses on promoting conscious tourism by highlighting activities that support the environment and community.

“Users can explore options like guided tours, workshops and events. The app features interactive sustainability scores, allowing travelers to understand vendors’ commitments to green practices and make informed choices that align with their values,” she said.

Emma, of Farmington, Minn., has a concentration in interactive design concentration. She includes research, sketching, and mind-mapping in her creative process before pulling her ideas down into something that is attainable and realistic, she said.

“I hope TREUSE encourages people to think more about the way they travel and live their everyday lives,” she said. “I have been able to learn more about sustainable living and traveling and plan on holding myself more accountable.”

Ellie created PURE, a publication focused on the health and safety of personal care products, particularly PFAS chemicals.

She aims to empower consumers to make safer product choices by raising awareness of harmful substances they may contain.

“Harmful substances, which accumulate in the body and cause serious health issues, like cancer and fertility problems, are often hidden in consumer products,” she said.

Ellie, of Sturgeon Bay, has a communication design concentration. She developed a brand identity for PURE and used mood boards to shape the project’s aesthetic, then refined and selected her strongest ideas.

“For Senior Show, I hope to demonstrate the attention to detail and design system cohesion that I’ve incorporated into my work, showcasing the skills I’ve developed throughout my studies,” she said.

Ellie and Emma both transferred to UW-Stout’s graphic design program after starting their college careers elsewhere. They each had family and friends who’d gone to school here.

Ellie chose UW-Stout’s GDIM program for its structured approach and problem-solving opportunities after visiting with her brothers, who are current students.

Knowing the reputation of the university through her family, “Stout was always one of my top choices,” Emma said. “When I met with Program Director Alex DeArmond and learned more about Stout’s program, I knew it was the right fit. I transferred the next semester. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Ellie and Emma will graduate on Saturday, Dec. 14. Ellie plans to travel to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam for two months before pursuing a career in design. She is also considering graduate studies.

In the new year, Emma will start her full-time position as a graphic designer at Kasco, a manufacturer of decorative and aerating fountains and systems in Prescott, where she completed her internship last summer.

“Kasco provided me the opportunity to continue working for them part-time while finishing this semester. I’ve learned so much since working there, and I’m grateful for the Kasco team for being so supportive and welcoming,” she added.

UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production. It has a master’s in design and design, entrepreneurship and sustainability.

UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.

From the Boyceville Lions Club Facebook page.