JWcountryphoto: Stompin' Through the Swampgrass

A note from Swamper Town:

Another year has come and gone in the Swampgrass
around the Chippewa Valley.
The 2009 Swampers show invited the listener
to take a leisurely stroll around our historic town
and surrounding countryside, with slides and songs
depicting many of the well-known community events
and exhibits familiar to all of us.
Stompin' With The Swampers,
as this year's show was aptly named,
again featured the musical talents of some
of the Chippewa Valley's best musicians, many
of whom have been a part of the Swampers
musical aggregation since the beginning.
This year's show was the 5th all-new Swampers production,
and the 8th annual Swampers concert,
part of the Pure Water Days celebration
in Chippewa Falls.
With over 100 projected photographs, depicting
the vitality and romantic flair of the town, together
with the exceptional songwriting talents of
Jerry Way
made for a winning combination and in my opinion,
the best Swampers show yet!

From the annual April Fools' canoe trip down Duncan Creek...

...to the Spring Art Show,

the slides, songs and stories highlighted some of the
Chippewa Valley's
best and most unique events and exhibits.
~~~~~
FATFAR, the annual Father's Day tubing event,
which had a very humble beginning,
now attracts hundreds and even thousands of folks
from around the WORLD each year
(the world's largest unorganized
one-day tubing event).
Jerry Way caught the spirit of this festive event,
in his upbeat tune
FATFAR.

"That's F. A. T. F. A. R. all in CAPS!"

Of course, no present-day study of Chippewa Falls
would be complete without mentioning the new
traffic "game"
involving white-knuckled drivers driving in circles!!
Mind your mirrors and buckle up, 'cause we're coming to a
ROUNDABOUT!!!

Chippewa Falls is really a pretty town.
If you don't believe me, just take a walk down
Bridge Street in the summertime.
Hanging baskets adorn
all the light poles,
and there is even a public rose and lily garden
at the corner of Rushman Drive and
Bridgewater Ave.
Many private gardeners also have their own
"beauty spots" scattered throughout town.
So, take a walk some evening this summer,
and discover all the beautiful flowers around
Chippewa Falls!!

No town with a Scandinavian heritage can pass up
some good ol' Ole and Lena jokes!
The audience nearly fell out of their seats laughing
as the Swampers read of the antics of this
famous bungling pair!

"Ole and Lena's Reader's Theatre"

Lake Wissota, a vacation destination for many,
and a feature of the Chippewa Falls area since 1918,
is home to many different forms of recreation.
One of the best is just sitting down on the summer
beach, watching the sun go down over the water!!
Yeah, I'll be there!

Ever been to Cornell?
If you have, you have likely seen the huge
crane-like structure there on display, the pulpwood
stacker. The big unanswered question however, is
"How much wood would a wood stacker stack
if a wood stacker could stack wood?"
The now 98 year old structure was retired from
service in the1970's,
and is now a huge tourist attraction!

The Christmas Parade is always the December
highlight in Chippewa Falls,
drawing a huge crowd without fail,
despite the usually inclement and subfreezing
temperatures on the first Saturday of December!
Of course, you can always come in and warm up
at the Heyde Center's annual brass band concert
after the parade!!!
(This year, the concert will be in the afternoon,
before the parade! - JW, 102209)

Last of all, the Swampers concluded with a look
at some of the historic and beautifully restored
buildings in our hometown, including the
102 year old Heyde Center For the Arts!
A tribute to Main Street, and the many hours of
downtown restoration work; a walk thru history with
The Buildings in Our Hometown.

And until next time,
Fare Ye Well, Good Neighbors!!

And technically yes, I am a Swamper.
A "technical swamper" that is!
The Wilson twins and I are responsible for making
the show sound and look fabulous.
Hats off to the Wilsons for the design of the
slide show!! And Jerry Way, thanks for the
opportunity to work
on another awesome show!
Can't wait to do it again with y'all!
So for now, fare ye well, good friends!
~ Joel Wiltrout