By: Sara Walters

There are two things that are hard to miss when you travel to La Crosse County—its beauty and its active communities. Views always consist of not just awesome bluffs and rivers, but also hikers, bikers and paddlers enjoying the terrain. Matt Christen of Wrench & Roll Collective has combined these two local features into the ultimate, active outing—guided bike tours. Here are five things you should know about this creative way to explore the Coulee Region.

1. You’re in good hands. Christen, the brains (and bike) behind Wrench & Roll, is a nationally-certified cycling instructor. He even shares his knowledge before each tour with a quick rundown on bike fit, basic gear and riding tips.

2. It’s active, but also informative. Riders will spend 60-90 minutes on their bikes so you’ll definitely get your workout in. But you’re also guaranteed to take home a little history, as well. Wrench & Roll offers different tour options based on your interest so you can get smart while you get sweaty.

3. Follow the leader…and your interests. Christen has options for all types of tours, from local sculptures and breweries, to recreational or custom rides. Select your tour topic and he’ll make sure your experience is tailored to your tastes. Most rides start at the Eagle statue in La Crosse’s Riverside Park, though custom tours do occasionally start at area businesses or hotels.

4. They’ve got the gear, too. Don’t have a bike? That’s okay, Wrench & Roll has you covered. Bike rentals are $7 per person. You’ll also be equipped with a helmet and complimentary water to keep you hydrated.

5. It’s great for groups. Looking for a fun business or family outing? Try a Wrench & Roll tour! Custom tours are designed around your goals and needs. They can be arranged at any time with at least 24-hours notice.

Wrench & Roll Collective
608-406-2261
1355 Caledonia St., La Crosse, WI 54603
wrenchnrollcollective.com

Disclaimer: This is just my perspective on La Crosse County events, businesses and activities. I’m only one local opinion. Explore the rest of the site to learn more on those that I’ve missed.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_team_member name=”Sara Walters” position=”Writer ” _builder_version=”3.0.101″]

Sara Walters is a writer, mom and marketing professional. She lives in La Crescent, MN with her husband and two daughters, Caroline and Maggie. Visit Sara’s website at creativecontentandconsulting.com.

Check out the Driftless Outdoors Show.

Exhibition, Where Are You From? Opening Friday, September, 7 2018

Application Deadline: August 20, 2018

Where Are You From?

Friday, September,  7 – October 26, 2018

No cost to apply – All artists & individuals welcome to submit 2D & 3D work

La Crosse, WI–Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy (129 6th St S, La Crosse, across from the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman) will be hosting its fall art exhibition, entitled Where Are You From?, to debut Friday, September 7, 2018, to October 26, 2018.

Where Are You From? asks how you came to be: Where were you born? Where have you been? Who came before you? What events shaped you? Any single factor or combination of factors is fair game. Your childhood home, your cultural identity, a memorable moment, your family history… Where Are You From? asks artists, “How did you become you?”

All modes and media are welcome. Artists are invited to submit two- and three-dimensional work that is representational of Where Are You From?

Where Are You From? will also feature two individual exhibitions from artists Robert Caldwell and Dewayne Wrencher. The individual exhibitions will be in two parts:

• Robert Caldwell: September 7-28, 2018

Altar Assemblage Workshop: Saturday, September 15, 2018

• Dewayne Wrencher – October 5-26, 2018

About the artists:

Robert Caldwell

Assemblage artist Robert Caldwell of Viroqua, WI, has been creating “altars to the unknown” for more than 40 years. Using a wide variety of methods and objects, Caldwell creates his altars to “facilitate the unconscious in speaking the individuating message it has to offer.”  In creating each altar, Caldwell pays little attention to “traditional aesthetics.” In fact, he does not view his works as art at all:  “This is not art, and I do not identify as an artist. Each altar is a relic of a living, transformative event in my psyche whose exact purpose cannot be understood or defined.  I recommend this process to anyone who is longing for truth and experiential meaning.”

Dewayne Wrencher

Printmaker, poet, and illustrator Dewayne Wrencher creates art that seeks to build a dialogue on complex questions of identity, questions which are central both to his methods and observations as an artist, and to the audience’s viewing of his work. “There have been repetitive questions circling the globe that center on the topics of home and identity. Questions like, who am I and is there a place on this planet I can truly call home?” Wrencher creates works using prints, found objects, and creative wordplay, exploring these themes in a unique, challenging form. “I want viewers to question their current assumptions of reality regarding social differences.”

The application for submission to Where Are You From? can be found here: (Add Link)

About Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy

Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy provides services to individuals of all ages and backgrounds, offering traditional counseling services related to anxiety, depression, and grief, and specializing in the practice of art therapy.

Melissa Fannin, MA, LPC, ATR, is a licensed counselor and registered art therapist. She specializes in the use of art therapy as a grounded, hands-on approach to developing mindfulness and creating change. Art therapy employs creative, nonverbal means of accessing grief, trauma, and personal issues. The creation of art can play a unique role in therapy, encouraging change and offering new insights. Art engages the brain’s creative centers, allowing clients to approach their difficulties from a new angle. Clients do not have to participate in art making and may stick with traditional “talk” therapy.

For more information on individual and group counseling, visit fannincounseling.com.

Melissa Fannin, MA, LPC, ATR
Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy
129 6th St S
La Crosse, WI 54601
info@fannincounseling.com
608-480-1676
www.fannincounseling.com

GARDEN TOUR WITH HIKE AND STARGAZING TO OFFER RARE GLIMPSE OF RIDGETOP WONDERS

Mississippi Valley Conservancy celebrates Wisconsin Land Trust Days with event to be held at FSPA Villa St. Joseph

The popular Villa grounds tour with ridgetop hike and stargazing will again be offered by Mississippi Valley Conservancy, in partnership with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) and the La Crosse Area Astronomical Society, on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Located at Villa St. Joseph on St. Joseph’s Ridge, this hike is part of the 2018 “Linked to the Land” series of outdoor activities sponsored by Mayo Clinic Health System–Franciscan Healthcare of La Crosse.

This annual event offers a family-friendly experience with the unique opportunity to visit the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Villa property and enjoy the views and night skies of the ridgetop. The event is the only public tour of the property each year.

Participants who tour the beautiful, private hilltop property will learn about the organic horticulture techniques that produce thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables for the Sisters. Sister Lucy, who was featured on CNN, will discuss their gardening techniques and take attendees through their gardens. She will also show their new state of the art greenhouse. After the garden tour, a guide from Mississippi Valley Conservancy will lead a hike of this unique and peaceful land to the overlook during the spectacular sunset hour. Members of the La Crosse Area Astronomical Society will point out highlights of the night sky after sunset.

What to bring (optional):

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and snacks to enjoy while relaxing on the grounds before stargazing begins. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their own telescopes and binoculars for enjoyment of the spectacular ridgetop views.

Detailed schedule:

               4:00 – 4:30          Greenhouse

               4:30 – 5:45         Garden Tour

               6:00 – 7:30          Hikes of the property

               7:45 – 9:30          Stargazing

Directions:  From La Crosse take Hwy 33 east to St. Joseph’s Ridge. The Villa is at the end of town.  Please park in the parking lot that is just past the Villa on the left, watch for Mississippi Valley Conservancy signs.  Please do not pull in and park in the actual Villa parking lot.

WHAT: Garden Tour with Hike and Stargazing
WHEN: Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Villa St. Joseph on St. Joseph’s Ridge

RSVP’s are appreciated for this free event. Please send your RSVP by email to kfrise@mississippivalleyconservancy.org or call 784-3606 ext. 6

More at the La Crosse Tribune

Kayak Bass Fishing, the nation’s premier kayak bass fishing tournament series, heads to La Crosse County. The KBF Open is a two day Catch, Photo and Release (CPR) event and will be held July 20-21, 2018 on pools 7, 8, and 9 of the Mississippi River. This is one of just 5 total Open series events held across the country.

Anglers from all across the country (Texas, New York, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, etc) will be competing for a chance at over $10,000 in winnings and qualification to the 2019 National Championships.

This event is hosted by Explore La Crosse and sponsored by Gander Outdoors, Wilderness Systems, Torqeedo, YETI, YakAttack, Lowrance, APR, NRS, Power Pole and NINES Optics.

All kayak bass anglers are welcome to sign up and compete in this event.

For more information, check out tournament details at https://www.tourneyx.com/app/tourney/2018-kbf-open-mississippi-r-wi.

Media Contact:

Jeremiah Burish
Director of Sports Sales
La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau
410 Veterans Memorial Drive
La Crosse, WI 54601
608.782.2250

Mid West Music Fest (MWMF) will be holding it’s 10th annual festival in 2019. The multi-genre, multi-venue music festival will be moving the Spring event back a month, to be held May 3 & 4 in Winona, MN and May 17 & 18 in La Crosse, WI.

Started as an AmeriCorps project by founder Sam Brown in Winona in 2009, Mid West Music Fest is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission of bringing the community together to support artists, live music, education and economic development. In 2018, over 4000 people came together as part of the music festival in La Crosse and Winona. The festival features local, regional, and national musicians and has become an economic stimulator for the region – in effect creating its own music economy.

A study by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reports that a vibrant music economy “fuels job creation, economic growth, tourism development and artist growth, and strengthens a city’s brand.” The story further mentions, “A strong music community also attracts business investment.”

For the 2018 event, Mid West Music Fest teamed up with the Winona State University Department of Economics to survey patrons of the festival. What they found out is that patrons were spending almost $75,000 per day (not including the ticket price) in the community. The four days of the festival are putting $300,000 into both the Winona and La Crosse economy, and that is just 4 days out of 365.

2019 will be the festival’s 10th year in Winona and 4th since expanding to La Crosse in 2016. 2018 saw record numbers of attendance for the festival while hosting over 150 of the best in established and up-and-coming musical acts of the upper Midwest, and beyond, across multiple venues in these two historic river downtowns.

The festival has become an annual tradition for music fans from across the region who flock to the area to celebrate music and community. The festival is also a favorite for musicians, who revel in the opportunity to hear each other play and often are seen sitting in on other band’s sets. Music industry professionals are beginning to attend the festival to scout new acts.

Keep an eye on MWMF’s website or on social media for announcements regarding the 2019 line up, ticket sales and more.

As part of its mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MWMF keeps ticket prices low and relies on the generous support of donors.

If you are interested in donating to Mid West Music Fest, please contact Festival Director Parker Forsell at parker.f@midwestmusicfest.org.

https://midwestmusicfest.org